Jul
28
Speaking Tip: 3 points and a poem
I was uncomfortable when newer speakers made fun of old time speakers and their “3 points and a poem.” That old advice seemed dated, and yet it made sense to me. A common mistake new speakers make is to try to pack everything they know into one presentation. How much information you include depends on the event. If you are the luncheon speaker and no one is taking notes, brain science explains that working memory can only handle 3-5 chunks at a time. So if you want your audience to remember what you said, limit yourself to 3 well-supported points.
If you are presenting an informational presentation where your audience is taking notes, you can make more points. Even so, attendees may not review their notes later, so you will make a bigger impact on them when you make fewer actionable points.
It’s better to have your message remembered and acted upon than it is to show off how much you know.