Speak, Then Write: The Presentation Hack You Never Knew You Needed

Have you ever written the "perfect" speech, only to stumble through it when speaking aloud? There's a better way. Instead of writing first and speaking later, try this approach: start with speaking. It will save you time and you’ll get a great result.

Organize your ideas like you normally would, then speak them out loud and record them. Play with different phrasings and sentence lengths. Ask yourself: How will this land with my audience?

When something sounds just right and has the intellectual and emotional impact you want, that's when you write it down.

The Magic of Speaking First

Recently I coached an academic whose writing tone was formal and, well, academic. So, I asked him to put his notes aside and just tell me what he was trying to say. Instantly, his language changed – less stilted, more conversational, and genuinely engaging.

Before this approach, his phrasing sounded mechanical. He had fallen into a common trap: listing points instead of developing them. Each point received the same emphasis, delivered as though he was reciting a shopping list rather than telling a compelling story.

When he applied the speak-first approach to his outline for an upcoming talk, the improvements were striking. His natural enthusiasm came through. His metaphors became more vivid. And, his explanations flowed seamlessly from one point to the next.

How to Mine for Gold in Your Spoken Draft

Be aware that when you "talk off the top of your head" for your first draft, not all your words will be gems. Here's how to find the gold nuggets:

1. Record yourself speaking for 5-10 minutes about your topic
2. Listen back and note the timestamps of phrases and sentences that resonate
3. Pay attention to where your energy naturally rises
4. Pay attention to where your energy goes flat
5. Listen for metaphors and examples that came spontaneously
6. Notice which explanations sounded clearer when you spoke them

If you flip the process and speak before you write, by the time you finish, you'll have a conversational speech that connects with your audience. Bonus: you'll save tons of editing time trying to transform a written document into something that sounds natural when spoken.

Want to be more engaging in your next presentation? Let's chat about how to make that happen!