Direction and a plan to get started

The foremost advice for making a great talk is to build your talk with your audience in mind. To do this in a powerful way, ask yourself what gift you are giving to your audience. 

If it doesn't feel like a gift after you rehearsed your talk, there's more work to do.

When you deliver a talk, your audience wants to learn something compelling enough to move them into action.

For this reason, place four to six anchor points throughout the talk that is insightful and compelling. Even common knowledge can be turned into an epiphany if emphasized uniquely or applied to the audience's specific circumstance.

People want to change something because of you.

• Point out what needs to change about their behavior
• Why they need to change
• How they can start the change

As yourself "What's the first step the audience can take to begin the transformation I'm focussing on?"

Find out in advance what problems your audience is struggling with. Then talk to your audience in a way that demonstrates you understand their problem and present a clear solution.

Sometimes you might reveal a problem the audience didn't know they had.
Provide some direction and a concrete plan for how to start dealing with the issue.

Audiences love the chance to feel something, whether it is transformational, funny, sad, or any other emotions.

Ask yourself if your talk will help people escape for their daily lives for an hour.

Sometimes you will speak to an audience of people who are all struggling with the same issues. 

Ask yourself if you are able to create a more connected community with your message.