The main part of working on a speech is work on structure.
If all is well with the content (an interesting topic is covered, there is something to tell), it is the structure that most influences the user experience (the listeners' sensations) and the overall “structure” of the speech.
Signs of bad structure for the audience:
- it is unclear what the speaker is getting at
- it is hard to tell what he or she is talking about
- narrative logic is broken
- it is easy to get confused if you get distracted
- not sure what the importance of the speech is
Signs of good structure for the audience:
- key meanings are easy to read
- it is always clear where I am in the speech
- it's clear why the speaker is talking about this particular thing and in that order
- "the speaker has put everything into place", "the puzzle came together"
- it is clear what this speech means to me
We recommend one of three basic structures to choose from.
1. Hierarchical (Pyramidal) Structure
Great for informational and persuasive speeches with lots of content. It's based on the principle of decomposition — break down and group ideas so that it's easier for the audience to follow your message. Similar to a mind-map, but with a few limitations.
The pyramid below has 3 branches and 3 levels.
Rational argumenation: statistics, data, graphs, figures Emotional argumentation: stories, quotes, pictures, artifacts
It starts with the main idea (the thesis you want to convince or the key concept you're going to talk about). The main idea is essentially the conclusion with which we begin our presentation, rather than wading through the maze of content. And at the end of each “branch”. We simply remind ourselves of it.
Key Rules:
- the ideas of each level should summarize the ideas grouped below
- ideas in each group should always be of the same kind/connected
- each idea should be divided into no more than four others
- it is necessary to draw conclusions at the end of each “branch”
- at least three levels (more is easy!)
📚 The book we advise you to read about Minto Pyramid and the principles of hierarchical structure:
2. Linear Structure
The linear structure is great for presentations that address "painful topics." It's not yet a full-fledged case study, but it is a way to show exactly how to solve a problem the audience understands.
Key point:
Often in such structures, speakers are limited to the “problem” and “solution” blocks.
By adding “problem development”, “reasons for the problem”, “consequences of the solution”, and “comparison with alternatives”, and by working out the soft transitions between them, you can achieve a much more coherent impression of the report.
If your report shows several solution options, it is better to use a hierarchical structure. If the solution options were in turn (in chronological order), you can use a narrative approach to the structure.
An example of using a linear structure:
3. Contrast Structure
A very simple but effective structure. Great for speeches where there are several objects to compare.
Two main ways to use it
- Comparing by criteria
Evaluate each object in turn, across all criteria, and compare the objects to each other, drawing a conclusion at the end of the speech.
- Comparing by objects
Consider the comparison criteria in turn, and evaluate all objects against each of them, drawing a general conclusion at the end.
Contrast in speech should be emphasized visually — use different colors, icons, etc.
Particular attention should be paid to conclusions after each semantic block, as if summing up the overall comparison.
What Structure to Choose?
This table can help you decide which structure to pick.
A Few Important Tips for All Structures
Make a Good Introduction
The functional task of the introduction in a speech is to “sell” the speech that follows. Imagine that after the introduction, the speech stops and everyone is prompted to click “continue” or “skip”.
A good introduction always encourages the audience to listen further. Let's look at the main ways:
Agendа | Story | Joke |
Generally a necessary but not sufficient element in an introduction. Showing what content listeners will spend their time on is a good tone. An important point — if there are more than 5 points in the report plan you are showing, feel free to cut them down (don't cross them out, but group them together — see pyramidal structure). | A short story that evokes emotion and brings the audience to the main point of the report is always a good way to start the presentation. | Sometimes it works, but we want to warn you, it's a dangerous move. The audience at the beginning of any presentation is cold, especially online. Trying to "break the ice" can have the opposite effect. It is more safe to place them later in the introduction. |
Contrast | About yourself | 😎 |
This is a great option for an introduction. Your task is to contrast events/facts/narratives. It's best to pause between them.
For example:
1. In the year 2020, there are X people living on Earth and there is Y drinking water — pause — By 2025 there will be X' (more) of us and Y' (less) of water
2. Five years ago, to realize such a project, you had to ... — pause — Today we only need ... to accomplish the same task
3. We often spend a lot of time and effort on solving X problem — pause — Imagine that it can be done X times faster
Once you've formulated the contrast, it's important to get right to the level of the main idea! | Saying a few words about yourself, your background is not a bad idea, but you have to be careful.
The key tips are:
1. This block should be as short as possible, 1-2 minutes maximum. No one comes to the conference to hear about you, everyone wants to hear about themselves.
2. Focus only on relevant and specific professional details that show why you are talking about this particular topic.
3. Add some personal details to get closer to your audience.
4. A good way to talk about yourself is through a short story. | Do not worry — you will handle this! |
Think Through the Reasoning
In the first part of the speech, it's very important to explicitly explain to the audience why they should listen to this talk. You've already decided on the desired change (when you formulated the goal), now it's time to show it in the speech.
In 1–2 minutes, tell them why this talk will be useful and how to use it. This is essential to adjust the audience's expectations and set them right. Reasoning is not the same as Agenda.
Consider Transitions Separately
After the first rehearsal, we recommend focusing separately on transitions between key blocks. Take 5–10 minutes to talk through them alone.
Try Not to Memorize the Written Text
Many speakers have a habit of writing the entire speech in preparation and memorizing it.
We don't recommend doing this, for a number of reasons:
- written speech is often very different from oral speech and sounds unnatural at the presentation,
- the canvas of the text often obscures the structure, not allowing you to clearly distinguish the boundaries of blocks and transitions,
- a written text gives the impression that somewhere there is a “correct” speech, which must be strictly followed. In fact, your task is to communicate with your audience, not yourself
If you are still used to writing a speech in preparation, try to adjust your approach a bit:
- write/draw the structure first, and then write each block separately,
- don't memorize specific wording, try to rehearse minimally looking at the text. After the run, you can go back to it and see,
- format the text into large chunks, make spaces, indents, headings.
Do Your Presentation AFTER You've Decided on a Structure
Many speakers immediately open PowerPoint/Keynote when it comes to preparation. This tends to make the overall structure of the speech much worse — you automatically become hostage to a blocky approach to structure. It is highly recommended that you first write/draw the structure separately, and only then think about how best to visualize it.
