Write It Down
A short guide to writing a talk, in four parts.
A talk takes longer to write than to give.
Writing a talk takes time, so plan for it. Here is a short guide, in four parts. Read it, then start on your talk.
Plan the talk
Idea and audience
One idea is enough for a talk.
One idea is enough for a talk. Say who it is for, and why they should care, before writing anything else.
Time and shape
Give the plan its time.
Give the plan its time. A short talk takes longer to prepare than a long one, because there's less room for the parts that don't work.
Draft it
Many ideas
Write down more than you need.
Write down more than you need. Most won't last, and the ones that do are easier to see beside the rest.
A first order
Put the ideas in an order a listener can follow.
Put the ideas in an order a listener can follow. Repeat the order as you go, so they know where they are.
Revise it
Cut
Remove what doesn't serve the one idea.
Remove what doesn't serve the one idea. What's left gets more of the audience's attention.
Contrast
Put what changed beside what came before it.
Put what changed beside what came before it. A difference is easier to see than a single thing.
Share it
Rehearse
Say it out loud, more than once.
Say it out loud, more than once. The words that are hard to say are the ones to change.
Listen
Leave room for questions.
Leave room for questions. What the audience asks shows what the talk didn't yet say.