The Ten Building Blocks - How To Specifically Organize Your Message
Have you ever built a home?
Even if you haven't, you know the basics of home construction.
The process of home building is similar to the process you can use to create your next speaking message. This metaphor is important because the end result will be what you envisioned when following all the steps. You need a plan; you need materials; and you need to put them all together correctly to create your dream home.
Having come from the construction industry, first working as a carpenter, then as an architectural draftsman, and finally as an estimator - plus having made seven additions to our home, the metaphor of home building or home additions is how I can best explain what it takes for you to build a powerful, clear and impactful message.
In this blog, you'll know what the steps are and how to put them together to create the message that you are delivering. You'll also have specific examples of things you can do to save time, effort, and energy and reduce your stress level. The end result should leave you feeling even more confident about your next presentation.
If you were going to build a home for yourself, your first step would be to create the blueprints or working drawings, for that home. That set of plans shows the details and the overall picture of your creation. That's what you need, an overall picture from start to finish of what it is you want your message to do.
The set of plans for your message is called an outline; key words from start to finish, outlining what you're going to share. You don't need a lot of detail here until you have decided exactly what you want the message to accomplish and how you will get there.
The first thing that will be built for any home is the foundation, which can vary based on where you live. It could be footings, retaining walls, and then most likely, a slab of reinforced concrete. The foundation for any message is knowing your audience: their needs, fears, victories, and what is important to them. Once you have a clear picture of your audience and what they need to know about your subject, you can start constructing your message.
Just like with a home, the materials you use can vary. You can create a wood frame structure, a masonry structure, or even an aluminum stud structure. The same is true for your presentation. Will you use stories, statistics, metaphors or examples? What kind will do the job and create the picture you're trying to create? As you know, you can have all the right materials, but if they're not put together correctly, the structure won't last. The same thing with your verbal message: it's not just what you say, it's how you say it - it's your tone, your bearing and your mindset. Are you focused on your audience or are you focused on yourself? Hopefully, you’re focused on your audience.
We could spend hours outlining the ten building blocks in The Ultimate Speaking System and how they fit together, but for this blog, let's keep it really simple. As you learned in high school, the three parts of any message are your opening, body, and closing.
The main ingredient of your opening should be a clear statement of the benefit for them to listen to the message and what will be the result of embracing the ideas you're sharing with them.
The body of your message is how you support that: using facts, statistics, analogies, metaphors, stories, and humor. All of those are ingredients that support where you're taking your audience.
The ending, or closing, of your message includes your call to action. Yes, there always should be a call to action. What do you want your audience to do, to think or to feel? Something must happen as a result to make you an amazing speaker. If the audience does nothing, no matter how good your delivery is, it won't be a great presentation; just like the home where the attention to detail wasn't there and the home is not appealing.
Here's what you can do:
Start with a clear statement of what your message is about; this will keep you and your audience focused.
Create an outline of the ideas you plan to cover and organize them logically so that a person who knows nothing about your subject can follow. Don't assume they know what you know because they don't, that's why you’re the speaker. Make your message impossible to be misunderstood.
Your opening - What will you say that makes the message crystal clear? How will they benefit if they listen and act on your ideas?
The body of your message - here's where you put your stories, metaphors, statistics, facts, examples, etc. in an organized way that they can follow, all focused on the point you're making and the objective you're wanting to achieve.
The closing includes the call to action and the ending of your message. Remember, the call to action can be anything they should be doing, thinking or feeling. It could also be all three of those. However, the ending should not be the call to action; the ending should be the embodiment of everything you discussed. What would their life be like if they did what you suggested? Paint the picture of them enjoying the benefits of what you shared and how it will help meet their needs, overcome their fears, and reinforce their victories.
Now imagine the home of your dreams. It's exactly what you imagined! How did it happen? It happened because you had a plan, the right materials, and you put together all the components correctly. Enjoy the journey, and make it a great day.
To learn more about how you can become an even better speaker, click here.
