Planning a talk: purpose, audience and one clear message

Most weak talks fail before the speaker says a word, because the plan was fuzzy. Get the purpose, the audience and the one main message right, and the structure almost writes itself.

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Start with your purpose

• Toastmasters International describes four general purposes for any speech: to inform, to persuade, to entertain or to inspire.
• Then write a specific purpose: one sentence saying what you want the audience to be able to do after your talk. Toastmasters says it must be realistic and written from the audience's point of view.
• Weak: 'My talk is about recycling.' Strong: 'By the end, my classmates will know which three items they can put in the school's recycling bins.'
• If you cannot write this sentence, you are not ready to make slides yet.

Know your audience

• Before planning, answer three questions: who will be listening, what do they already know, and what do they need from you?
• A talk on the same topic changes for a Year 9 assembly, a university admissions panel or a group of parents.
• The ANU's academic skills guide advises defining and explaining any concepts and terms before you use them. Assume a smart listener who is new to your topic.
• Toastmasters suggests greeting people as they arrive where possible: speaking to familiar faces feels easier than speaking to strangers.

Choose one main message

• Toastmasters' advice is blunt: 'Choose one thing.' Decide the single most important idea, then keep only the points that matter to this audience.
• The ANU recommends working out your key message and main points before you start structuring.
• Test it: can you say your main message in one breath? 'Our school should install water refill stations because they cut plastic waste and save students money.'
• Everything else in the talk should support, explain or prove that sentence. If a fact is interesting but does not help, cut it.

Build a clear structure

• The ANU describes three parts: an introduction that explains the purpose and structure, a body that covers the main points, and a conclusion that summarises and highlights significance.
• Open with a hook such as a short story or a comment on a current development that raises a question. Then state your purpose early (ANU).
• If needed, limit your scope out loud: 'This talk will only focus on two causes' (ANU).
• In the body, give each main point its own section supported by examples or evidence (University of Sydney).
• End by signposting the close ('In conclusion'), summarising your main points, reminding the audience why it matters, then thanking them and inviting questions (ANU).
• Toastmasters suggests finishing with a strong statement, and mirroring your opening, for example by returning to the story you began with.

Signposting: guide your listeners

• Listeners cannot flick back a page, so tell them where they are. The University of Sydney suggests listing your main points at the end of the introduction in the order you will cover them.
• Example signposts from the ANU: 'My case is based on four main points. Firstly...', 'Turning to the next point...', 'Another important consideration is that...'.
• Toastmasters suggests transition words such as also, but, then, instead and finally.
• Sydney also recommends briefly summarising what you have just said before moving on, and linking each point back to your overall topic.

Plan your timing

• The University of Sydney advises setting a time limit for each section and keeping to it. If you run over, cut one or two examples from that section.
• Worked example for a five-minute talk: introduction 45 seconds; point one 1 minute 15; point two 1 minute 15; point three 1 minute; conclusion 45 seconds.
• Practise out loud with a timer to check, because reading silently is much faster than speaking.
• For group presentations, Sydney recommends agreeing the timing, the order of speakers and each person's role in advance.
• The ANU reminds you to acknowledge other people's ideas, images and data in what you say or on your slides; for a long list of sources, it suggests a handout.