If you become confused at times about where you are going with your report or presentation, a very good way to clarify your thinking is to decide what the topic of your talk will be BEFORE you begin putting your presentation together. Notice I said Before you even decide upon one word.
For example.
Say, Today I am going to talk about our need to open a new office in New Jersey, or; Today I am going to talk about the fundraiser we are planning to launch in December.
Notice that in my example the topic deals with just one major issue not two or three. It is like a headline. If you want to engage our audience (keep the beginning short simple and clear).
Now it may happen that as you work on your presentation you may discover that the Topic you have chosen is not the Topic you really want to present. In that case don't waste time worrying about it. Just make the change and carry on.
Once you know what the topic of your speech is going to be it's very important to decide for yourself what your intention is. In other words what is it that you would like your audience to do or to think after they have heard your talk. Of course, you can have smaller intentions but ideally, they should all be related to your one major intention. This awareness will guide you forward so that you are not likely to go off on tangents that are not relevant to your talk.
And remember One Topic Sentence and one major intention.
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