EP08: Structure Sets You Free

"Being a fantastic speaker doesn't necessarily mean your audience will remember what you say," Karin Reed explains as she emphasizes the importance of structured communication to ensure the audience not only enjoys the presentation but also retains the key messages.

 

Karin shares an anecdote from a conference where a renowned, technically proficient keynote speaker delivered a polished but ultimately forgettable presentation. This serves to underline her primary point: the necessity of creating content that truly resonates and provides tangible value.

 

To help speakers enhance message retention, Karin introduces her “content framework” based on the “rule of three.” This method builds on the concept that people best understand and remember information when it is presented in simple, patterned groups of three. Given that audiences generally remember only a fraction of what they hear, distilling and organizing key messages using this structure is vital.

 

Listeners will discover how to apply the rule of three by formulating a core message and supporting it with three distinct points. Karin provides variations of this framework for different contexts, such as pitching an idea or navigating change, and she encourages listeners to adapt these techniques to their personal speaking style.

 

The episode also covers effective strategies for starting and ending talks. Karin suggests beginning with an “unexpected open” to captivate the audience immediately and concluding with an "emotional close" that leaves a strong, lasting impression and motivates action. Practical tips for implementing these techniques are provided throughout the discussion.

 

Quotes

• “Your job is to deliver a message that's valuable and ensure that it is understood by your audience. You want to focus on the audience and their needs, not on how much you are entertaining them.” (04:44 | Karin Reed) 
• “Are they understanding what you're saying? Are they getting it? Are you leaving them with something that is valuable?” (05:17 | Karin Reed)
• “It's really important that you simplify your message. Why? Because people are terrible listeners. All of us are really bad listeners. In fact, research indicates that right after we've had a conversation with somebody, right afterwards, we remember only half of what was said to us. We want them to remember the key takeaways.” (06:29 | Karin Reed) 
• “If your goal is to have them take action, ask yourself, ‘What can I say to them that will make them say yes?’ Sometimes that means pulling the right emotional trigger—the thing that's going to motivate them to agree with what you are wanting them to do. Think about your audience, think about what they care about, and then make sure that your final words are playing to that emotional trigger. Make it relevant to them. Perhaps even consider using a ‘what's in it for me’ statement, because they'll certainly care about that. And then plan it out in advance because you want to finish strong. You don't want to finish with a whimper. (24:55 | Karin Reed) 

 

Links

Connect with Karin Reed:

Website: www.speakerdynamics.com

Speaker Dynamics University: https://university.speakerdynamics.com/

Speaker Dynamics on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/speakerdynamics/

Karin Reed on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/karin-reed/

 

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