With the holidays just the around the corner, it’s time to organize! Most of us are busier than normal in December. We have events to attend; travel plans to solidify; and presents to buy, wrap, and distribute. The hustle and bustle of the holidays can quickly turn into a chaotic mess without some planning and structure. And the same is true for your presentations.
So it seems like a good time of the year to talk about organization. Every great presentation has a solid organizational structure behind it. Most of them have a clear introduction, body, and conclusion. But beyond that, most presentations share some characteristics in they way they are organized. Let’s break down a few of those characteristics to see how to better organize our messages.
Supportive, But Subtle
In their speaker’s guide to giving a TEDx Talk, the TED organization says this: “Your structure should be invisible to the audience. In other words, don’t talk about how you’re going to talk about your topic – just talk about it!” I tell my students the same thing, that organization should be present, but not blatantly obvious. In fact, I use the metaphor of a skeleton.
I tell my students the organization of a speech functions like the skeleton of a human body. We all know it’s there. It holds everything together. It gives the presentation a form and support. But it’s not something we can see.
Sometimes speakers feel the need to “announce” their presentation structure. It sounds something like this: Today I want to tell you about how my company is changing the landscape of sales in three ways. Or In the next 60 minutes, I hope to inspire you with a few real-life stories and some startling statistics. Both of these organizational statements outline the structure of the presentation, so there’s nothing inherently wrong with them. However, they are the “bones” of the speech, so they are better left below the surface, supporting, but not visible. Instead of announcing what you plan to do, just do it.
Common Structures
One thing that can help you improve your presentation skills is to try out new organizational structures. As with most things, once we find a pattern we are comfortable with, we tend to stick to it. But you can add new life and creativity to your presentations simply by switching up the organizational pattern. Here are a few of the more common speech structures, but you can find a longer list from The University of Washington here:
- Problem-Solution: This is the basis of nearly all persuasive presentations. In the first part of the message you outline the problem. You aim to prove the harm of the status quo. Then, you move to the solution for that problem in the second half of the presentation.
- Chronological: This type of speech structure moves through time. While most speeches start at the beginning and move to the end or to present day, that doesn’t have to be the case every time. Think about where (in time) to start the story, and also think about parts of the story that can be skipped over to keep the narrative timeline tight.
- Cause-Effect: This speech structure combines elements of both problem-solution and chronological organizations. But rather than focusing on solution or chronology, a cause and effect presentation design focuses on the inherent relationships. You take time to shine a light on how the cause and the effect are linked.
- Categorical: If your topic has natural divisions, or categories, this type of organizational pattern might work well for you. Some things just fall naturally into parts. For example, say you hire a speaker for a company retreat to address how employees can live healthier lifestyles. That speaker could easily divide the presentation into emotional health, physical health, and mental health. Those categories would make the topic easier to understand.
So in the midst of organizing for the holiday season, don’t forget to save some of that organizational energy for your presentations. Think about how you can make your organization supportive, but subtle while also trying out some new structures that might add to both the clarity and creativity of your message.
For more information how to become a master presenter, check out the resources available at Ethos3 now.
