In our professional lives, clear communication means much more than writing. In an era of AI chatbots and short-form video content, our mastery of the written word only gets us so far. To thrive in this new communication landscape, we need our verbal communication skills to ‘marry’ our written ones. These two skillsets work hand in hand to make sure people understand our messages and act on them. Our ability to present is the secret ingredient to this process. To be a good contemporary communicator is to be a good presenter.
Write for your audience’s ear
Being a good presenter doesn‘t simply mean you know how to work a room. Convincing presenters need both verbal bravado and a good script. Sooner or later, you’ll have to present your content in a meeting, or give a speech or presentation based on something you’ve written. How can you write so your writing works well when it’s spoken aloud?
The first step is to remember that you’re writing for the ear — your audience’s ear. This key point may seem straightforward, but it‘s easy to forget. We process written and spoken information in different ways. When you write for the ear, your audience only gets one chance to hear your information. Your audience can’t go back and read it again — so every word needs to pack a punch.
Keep it conversational — don’t be ‘that guy’
To craft writing that works well aloud, good presenters stick to simple, everyday language. Apply the same rules used for casual conversation to your presentation script.
Think about meeting someone new at a party. They’ve never heard about your line of work, and they want to know more. A good reply satisfies their curiosity without being a total bore. You know they aren’t an expert, so you keep things simple and clear. You know their eyes will glaze over if you get too complex or technical. You are talking directly to them, so you keep your speaking style chatty and colloquial.
As a polite partygoer, you try and make it relevant, punchy, and interesting for them. And the golden rule — you keep it short! Nobody wants to hear the self-important financial executive explain the ins and outs of the stock exchange on their Friday night. Audience members need to connect to your big ideas — not get lost in the weeds.
And remember, make it a conversation, not a sermon or a performance. The relationship has two sides — you and the audience.
Go one step further — explain the ‘so what?’
Keep in mind what matters most to your busy audience. They are predisposed to get bored easily, so avoid dense information that could complicate messages. Spell things out clearly, so your audience gets a chance to take in your words as you say them. Get the audience on your side and make them care.
It’s okay to repeat ideas to help your audience understand your messages. Break down difficult concepts into simpler ways of saying things. If you have a more complex point, tack on a clarifying sentence. These sentences often start with ‘This means that…’
Get active! Use verbs!
To engage an audience, your writing needs to be lively and active. This means avoiding the passive voice — where we don’t know who is doing what to whom. We get bored when speech feels robotic.
Verbs are your best friend when writing in the active voice. Verbs help anchor us in your world. They make what you say feel dynamic, because they mirror the way our brains process information. We cling on to the ‘doing word’ and connect to your ideas.
Colour in your own rhythm
To ensure you deliver an engaging presentation, your script should be vivid and colourful. But how do you breathe life into your words?
Start by identifying which parts are most important. Highlight and shade your writing to convey emphasis in your speaking. You can achieve this ‘colouring in’ by switching up your sentence lengths. Play with short sentences to contrast with longer ones.
Create an interesting rhythm, and pay attention to which words you emphasise. You could even use a highlighter or bold to mark the words you want to give emphasis to.
This approach is as good for you as it is for your audience. You keep your audience away from the brink of boredom, and your messages are more likely to land. This is because emphasising certain key words helps guide people through your main messages. Key words give people an auditory signpost to focus on in your presentation. This lightens the mental load and creates precious mental real estate so they can commit your important ideas to memory.
Learn how to take these skills to the boardroom
Now you’ve got a taster for how to write content for the voice, it’s time to turn to the presentation process itself. You’ve worked hard to write for your audience. How can you make sure this hard work pays off?
To learn our secrets for real-time presentation success, check out Write Online’s Presentation Skills series
We’ll guide you through the do’s and don’ts of effective verbal communication so you can become a presentation pro.