Speak with Clarity: 5 Steps to Organize Your Thoughts for Impactful Speaking
Truth Bomb: clarity isn’t the unicorn of speaking—it’s a skill. With the right strategies, you turn scattered ideas into a message that captivates audiences—whether it’s a boardroom, a stage, a blog post, or even your family dinner table.
Let’s break down five practical steps to help you own your message and speak with bold clarity.
1. The Audience
Let's say you’re baking a cake for a party, but you have no idea who’s coming. Allergies? Preferences? No clue.
This is an analogy I've heard speakers use—if you don’t know your audience, your message might fall flat. Now, speaking trainers will tell you to find out who you're talking to. For example:
- What does your audience care about?
- What keeps them up at night?
- Tailoring your message to their needs will make it land every time.
Coaches tell you to create an audience persona. Imagine their challenges, goals, and objections, and craft your message to address these specifically. For example, if you’re addressing a team of executives, focus on high-level strategies rather than granular details. And remember, they’re not here for fluff—they want the cake, not just the frosting.
Fair enough but there are other approaches...
When I was a kid, my family hosted a Japanese student, and my neighbour's family hosted a different Japanese student.
My family knew very little about our student so when she arrived at our house she had to experience new food, new lifestyle habits, and a different culture.
Our neighbour, on the other hand, researched the area their student was from. When their student arrived, they had what they thought was 'traditional food', including fruits and tea, trying to impress their student.
Unfortunately, it backfired for our neighbour. Their students didn't want to come to Canada to eat funny versions of the food they ate at home, and the students thought it was weird they did that.
Both students wanted the "experience" of being in Canada.
Well, when it comes to speaking so many times speakers who think they understand their audience end up trying too hard (in my opinion).
I, on the other hand, am not a baker, I'm a performer with specific expertise, and instead of trying to impress the audience with what I know about them, I ask questions as part of my presentation to learn about them as I share my expertise.
Now if I were a baker, I'd probably want to know some of these dietary things beforehand!!!
We learn about each other and that is my way of connecting to the culture.
2. Define Your Core Message
I had a client, Jessica; a brilliant marketing consultant, but when she first started presenting, she’d cram 15 ideas into one talk. The result? Her audience walked away remembering none of them.
The key? Ask yourself: What is the ONE thing I want my audience to remember or takeaway?
- One thing... not two things or three things, just one key message, one thing to buy, one action step, one message/lesson/catchphrase. Heck, if you can get the message down to one word that is even more memorable.
This core message becomes the anchor for your talk, ensuring everything else supports it.
Exercise: Write down your main point in 5 words or less. If you can’t distill it, your message needs more focus. Think of it like a billboard—you only have a few seconds to grab attention. Keep it simple, keep it clear. We have an amazing exercise in our mini-course.
3. Create a Clear Structure
Your audience needs a roadmap to follow, or they need to be able to predict what might happen next.
A comedian doesn't give you a roadmap, but they still use structure, it's called nested loops and it's one of the advanced techniques I teach.
But you can keep it simple and still make an impact.
Use a simple structure like I did for this blog:
- Introduction: I opened with a "truth bomb" hook. I have 5 more hooks that crush every time.
- Body: I'm using a list speech structure. I have 5 structures for beginners, 2 structures for intermediate speakers, and 2 advanced structures.
- Conclusion: We're going to get there, and like I hinted at in the last point my takeaway is a call to action.
Pro Tip: Only a few speakers can 'wing it.' And, not having to wing it makes the performance 192,000 times BETTER.
4. Practice Brevity
Ever been to a wedding and the father of the bride gets up and tells the entire life story of his beautiful daughter... and puts the entire wedding party to sleep?
Clarity thrives on simplicity. Long-winded explanations or too many details dilute your message. Choose concise words and get straight to the point.
Pro tip: Take a complex idea you want to share and explain it in under 30 seconds. This forces you to prioritize what’s essential. My other suggestion is to write out your stories and rewrite them with punchlines descriptive metaphors and words. Then, throw the writing away and you'll be a better storyteller just from doing the exercise.
Need inspiration? Think of X—140 characters used to be enough to get to the heart of the matter.
5. Rehearse and Refine
Storytime: I once had a potential client on the phone who had to do a weekly 15-minute talk for her job. She told me she spent over 10 hours refining her speech and another 10 hours memorizing it. She would record herself and repeat it over and over while driving to work. Then she said, "And my message never resonates with the team."
That was painful for me to listen to!!! Haha, when she said no to my program I'm sure my grandpa rolled over in his grave!
Pro tip: Practicing the wrong way is a horrible idea. Also learning from the wrong trainers is a bad idea but how do you select the right speaking trainer when there are thousands of them telling you they are the best?
Stay tuned...
Conclusion: Why Clarity Matters
Clarity isn’t just about avoiding misunderstandings. It’s about building trust, engaging your audience, and leaving a lasting impact.
Remember the last time someone explained something so well, you talk about it to this day!
That’s the power of clarity. When you organize your thoughts and deliver them with confidence, you become the kind of speaker people want to listen to—and follow.
Ready to Speak with Clarity?
Facts: even if these 5 points made sense, you'll NEVER remember them. As you might recall I mentioned the importance of one message/one call to action. I mentioned I'd share a mini course with you. I also mentioned there are thousands of speaker coaches, how would you choose one?
Well, why not start with a mini-course at a price so affordable my 5-year-old could swing it?
If you’re ready to take your speaking skills to the next level, join the waitlist for my upcoming mini-course, The Magnetic Message Blueprint.
[Click here to join the waitlist!]
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