Using the Speakery Presentation Canvas

This is how I use the Speakery Presentation Canvas to plan, write and produce my keynotes, pitches, presentations and speeches.

The Speakery Presentation Canvas was made to help. I use it to create my keynotes and presentations. It works for me, and I know it will work for you. If you’ve ever wondered how I’ve written my Speakery Mindset keynote, know this—I used the canvas. This is what it looks like.

A canvas for the entire keynote.

There's no rule about where to start. I tend to write a rough synopsis or abstract of the idea—I scribble in a title and try to capture the vibe of the concept I have in my head. I tend to use a lot of Tippex. I always write this section in the third person. Can you do this for an internal company presentation? Yes. Should you? Yes. Why do I do this? It helps me distance myself from the work and get a sense of spectacular and perspective. I want to "see" it myself. I've been told that filmmakers do this when pitching for money. You can do it too.

Once I've written the synopsis, I fill in the blanks, jumping over the canvas as ideas come to me. I'll return to it to add new ideas, change things and add stories and data as and when I've collected them.

You'll notice that I've given each act a title. I do this to frame the tone of the act and keep the storytelling on track. I sometimes use these titles in the presentation, but not always, as with The Speakery Mindset.

External data, facts, and stories tend to be anecdotal stories that provide context for the internal data, facts, and stories. I've heard that people struggle with this. If you do, let me know, and I'll help you.

My keynote's North Star/Purpose is "Make The World A Little Better With Better Presentations". It's my company's purpose. Defining The One Big Thing of your presentation is crucial. What's the point of your presentation? Why should anyone care? Write it up at the top.

I use the canvas to explore each section of the presentation. If you look at the photos in the gallery, you'll notice they're part of the same presentation. I've adjusted the Define The Audience section for each. An audience is always a collection of audiences, and my presentations are planned, written, produced, and performed accordingly. 

Once the canvas is completed, the presentation is finished. You could present a sixty-minute presentation with nothing more than the canvas. But you want slides, right? Your line manager demands them! Oh, go on, then. Fire up PowerPoint. You should, however, now find it much easier to create your deck.

So, this is how I use the Speakery Presentation Canvas.

I hope you find this helpful. Please take a minute to review the photos, especially if you've seen the keynote. You will spot things you saw me do and several new things I've since added.

The Speakery website has a full user guide. You can also download a PNG or order a copy of THE WORK, the Speakery Canvas Workbook.

If you still have questions, please don't hesitate to let me know, and I'll try to answer them.