How to Create Talking Points

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I do a lot of talking. And I frequently speak on panels, do media appearances and host my weekly live-streaming show, Inside Scoop.

So I talk. A lot.

And even though I’m hired to speak as an expert and I know my usual topics – video, media, my books: Listful Thinking and Listful Living – I still have to prepare talking points. Every. Single. Time. One of the questions I get most from my media-training clients is, “How do you come up with talking points?”

Here are three things I do to prepare for every kind of speaking engagement.

1) Make tons of notes.

Start by thinking about what you’ve been asked to talk about. Is it a new topic or something you’ve been asked to discuss repeatedly?

Write the topic at the top of your notes page. And write down everything you think of that could possibly be related. Just get all your thoughts down on paper.

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2) Organizing your notes.

Once all your thoughts are down on paper, you can go back and edit! Cross out things that aren’t really relevant, add anything you forgot, and see what’s left.

If you’ve handwritten the notes, start a fresh new page and put your notes in a logical order. If you type your notes, copy/paste and reorganize your bullet points.

During interviews, like the one I did below, you’re able to be more in control of your talking-point order. So this step is especially crucial.

If you’re going to be speaking on a panel, the order of the questions they ask may change, but do your best to organize your notes by grouping them by topic so you’ll know everything you need to say when each topic comes up.

3) Practice.

No matter how many speaking engagements you do, you have to practice. I always practice before every interview, panel and episode of Inside Scoop.

Practicing out loud is important because sometimes things make sense on paper that sound weird when you’re talking. And it’s better to find that out when you’re alone or talking to a friend than on TV!

For more tips, check out the full episode of Inside Scoop here. And if you’re interested in working together for media training fill out this form and see if it’s a fit.