From the course: Communicating with Confidence

Consider your audience when preparing to communicate

From the course: Communicating with Confidence

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Consider your audience when preparing to communicate

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- One of the simplest rules that I've learned that has helped me always make sure my content is relevant is the "So what? Rule". After I've written my presentation, I always look at the main points of my talk and I ask myself, so what? For example, a recent presentation I gave to a group of university students, I had three main points. The first one is build your personal brand. The second one is invest in your network. And the third one is grow by skill stacking. Let's apply the "So What? Rule". The first thing I had on my list is build your personal brand. So what? Why is it important for university students to build their personal brand? Well, it's important because there are thousands of students that graduate every year in the same degree, competing for the same jobs. Building your personal brand helps you stand out. The second point, invest in your network. So what? Why is that important to university students? Because most people who find jobs quickly do so by having strong networks. And finally grow by skill stacking. So what? Why should university students care? In the world we live in today, if you are one dimensional with your abilities, it's extremely hard to stand out. By learning how to take two or three different skill sets and then stacking them together, you now are creating a unique value proposition for potential employers. And the more unique you are, the more valuable you become. For example, think about this. Would a communication skills coach alone be more valuable? Or a communication skills coach who's also a keynote speaker and part magician be more valuable? I think you agree with me, this is more valuable, right? This, "So what? Rule" does two things. One, it helps you make the talk more relevant. Two, it forces you to think about what the audience needs. I've done this "So what? Rule" all throughout this course. So what? So that I can ensure the content is relevant as possible to you.

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