TalkTips-Day 03: Make Notes of Main Ideas
Once I’ve got my topics narrowed down to two or three that I’m sure I want to run with, I start making notes about each one. My method for this changes occasionally. I’ve done this on 5x7 cards (which I use for many life tasks), sticky notes, something digital. Whatever works. I jot down some notes that help expand how the talk might play out.
Not quite bullet points (yet), this stage isn’t that organized. This is thought-flow simply to get ideas out of my head and into the world. I can organize them later. This is more like a post-topic brainstorm session.
I also find it’s helpful if I time myself on this step, no more than 10 minutes. Whichever topic ends up having the notes with the most legs to build a talk out with, wins! (And it’s good to have the others as a fall-back, or as future talks.)
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Jaimee Newberry is a professional experimenter, speaker and writer who lives, learns and fumbles out loud. She’s the founder of tinychallenges.com and co-host of the tinychallenges podcast. She’s also the independent mother of two girls and two cats, and girlfriend of a beautiful, shy man who likes to remain mostly anonymous. More at jaimeejaimee.com
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