Always tell them what to do next.

I love watching speakers do their thing.

Many have great content.

Amazing stories.

They keep the audience engaged.

But often there is something missing:

Telling the audience what they want them to do next.

When they finish speaking, people walk away thinking it’s great…

…and then forget about it.

They do nothing with the wonderful frameworks, inspiration and questions.

This isn’t because it wasn’t good.

It just lacked a clear call to action.

One of the things I look at early on when I work with someone on their speaking is this - what do you want the audience to do next.

Yeah we look at the structure, the stories and the script.

But we want to make sure we have a clear direction.

Often I’ll ask four questions when we are preparing a speech:

What you want them to think?

What you want them to feel?

What you want them to say?

And what you want them to do?

All of them matter, but I would argue the last one is the most important.

Thinking and feeling? That’s part of the journey in your speech.

The ups and downs.

The bits that create the emotion and have them going “I wonder…”.

Say? That’s what they tell you and others about your speech.

And we all love a bit of “you were the best speaker today”.

Knowing what you want them to do next is what transforms a good speech into a really bloody useful one.

Most people don’t ask the “do” question clearly enough.

Or perhaps they ask it and then lack the courage to be direct with the answer.

Sometimes it’s because we trust our audience to be able to work out what we are trying to tell them.

‘Cause y’know, they are adults.

Intelligent people who find their own take always.

Perhaps that’s true, but it’s also a bit of a cop out.

At my recent TEDx in Worcester, David Faulkner used the phrase “clear is kind” and it’s spot on here.

Being clear on what you want people to do next is properly kind.

When you’re clear about what you want people to do next, you’re doing them a favour. 

You’re saving them from having to use too much brain energy to connect your dots.

You’re giving them direction instead of sending them back to the carpark and then wondering which way to walk.

Think of it like the map app on your phone.

You need to know where you are and where you are going to make the journey worthwhile.

Now you might only have a general idea of where you are going at the beginning.

A city perhaps.

Then over time you refine it.

The area.

The street.

Finally the number on the door.

But you have to start heading somewhere.

When I worked as a nurse in A&E we always started with the end in mind.

97% of the people who came into the department had to be seen, treated and discharged within four hours.

If not then there were financial penalties.

(And yes, this is not a great example of a patient-centred approach, but we can chat about that another day okay?)

As soon as they came into the department, we were already thinking about the end of their journey.

Where do they need to go next?

What needs to happen to create the best outcome?

Who needs to be involved?

A speech works in the same way.

And I would love to tell you that I got it right to begin with.

In my earlier deliveries I missed out on being clear on what I wanted people today.

Instead I packed speeches with as much “value” as I could.

Lots of content.

Packing it in.

Because I thought the volume equalled value.

Instead it was overwhelming.

They had to use their cognitive load to work out what to do next.

And they probably decided that doing nothing was an easier option.

One thing to note here is that the takeaway we start with may not be the final one.

As you write.

As you get closer to your material.

As the thread and flow unfolds.

You often find that you end up going somewhere better.

And you have be willing to follow that.

However - you still need to start with direction.

So what do I want you to do as a result of reading this?

When you are writing a speech or a talk, I want you to ask yourself this question - what do I want my audience to do next?

Clarity is kind.

For your audience.

And for you mate.

P.S. As a bonus what to do next - drop me a DM is you want to improve your speaking.