How to Speak - MIT OpenCourseWare

What is the formula for communication success?

The formula for communication success is a matter of how much knowledge you have, how much you practice with that knowledge, and your inherent talent.

What is the story about Mary Lou Retton and the speaker?

The story about Mary Lou Retton and the speaker is that the speaker was a better skier than Mary Lou Retton, an Olympic athlete, because the speaker had more knowledge and practice, and Mary Lou Retton only had inherent talent.

What is the rule of engagement for the lecture?

The rule of engagement for the lecture is no laptops, no cell phones.

What is the best way to start a talk?

The best way to start a talk is with an empowerment promise, telling people what they will know at the end of the hour that they didn't know at the beginning of the hour.

What is the reason for using chalk and props instead of PowerPoint?

The reason is empathetic mirroring. When you watch someone write on the board, your mirror neurons become actuated, and you can feel yourself writing on the blackboard. This cannot be achieved with a slide or a picture; you need to see it in the physical world.

What is the recommended number of slides and words per slide?

The recommended number of slides is less, and the number of words per slide should be few and easy to read. The speaker should not read the slides but instead say what was written on the slides in a previous example.

What is the purpose of using a laser pointer during a presentation?

The purpose of using a laser pointer is to identify something in an image. However, it can lead to losing eye contact and engagement with the audience. Instead, the speaker can use arrows or other visual cues to direct the audience's attention.

What is the recommended font size for slides?

The recommended minimum font size for slides is 40 or 50. This ensures that the text is easily legible and allows the audience to pay more attention to the speaker.

What are the two things a candidate has to show in the first five minutes of a job talk?

A candidate has to show their vision and that they've done something in the first five minutes of a job talk.

What is the problem and approach in the speaker's stump speech?

The problem is understanding the nature of human intelligence, and the approach is asking questions about what makes us different from chimpanzees and Neanderthals. The answer is that humans are symbolic creatures who can build symbolic descriptions of relations and events, and string them together to make stories.

What are the steps needed to realize the vision in the speaker's stump speech?

The steps needed to realize the vision are specifying behavior, enumerating constraints, implementing a system, and demonstrating it. These steps help establish that the speaker has done something.

What are the elements of Winston's star for ensuring that a presentation is remembered?

The elements of Winston's star are a symbol, a slogan, a surprise, a salient idea, and telling the story of how it works, why it's important, and who it helps.