Can you elaborate on the concept of a throughline in public speaking?

In public speaking, a throughline refers to the central idea or theme that connects and runs through the entirety of your speech or presentation. It's the core message that you want your audience to take away. To develop a throughline, you need to understand your audience's interests, knowledge level, and expectations. Then, you need to figure out how to convey your message effectively within a limited time frame. It's not about cramming as much information as possible, but rather about making your talk interesting and meaningful by explaining why your topic matters and supporting your points with real examples.

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To develop your throughline, start by finding out as much as you can about your audience: what do they care about? How knowledgeable are they? What are they expecting? Next, think about how you will say what you want to say in 18 minutes or less. This does not mean briefly covering everything you think you want to say: there's a limit to how many things you can hang on your throughline before it feels overstuffed. To make your talk interesting you need to take the time to (a) show why it matters and (b) flesh out each point you make with real examples.

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TED Talks: The Official TED Guide to Public Speaking

Do you wish you could persuade your audience the same way that a TED speaker does? Now you can, click below to read our summary of The Official TED Gu...

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