This transcript captures a live discussion (led by TJ Walker) about how to best help colleagues prepare speeches or presentations. Core advice: resist simply sharing slide decks or extra content; instead, spotlight the most important ideas, watch or have the speaker record themselves, give feedback on what is memorable, suggest concrete examples or case studies from the organization, and practice with positive reinforcement so the speaker gains confidence.
Chapters
So what's the best way to help.
A colleague who's about to give a speech or a presentation?
The typical way we do this is.
We email them more slides, give them more ideas, more facts, more numbers, more background information.
We think we're being helpful. But the truth is, for most people.
Most of the time, in most presentations.
There'S already too much information.
We where you can really add value to your colleague is to help them.
Put a spotlight on what's most important and then give them feedback on what sticks, what's memorable. So please, I urge you, resist the temptation of going back and getting the presentation you gave three months ago on a similar topic and giving them all your slides and saying, feel free to use any of my slides. For the most part, that is completely worthless.
Help instead, ask them to either come.
To your office or your home and.
Speak to you and try to give.
It a fresh set of eyes, or ask them to video record their speech.
And send it to you.
I would beg you not to ask.
Them to send you their slide deck. The second you tell yourself the slide.
Deck is the presentation, you've basically already failed.
There's pretty much no way of succeeding.
Once you develop the mindset that your.
Presentation is the slide deck.
That's not your presentation, you speaking, that is your presentation.
Slide deck is just an extra. It's just an enhancement. So my recommendation, especially if you're in.
The same office, the same organization, just sit down, try to have an open mindset so similar to what you think the audience would be that your colleague.
Will be speaking to listen.
Don't take notes, because most people aren't going to take notes.
Just try to focus on what you find interesting and what you find memorable.
And then tell your colleague what you liked, what sticks out, what is remembered.
Then, and only then, ask them what.
Are their most important ideas.
And if there was something important for.
You to get that you didn't get.
It'S not your problem as the friend.
Or the colleague, it's the speaker's problem. Help them go back and redo it.
Figure out some example case study that will make it come alive.
Because if you work together in the.
Same organization, they might be trying to talk about their commitment to innovation. And you have the perfect example of what everyone talks about all the time. But that example of that particular, particular product didn't make it into the speech.
Say, hey, why don't you use the.
Example of our iPhone or whatever it is in your organization?
That's how you can help your colleague the best.
And then try to practice with them.
To the point where you genuinely think.
It'S a great speech on not just the substance, not just the style, but both the style and the substance. And give them positive review reinforcement so.
They really go into that speech with great confidence. Do that and you will be a true asset to your colleague.
