Lesson

ps1-5. Research your topic

Knowing your subject and its relation to the audience will help you focus on the most relevant aspects of your topic.

​You must provide the audience with helpful information they are unlikely to know already. Or at least offer a fresh take on a topic they are familiar with.

Remember, for the brief time you are speaking to the audience. You are the expert. Your job is to make their work or life better. 

Triple the information you estimate you will need. Once you have collected everything, you will know what to keep and discard.

Practice

ps1-5p. Research your topic

Take some time to research your topic. Your speech should show the audience that you know about your subject.

List at least five sources for your information. This is also an exercise in documenting your information sources.

Sometimes, you will want to return for more details or double-check something. If it was a face-to-face discussion or a phone call, write the name of who, when, and what you discussed as best you remember.

If it is a memory from childhood, write this down too. Who were you with, and what was taking place? If it happened in a class, book, or internet, write down where and when, the course title, book title, or website link page.

Then make a video of yourself one-two minutes explaining how you researched for your project. Explain what was helpful and what was not.

This is an exercise in gathering information from anywhere you can. If something was a waste of time, turn that into a valuable lesson in what not to do.
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