In a recent poll, I asked, “What is the most important part of a speech?”

We received several responses. Answers ranged from:

- The opening
- The closing
- Connection with the audience
- The delivery

These are excellent responses.

There is no wrong answer to this question, but, there’s one answer I left out. It’s the most important part of a presentation:

The thoughts and feelings of the audience listening to your speech.

The purpose of speaking is to change listeners’ perspective on a topic.

(There is one exception: the entertaining speech, but the majority of presentations have a message).

The best speeches focus on providing a new insight or way of thinking. They challenge the listener to see and experience the world in a new way.

I speak to audiences about the value of business storytelling.

People often walk into my presentations with thoughts like:

- I only need to give people the facts
- Storytelling is a waste of time
- I don’t need help telling a story

If I’m going to break through those beliefs, I have to change their perspective. My job is to change their thoughts and feelings about storytelling.

How Do You Do That?

Begin with the end. The first question to ask yourself when structuring your presentation is:

What do you want the audience to think, feel, or do differently when yo
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