In January I was invited to work in Cairo, Egypt. It was an amazing experience. The Egyptians pride themselves on their hospitality. In the perfume shop I was invited to have tea as I sampled the array of essential oils. When I worked with my clients, we began each coaching session with a one hour breakfast in the hotel to "break the ice." It was evident that relationship building is as important as acquiring new skills. They were very open to learning the American way of communicating and valued our presentation approach.
On my day off, I hired a guide and headed off to see the pyramids and the sphynx. I was struck by their majesty and wondered how they could still be standing after 4,500 years. It made me realize that the key to their longevity is their solid, well built structure. A single stone weighing tons, fit perfectly into the groove of another stone.
And that's a lesson for public speaking. The delivery is only as good as the structure. Each point must fit or flow into the next idea. A presentation won't be effective without a solid structure. I've worked with clients for one to two hours just on organizing and building a framework from which their ideas can flow.
Good structure and design will enable you to be clear, get to the point more quickly and stay on message. When your speech has a strong structure, your presentation will stand the test of time. Just like the pyramids.