Create speaking success with the nano speech

Speaking
Written By Liam Sandford
public speaking

Imagine you are an audience member, a presenter begins with an agenda, rambles for a bit with hundreds of irrelevant tangents, talks for too long and then asks if you have any questions. You are bored, disengaged and would love the presentation to be over.

That speaker had no structure and lacked engagement. They made it all about them as the speaker when they should have made it about you as the audience member. You can avoid this mistake in your conversations and presentations.

A structure automatically makes you a better speaker. You reduce tangents, stay on topic, and deliver value to the audience in an engaging way. This is where the nano speech comes in.

The nano speech: a quick open, body, close structure that can last 10 seconds or 10 minutes.

Due to its application you can use it for conversations, presentations and anything in between. Once your presentation reaches 10 minutes it is time to start stacking nano speeches with a transition between points. But how do you use the nano speech in practice?

Open — Body — Close (the only structure you need)

Most people open using an agenda but this is awful practice — don’t state what you are going to tell them, then tell them, then repeat it at the end using a summary. That is common but is incredibly disengaging for your audience.

Instead, open with something that peaks interest. If it is a conversation this is simply raising a new topic. If a presentation, open with a story that will capture attention, create curiosity, and build connection with the audience. Or, at the very least let the audience know what problem you are solving for them, or why they should care about listening to your presentation.

In the body, you deliver your main points. The key with the body is to be able to deliver your main point in one sentence. Any longer and it is not clear enough. You can then beef up your main point with stories to make it memorable.

For the close, most speakers just throw it away and ramble. This confuses the audience on whether it is finished or not. You don’t want this outcome. You need to close with a call to action, which might be the first steps they need to take, or something specific you would like their thoughts on in Q&A time.

There is one thing your close should never be: unplanned. Plan your close to maintain engagement from the audience. Use it to put the cherry on top of the cake.

Scale up to confidence

The more nano speeches you do, the more comfortable you will become as a speaker. You should be starting with a small 10 second nano speech in a comfortable environment to a comfortable audience of one in a conversation. But you will want to scale up from there.

One bad piece of speaking advice is to throw yourself in the deep end. You should not do that (unless you have to for work purposes). Get comfortable first before scaling up.

Comfortable → confident → competent

This is the cycle you want to implement.

Get comfortable and confident with a 10 second nano speech, scale to a minute.

Get comfortable and confident via a video call, scale to an in person meeting.

Get comfortable and confident talking about your job, scale to a different topic.

Scaling up comes in multiple forms but it always follows the path with comfortability first. The nano speech enables that success, especially when you create a daily speaking habit.

Nano speeches for repeatable success

Let me tell you about my good friend Craig Misewicz. Craig is an experienced speaker and regularly attended the Public Speaking Twitter Space. In the space he learned about the nano speech and never looked back.

Craig set a target of 10 nano speeches a day. Short bursts of speaking using the open-body-close structure lasting from 10 seconds to 1 minute. His favorites include asking for directions, or restaurant recommendations in the area. He not only got the answer, but found some amazing new places to eat even though he was a local!

As an experienced speaker already, the nano speech provided Craig with two things:

  • Recent repetitions for increased confidence

  • Constant public speaking practice using the nano speech

You don’t need 10 public speaking reps a day to succeed but Craig had the right idea. With regular repetitions you increase your confidence to speak in public. Using the nano speech you make those speaking reps relevant to delivering a presentation. Whether you are an beginner or an experienced speaker, the nano speech is a framework you can use to create successful speaking outcomes every time.

Actionable takeaways

  • Start using the open-body-close structure in conversations and in every presentation. Make it a habit every time you speak.

  • Start where you are comfortable, get confident, then scale up to the next level. Scale in time speaking, forum you speak in, and topics you are comfortable sharing.

  • Build a daily speaking habit, just like Craig — this way you will realize the true benefits of the nano speech.

More from me

Liam Sandford
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