Yesterday I wrote about the classic three-point talk and its benefits. Today I’m going to give you a technique to use to deliver your next three-point talk. It’s the Overlapping Circles technique, beautifully sketched by me below:
One way to help your audience follow your talk is to physically locate the different elements in different spots onstage. Generally, I like to think of center stage as “home base.” It’s the place on stage where I can best see the audience (and they can see me). I’ll start and finish my talk here. I’ll also use “home base” as the spot where I illustrate where the three points of my talk are going to live. That center X above is home base.
Let’s look at yesterday’s example: my presentation about why summer is the best season, supported by three talking points: vacation, warm weather, and farmers’ markets. I come out onstage and make my way to the center X. I say something fun and witty about summertime, and I lay out my points. Number one, vacation, I locate right where I’m standing with an appropriate gesture. Number two, warm weather, is located to my right, with a gesture in that direction. And three, farmers’ markets, is over there to my left, also indicated by a gesture.
Now I have laid out the three things, and I have connected each one in my audience’s mind with a place onstage. As I start into my first point, I stay basically center stage. The circle around my center X is my territory for point one. I can move forward, back, left, or right, anchoring “vacation” in that X.
As I wrap up my first point, I’m going to find my way to that X on my right. It overlaps with the center circle, but it’s got some new territory. A different section of the audience is right in front of me, and “warm weather” is now securely placed. It lives over here to the right of “vacation.”
When it’s time for point #3, I’m going to go back to my center X for a moment, then continue over to the left X, where I promised “farmers’ markets” would be. Again, I’m connecting with a new group of people, occupying a new spot, and the audience knows that “left” means “farmers’ markets.”
Assigning each of your points a place helps the audience remember them, and it serves as shorthand for you. Your right hand is always “warm weather” and your left is always “farmers’ markets.” If you’re delivering virtually, and you’re seated, you can do the same thing with gestures or by angling your body slightly.
As speakers, it’s on us to do everything we can to make sure our audiences get what they need. Repetition, deliberate gesture, and location are all tools to serve our audiences.
