Can You Over-deliver Without Overwhelming?

Before people decide to do business with us, they want to know more about us. This is what a signature talk is about… well, not the getting to know us personally part. But definitely the part where our audience hears and learns about how they can solve their problem, and how we might be the person who can help them solve it.

We speak because we want to share our valuable information. On the other hand, having so much to share puts a lot of pressure on us. There’s the pressure of deciding how much to share in a presentation. The pressure to deliver our content in a way that’s going to capture and hold our audiences’ interest. And the pressure of delivering content that distinguishes us from others who speak on similar topics.

Fortunately, there are ways to deal with those pressures so we can get on with the business of constructing a great presentation.

Don’t make the mistake of trying to impress people by over-delivering with your content! I know… people are always telling us that we have to over-deliver if we want to “wow” people. We also want to make sure our audiences know, without any doubt, that we know what we’re talking about. But trying to over-deliver by cramming as much content as you can into your presentation isn’t the way to do it. You could end up running out of time and not be able to finish your talk. You might overwhelm your audience with more information than they can absorb in one sitting. Worse, you could end up providing so much information that it no longer resonates with your audience.

Your goal isn’t to prove how smart you are, or how generous you are with your content. Your goal is to share enough of your problem-solving content for the people in your audience to walk away inspired and able to think, feel, or do something differently. That’s one of the most important gifts every speaker has the opportunity to give… empowerment.

Don’t bring up topics you don’t have enough time to address. As tempting as it might be to mention, hint, or tease people with all the ways you can help them, your job with your talk is to distill your material down to pertinent and relevant information that will stand on its own. This includes providing a takeaway that’s actionable, as is. If there’s something else you really want to share with your audience, find another way to share it with them, such as sharing it in one of the follow-up emails you’ll be sending out after the event.

Narrow your talk down to 2 to 4 talking points that will capture and hold your audience’s interest. Develop each point so it has its own mini-introduction, mini-body, and mini-conclusion. Make sure each point includes an analogy, an example, or a personal story that lends credibility to the point you’re trying to make. Also make sure your talking points are natural logical lead-ins to an actionable takeaway your audience will appreciate.

Is it possible to over-deliver in a signature talk without it being too muddled to follow? I believe so. When someone walks away from your talk able to think, feel, or do something that helps them solve some part of their problem, they’re going to feel like you over- delivered… in the best of ways.