A Hollywood technique could give your next presentation extra sparkle

by Halina St James

What do all audiences want? Easy. They want you. The REAL you. They don’t want spin. And they can smell insincerity like goop on the bottom of a shoe.

This is why capturing your authentic voice is such a big part of our TalkitOut presentation skills training. If you want to be a better public speaker, you have to find a way of letting the real you shine through in your presentations and speeches.

It’s not always easy. For one thing, there’s the problem of nerves. And for another, a lot of people create speeches in a way that actually prevents their true voice being heard.

TalkitOut helps capture your authenticity because it captures your thoughts as you express them verbally – rather than the less conversational, more formal way thoughts are expressed when you sit and write in silence.

Once people are comfortable with the TalkitOut technique, we move to the next step – preparing and delivering with no script. The technique I use is one some writers and producers use to develop movies. James Cameron used it for Avatar. It’s called ‘scriptment’.

Scriptment is a combination of script and treatment. It’s an outline. Scriptment starts with a story, good characters and knowing what emotional points need to be hit. Once this framework is agreed, the actors fill in the dialogue as they shoot each scene.  Scriptment works for movies because it’s a collaborative effort that taps into a lot of creativity.

So how does this movie technique translate into the world of presentations and speeches?

When I work with a client who doesn’t want a scripted speech, we begin by collaborating on the structure. We figure out the big take-away for the audience, the perfect opening (hook), the tone of the speech, the benefits for the audience, the content, and the conclusion. All of this is noted in point form. Once the framework is there, the client adds the words by speaking them, not writing them.

The client practices the hook out loud until she or he can deliver it flawlessly. Then the client practices the rest of the speech, out loud. Once they’ve done the whole speech, the client can throw away the paper and just go do it. Or they follow an outline with bullet points.

The result sounds conversational, looks effortless and really highlights your authentic voice. Unlike ‘winging it’ from some Powerpoint notes, you will engage and hold your audience. And you’ll make sense because in the back of your mind you have the route map for the presentation.

The scriptment method gives you an Academy Award-winning presentation, every time.