The Mistake in Writing Your Talk · Compelling Communicators

The Mistake in Writing Your Talk

Most speakers write their talk, then try to perform what they wrote.

That's backwards.

What reads well on paper often doesn't speak well out loud. The rhythm is different. The pacing is different. The words that feel elegant when written can sound clunky when vocalised.

Flow comes from 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸𝘪𝘯𝘨 your talk, not parroting it.

I use a technique called the OA Method — Oral-Aural. Here's how it works:

Pick a chunk of your talk — a story, an analogy, one discrete section. Read through it once, then put your notes away.

Record yourself speaking that chunk. Immediately play it back and listen. Think about how it lands for the audience.

Repeat this seven times for the same chunk -without referring to notes. Then take a break and move to the next one.

What happens is fascinating.

In the first few passes, you'll notice you're missing bits. So you add them. Then you'll hear yourself glossing over important parts. So you emphasise them. Then you'll catch clunky words that need switching out. Eventually, you will be polishing the pacing, pauses and gestures.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗱𝘀 𝗲𝘃𝗼𝗹𝘃𝗲.

They become clearer. They flow better. Because they're being shaped by speech, not by paper.

This technique, more than any other, will improve the flow of your talk. But it only works if your structure is solid first. You can't polish chunks that aren't in the right order yet.

How do you move from a written script to spoken delivery? 😉

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