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2022.09.27 – 0635 – Killing Your Presentation With Bullets

Killing It With Bullets

Usually what appears to be a spontaneous adlib has actually been prepared to a certain extent, either a moment before we speak or after several hours of research. But the usual and best way to prepare is with a few notes (what some call ‘an invisible script’) – that may be a key word or two of something you just thought of, or a series of thought-out back-up bullet points.

Benefits of using bullets:

• It gives structure to your podcast or broadcast
• Have bullets and sub bullets if necessary
• Include things like the welcome, the topic introduction (why they should listen, what will be the benefit, the sponsor credit, the guest intro, the ‘show close’ (thanks, review request, where to find you, call to action)
• It makes sure you have covered everything you want to
• … and everything flows in the right order. – don’t force the listener to rewind or remember.
• It shows you are cool and confident.
• It cuts down on editing!

Notes may be trigger words, or a list of phrases (‘topic-starters’ and key points), or as I often do, a tree-diagram of conversational branches. I find these diagrams useful as they are easier for me to hold in my mind: I can picture what topics and sub-topics feed off each other, and at a glance can move from one area to another rather than look down a list of notes to see a new question-area to probe. Making such lists clear, maybe with key words in bold, will help you keep engagement with your co-host or guest, and to react more flexibly and naturally as you’ll take a glance at your notes rather than read them word-for-word. And that’ll mean you listen more, and react more rather than simply ask them ‘the next question on the list’… and so make for a more authentic listen. And a more confident presentation, and remember what confidence does to your voice? Yeah it makes you sound better, shows people your personality rather than your ability to read words off a page and reinforces that you are speaking from the heart.

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