How To Speak.

Patrick Winston's 'How to speak' lecture has been on my watchlist for a while. It didn't disappoint. You can watch it here.

Notes

• Start with an 'empowerment promise'
• Cycle on the subject - tell them what you want to tell them etc
• Build a fence around your idea - explain why your idea is different
• Verbal punctuation - have set points where you help people “get back on the bus” e.g. repetition, numbered points
• Ask a question, wait 7 seconds. Can’t be too easy or too hard
• Time and place - well lit, 11am, “case it” Like a bank (See the venue before you speak) and pick an appropriate sized room for the number of people
• People like props and 'chalk'. Has to do with empathetic mirroring. You can feel yourself writing on the board when you see someone else do it
• Keep slides simple
• Hapax legomenon (Something you can show only once. e.g. a complex slide)
• Exhibit passion to inspire
• Link passion with the promise at the start
• Story telling. We are symbolic creatures
• Practise
• Show that you have vision (Problem and approach) and that you have done something (steps taken) in the first 5 mins.
• Whys do you want to be famous? Because you want your ideas/work to be recognised.
• Winstons star:
  • Symbol
  • Slogan
  • Surprise
  • Salient idea
  • Story

How to end? Never with a slide that says questions or thank you. Try a 'contributions' slide. Try to avoid saying thank you. It’s weak. Salute the audience instead.