The title of your presentation, your teachings, your call-to-action and your visual support are some of the key elements to get right in order to build a compelling presentation. 

Dan Martell, a Canadian entrepreneur and speaker, shared his recipe for creating great speeches in 15 minutes. Here are some key takeaways we can all apply at Toastmasters: 

• Title of your talk
  Struggling to find a great title? Try searching online magazine covers related to your topic. For instance, if your presentation is about photography, try googling “photography magazine cover“.

• Teachings
  One of the best ways of  teaching something is by telling a story.
  
  First, open your story with a powerful statistic or example that can reinforce your point. For instance, for a talk on Human Resources: “People don’t quit their companies. They quit their boss.” 
  
  Then, share an experience of yours related to your point. The more vulnerable the story, the more universal the appeal. 
  
  Finally, don’t forget to end your story with a resolution or explain how the lesson learned can help your audience achieve or avoid a similar fate in the future.

• The smart way to build slides
  When creating slides, less is better. You should aim to have as few slides as possible, and for each slide, as less content as possible. A relevant and powerful image could be enough. If you want, you can also add a short but significant text.
  For instance:
  

To get all the details, we strongly encourage you to read the complete blog post: How to Create a Great Presentation in Just 15 Minutes

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(Also, if you are want more advice on preparing good slides, check out the video of a Toastmasters workshop entitled “Deliver More Effective Powerpoint Presentations”.)

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If you would like to put those techniques to practice, don’t hesitate to visit us at St. Lawrence Toastmasters in Montreal.

Here is the programme for the Toastmasters meeting of  November 4.