How would you summarise what they’d like to learn from you?

Are there ways you could find out more? Provide a few bullet points. • Where will this be consumed? One sentence maximum. • Is there a fixed duration? Specify a number of words or minutes. • Is the duration strict? Yes / No EXAMPLE This is how I might approach a speech at a journalism college.

When I was studying A-level history, my teacher, Miss Thomas, would emphasise the need to signpost each section of my argument as I wrote an essay. It was excellent advice.

A couple of years ago, the New York Times journalist Jane Bradley tweeted: ‘The best editors send you back your copy with 1,000 words lopped off and you don’t even notice them missing’.

Less is more in explanation if the information at the heart of it is worth hearing.

Which parts of the subject do I want to explain?

To avoid this trap, select visual elements that explicitly support what you’re saying. If you want to quote someone, pull up the quote. If you want to show an event, show a picture of it. If you want to reference a statistic, show the statistic.

Just as any temptations to use clever or complex vocabulary to look, well, clever or complex should be resisted, so should making references for the same purpose.

I only show pictures, graphics, maps or tweets if I explicitly reference them. And we only show them when I explicitly reference them.