A structured presentation lets the audience know where they are in the experience, and what to expect. We call this “signposting.”
An obvious example of signposting is when we say something like, “I’m going to explore three points. Let’s start with this one.” The speaker is saying to the audience, literally, “we’re beginning here with point #1, and I have three points I’ll be talking about.”
Sometimes, though, we let phrases slip into our talks that mislead the audience about where we are. Any mention of a number will do it. For example, don’t say, “First off, you may be thinking…” The “first” makes the audience’s ears listen for a “next” or a “second.” When there’s no follow-up coming, we get a little confused.
Another example of signposting is when we use phrases like, “to summarize” or words like “finally.” If you’re really wrapping things up, by all means let us know, but if this is just a short recap of the points you’ve made so far, and you still have 20 minutes to go, be careful about inadvertently making us think you’re almost done.
Audiences are listening harder than you think. Make sure you’re sending the right signals.
