How to Build a Perfect 45 Minute Talk
Now that you are a Jolter, you’re going to want to build a solid 45 minute talk, if you don’t already have one. 45 minutes might sound like a long time but it can really get away from you if you don’t plan right. Here are some guidelines that should help you get your presentation in shape:
Choose the Right Topic — You have unique experience and industry expertise and this is why they have chosen your talk. But there’s no way you can cover your entire scope in 45 minutes. Choose one topic within your many possibilities — something not too broad, something catchy and relevant to today’s professionals and really stick to it. You can always build additional talks in your series (see our article on building a series of talks).
Prepare from the Audience’s Perspective — The biggest mistake speakers make is to start gathering data upon data and throwing something together that is interesting to them. The important people here are the audience members. So before you start gathering research, sit down and put yourself in your audience’s position — What are the questions they would ask? What is their level of knowledge about this topic? Make a list of all the questions you think they might ask, and then group them into 4 question types — for example: Why is what you have to tell me of value to me? How can I use the knowledge? Tell us of success stories? And How do I incorporate it into my work?
Now do your Homework — Answer the grouped questions in general bullets. Then see where you are missing quotes, stats, numbers and anything else that will support what you have to say, so the research and incorporate them in. Once you have everything bulletized, you can start to actually script it out.
Divide into Slides — The rule of thumb for slides — one big idea per slide. Take your script and divide it into “bits” — every time a new idea is introduced, put it in a new slide. Then put the script into the speakers notes of each slide — later you can come back and decide on visual design.
Time the Script — Read the script through, time yourself and see where it stands. If you are at 45 min or over you have to cut back because you want to leave time for Q&A and discussion. If you are at 35 min, that’s a great place to be. Under 35 min, you need to flesh things out and add more bulk.
Make it Look as Great as it Sounds — Now that you have the script times out, it’s time to give your slides some love. You want to have MINIMUM verbiage on your slides — otherwise people will be reading and not listening to you. (And hey, you’re speaking to them because they’re company felt you’d bring value. Otherwise they may have just look at the presentation on slideshare.com) The images should illustrate what you’re saying on each slide — go for one big, bold image with one sentence describing it. At most 3–4 brief bullets. If you aren’t much for design try using some inexpensive resources to make your slides pop: Slidebean, Emaze, or Haiku Deck for a Do it yourself approach — or 99designs, Fiverr, Freelancer.com or Upwork if you want to pay someone to professionaly design your slides. Remember — your slides are your calling card — let them enhance your message — not blind them with too many words.
Now that you have a script and slides — time for the next step — preparing to give your first Jolt! Read our article on How to Choose a Topic for Your Talk or How to Give the Perfect LIVE Video-Talk.
Donna Griffit is a Corporate Storyteller and the Co-Founder, CEO @ invisu.me
Check out Donna’s Jolt profile and book her for a talk:
https://www.jolt.us/profile/donna-griffit
