Speak like you
believe it.
Writing for the ear, marking a script like a musical score, and building a deck that carries a story, not a summary.
Last week, in brief.
- Essay (Writing #2) submitted.
- A talk carries the spine, not every detail, each body paragraph becomes one section.
- Open with a hook, not background; turn data paragraphs into single visuals; 6 to 10 slides.
Your slide map, hook to close.
Pace a longer talk, sharpen slide strategy, and rehearse.
This week.
- Written style vs spoken style
- Reshaping sentences for sound
- Marking a script like a score
- Intonation, pace, rhythm
- A deck as a narrative arc
- 5×5 text, colour & chart rules
- Reveal & build, don't dump
- Verbal bridges between slides
- The rehearsal protocol
From Page to Performance, reshaping for the ear, marking your script, and full-body rehearsal.
What reads well
can sound wrong.
Long sentences and formal phrases lose a listener who can't go back a line. Reshape your words for the ear.
Reshape for the ear.
“Climate change continues to pose an existential threat, disproportionately affecting marginalised communities across the globe.”
“Climate change isn't just a problem. It's a threat. And who suffers most? Often the people with the fewest resources.”
Shorter sentences. A question. Plain words. Same argument, built for a room.
- Find the most academic sentence in your essay. How would you say the same thing to a friend?
How to reshape a sentence.
- Break long sentences into short, clear statements.
- Repeat a key phrase for rhythm and unity.
- Swap academic vocabulary for everyday words.
- Address the audience, speak to them, not at them.
“The proliferation of social media has fundamentally altered the manner in which younger demographics consume news media.”
“Look at how you get your news. Probably not a newspaper. Your phone. Scrolling. That's the shift.”
Your script is a score.
Mark up how you'll say the words, not just what they are. Caps for stress, brackets for breath, arrows for pitch.
“This is our future. And we need to protect it. (pause) Not tomorrow. Not someday. Now.”
(slow) “In 2019, a single graph changed how economists talk about this city. (pause) Tonight, I want to show you that graph.”
The dials, and what they're for.
| Move | Use it to… |
|---|---|
| Rising tone | signal a question or surprise. |
| Falling tone | land a strong statement or a conclusion. |
| Slow down | mark a serious or emotional moment. |
| Speed up | build excitement or urgency. |
| Lower volume | create intimacy; raise it for power. |
A deck is an
arc, not a list.
Slides in a row aren't a presentation. The order should build, setup, tension, turn, resolution, like the essay it came from.
Before you build a single slide.
5 to 7 lines, 5 to 7 words a line. Titles around 48pt, body 24 to 30pt. Sans-serif only, never all caps, it reads as shouting.
Two to four colours, held for the whole deck. Light text on a dark field, or dark on light, never dark on dark.
One or two per slide, high resolution, cropped tight. A pixelated photo undercuts the credibility your evidence just built.
One point per slide. If you're explaining two things, that's two slides, not one crowded one.
On your laptop, every slide looks great. Projected across a room, thin fonts and pale colours disappear. Check it from the back, not just up close.
The slide, before and after.
Before
- Since the pandemic began, many companies have shifted permanently to remote or hybrid work arrangements
- This has led to a significant and sustained increase in vacant office space across most major cities
- Older, lower-tier office buildings have been hit especially hard by this trend
- Landlords are struggling to renew leases at previous rates
After
- Vacancy up 18% since 2020
- Concentrated in Class B towers
- Lease renewals down sharply
- [bar chart · vacancy by quarter]
Same argument, same evidence. One makes the room read. The other lets them listen to you.
Same slide, one more time.
Before
- Pale yellow text on beige. Five competing colours. A script font for the caption nobody can read from row ten.
After
- Dark ink on warm paper. One accent colour, used only to highlight the number that matters.
Two to four colours, held all deck. Contrast strong enough to read from the back row, every time.
A chart is an argument, not decoration.
| Type | Use it to show… |
|---|---|
| Bar | items compared side by side, exam scores, energy output, spending by category. |
| Line | a trend over time, adoption rates, temperature, price across the years. |
| Pie | a share of one whole. Limit slices to five or six, or it stops being readable. |
| Table | exact numbers a chart would blur. Bold the one or two cells that matter. |
At least two original charts or graphs, built by you, not copy-pasted from a search result.
A short citation in a small font at the bottom, plus the source said aloud when you show it.
Four beats, in order.
Hook + thesis. Why should the room care, and what will you argue?
The problem, the gap, the thing that isn't obvious yet.
Your evidence and analysis, the payoff that resolves the tension.
What it means, and a closing line that lingers.
Where is the “turn” in your talk, the moment the room realises your real point?
- → What tension are you holding before the turn lands?
- → Which slide does the turn happen on?
- → How will your voice change to mark it?
Reveal, don't dump.
A full slide appears at once. The room reads ahead and stops listening to you.
One point appears as you speak it. Their attention stays where your voice is.
Circle, point, or emphasise the one part of a chart you're discussing. Guide their eyes, don't make them search.
Never let a slide change in silence.
A verbal bridge carries the audience across the cut. The new slide should answer a question your last sentence raised.
“So logistics explains the lead. But what about price, wasn't Coupang just cheaper? [next slide] Here's why price doesn't hold up.”
Rehearse like it's real.
- Stand, speak with your full voice, use your slides
- Record it, listen for clarity and emotion
- Time it, fit the limit without rushing
- Memorise transitions, never the whole script
Does it sound like a real conversation, or a paper being read aloud? Rehearse until it's the first one.
Redesign your most crowded slide
Open your draft deck and find the slide with the most text on it.
- Cut the text to keyword phrases, 5 to 7 words a line.
- Choose one visual, chart, image, or table, and cite it small.
- Pick two to four colours and hold them for the whole deck.
Stand up, step away from your screen, and look at the redesigned slide from across the room. Still readable?
Rewrite for the ear
Take your essay's conclusion sentence and rebuild it for the stage.
- Break it into short spoken statements.
- Add a repeated phrase or a rhetorical question.
- Mark it with caps, (pause), and pitch arrows.
Read both versions aloud. Which one would make a room go quiet?
Deliver one section, marked up
Take one section of your final talk and deliver it from a marked-up script.
- Use a verbal bridge into the section.
- Hit your marked pauses and stresses.
- Reveal the slide's point as you say it.
Did the pacing carry meaning? Did the slide build with the voice, or race ahead of it?
Homework & what's next.
- Build the full final deck (6 to 10 slides)
- Mark up your script and rehearse aloud
- Time the talk; record one full run
Q&A strategy & draft deck. Handling questions with confidence, and a full dress-rehearsal of your draft presentation.
Today in one slide.
- Reshape written sentences for the ear
- Mark your script like a score
- Use pitch, pace, and volume on purpose
- A deck is an arc: setup, tension, turn, resolution
- 5×5 text, 2 to 4 colours, one idea a slide
- Reveal points as you speak them
- Bridge every slide change with your voice
Make them
lean in.
Week 12 · Next, Q&A Strategies & Draft Presentation