How to Nail Your Next Presentation, Meeting or Speech

Idea

Whether you’re talking to a colleague, a client, a customer, or maybe even your child, oftentimes our communications go a little all over the place. My Tip to keep it focused, concise, and effective is what I call KDF.

The driving force behind our communication goes like this. You’re having this impulse, you’re going to have a communication, and you have an intention for this communication. How do you make that intention land?

The key is KDF.

K stands for Know, D stands for Do, and F stands for Feel.

First, ask yourself, “What is it I want this other person or this group of people to know?” “What’s the information I need to convey?” That’s Know.

The next part is Do. “What action or actions do I want this person or group of people to take as a result of this exchange?”

And last, “How and what do I want them to feel both during this communication and also afterwards?”

Example

When we have a communication to make, we often start thinking mostly about the K, the Know. “What is the information I want to convey?”

We cram a PowerPoint slide deck full of points or cram a session full of information, but we forget to ask, “What is the Do? What actions do I want to result from this communication?”

And ultimately, “how do I want my audience to feel?” This is so important because when you walk away from a communication setting, whether it’s a year later or 10 years later, what you most often remember is the feeling.

Action

Craft your next communication using KDF.

So, before you pickup the phone, write the email, or put together your talk or presentation, ask yourself, “What is it I want them to Know, Do, and Feel?”