Follow these tips to prepare talks that intrigue and entertain. Then apply the lessons back to all your writing.
Rob Brooks Apr 27 · 7 min read
The features that make a great talk are mostly the same as the features that define great writing. Over many years as a scientist and author, I have given hundreds of talks to specialists in my field, to writing festivals, to schoolchildren, and all sorts of mixed audiences. Alongside professional performance coaches, I have prepared colleagues to give entertaining public talks. The tips here provide my accumulated wisdom to help you write your next important talk.
What keeps you up at night?
Five years ago, some colleagues at UNSW Sydney and I started a program called UNSOMNIA to enable exceptional researchers to reach a curious global public. As a prompt we asked 12 speakers “What keeps you up at night?” The next year we asked “What needs to change?” Some of the best of those talks appear in the videos embedded through this post. This year, in response to COVID-19, we ask “What can we learn while we are apart?”
My advice below is based on the initial briefing I give to potential speakers. They are all experts in their fields, used to giving talks and lectures but they aren’t yet experienced at giving short, entertaining talks to the public. The briefing helps them get started preparing their talks.
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