How To End Speech-Writing Paralysis

“I don’t know where to start.”

This is one of the biggest complaints I hear from people who are preparing for a presentation, keynote speech or panel discussion.

It’s not that they don’t know their stuff. On the contrary, these are brilliant, passionate experts in their field. They’re bursting with important ideas. The struggle is to express those ideas in a very short amount of time; to touch the hearts of others who don’t have a lifetime of experience with the topic.

Your wealth of knowledge and ideas creates a kind of decision paralysis (much like choosing a shampoo from the 50 or so options at the drugstore). Overwhelmed, you try to cram in too much information and end up with a confusing jumble - or worse, you’re stuck staring at an empty page.

The key to a great speech is not to teach people everything you know, but to go deep enough on an idea that they’re inspired and empowered to take action on it.

To get past writer’s block, try these steps in your next speech-writing session.

1. Park your thoughts.

Your thoughts are distracting. A new one pops up and demands attention, and it pulls you off track because you’re worried that you might forget it if you don’t act on it immediately.

That’s why I’m a fan of a good old-fashioned brain dump. Get every idea, question, doubt, fact and opinion out of your head and onto paper or your computer. There are no rules about how you do this - you can free-write, sketch, mind-map, or anything else your brain likes to do. Just make sure that every thought that comes up gets recorded, so that you can let it go.

2. Breathe a big ol’ sigh of relief

You’ve just freed up a bunch of valuable mental real estate. Plus, all of your thoughts have been set out in a tangible format that you can return to whenever you’d like.

3. Think about your goal

Why did you say Yes to this speaking opportunity? What do you want your audience to think, feel or do at the end? What can you offer them that will make their lives better? Sum this up in one sentence and write it down.

At this stage, ask yourself where your audience stands on this issue. Are they motivated to act, but lacking the knowledge of what to do? Or maybe they have all the power in their hands but need to be persuaded that it’s worth their time and energy? Decide whether your audience needs you to focus on the “why” or the “how.” Write down one sentence that expresses why the audience should do something. Then write down one sentence (are you seeing a theme here?) that expresses what they should do.

4. Set your priority

What is the #1 thing your audience needs to know in order to (a) care, or (b) act? Boil this idea down to (you guessed it) one sentence. Write it down.  

5. Tell a story

Do you have a story from your life that illustrates what you’re trying to express? See if you can think of one that your audience would identify with. For example, if you’re speaking to a group of university students, they probably won’t relate to a parenting story - but they will be interested in the lessons you learned from your fellow students back in your own school days.

If you don’t have a personal story that fits, do you know of anyone else who does? Would it be ethical for you to tell their story?

Once you have this skeleton in place, use it to write the rest of your presentation. Anything you include in your speech should relate to and support what you’ve written down in steps 3, 4 and 5. If it doesn’t, it’s unnecessary and will probably drag down your speech - so set it aside for another day. Since you’ve written all of your ideas down and stored them in a safe place, there’s no danger of losing them forever.

And if all else fails, ask for help! Sometimes you just need a second pair of eyes and ears. Somebody to tell you what’s interesting about your topic and what other people think of it. Someone to tell you when you’re over-complicating things or leaving out crucial information. Someone to remind you that you have valuable insights to share. Whether it’s a coach, a co-worker or a friend, this audience of one will boost your confidence before you get in front of a crowd.

Try out this process, and see how it works for you. It may seem like a contradiction, but sometimes a little structure is just the thing to wake up your creativity!

Need some help? Download a free speech-writing cheat sheet to take the guesswork out of planning your next presentation. Or book a free consultation to ask about 1-on-1 support from a public speaking coach..

(Photo credit: Mike Tinnion on unsplash.com)