What's your 'idea worth spreading'?

TED talks famously have at their centre one idea worth spreading. This has played a huge part in the platform's success and is a fantastic tip for speakers of all kinds.

I like to compare that idea worth spreading with a diamond. Your diamond is one precious, valuable concept at the heart of your talk that sparkles. Just one. Yes... one.  What will your diamond be?

A sparkling diamond in your talk, speech, or workshop gives you:

• Direction: Every word you say can be linked back to one core message.
• Simplicity: Having only one core message means you're not biting off more than you can chew with your public speaking. Ever been a talk where you had NO idea what the speaker was trying to achieve? Right. One diamond, one message, one core = less confusion and greater clarity.
• Power: The core message is like a honed instrument, getting through to your audience quicker than multiple scattered points. Every word in your speech should chip away at your main message from a multitude of angles, leaving the audience with a feeling that they "got it".

Find your public speaking Diamond by asking yourself:

• What do you truly want your audience to think and feel as a result of your public speaking?
• What is the underlying meaning?
• What movement do you wish to create in the mind of the audience?
• What's something unique about your message?
• What can you contribute that's never been said before, at least not quite in that way?

Finding and showing off your Diamond will strike right to the heart of your audience and leave them sparkling!