Speaking Tip Of The Day: The Dreaded Writers Block

OK, so you’ve decided to face your fears and you are going to tackle this public speaking thing head on. And now you have a speech to give. So now you are sitting there with your computer and a big blank screen. Or you have a big pad of paper, a pen and a big blank page. You sit there and you think and you think and you think and you come up withÖ.. Bupkis. Nothing.  Nada. Zero Ideas. There it is again. The Dreaded Writers Block!

It may feel like a killer and that writing your speech is absolutely impossible but really it’s not. You’re tense and by this point already totally exhausted with even the idea of giving a speech. In response to all that stress, your mind has posted a “No can do!” sign out front and shut down temporarily. Don’t worry. Your brain has just clammed up on you for a brief moment. Don’t panic. Instead, try this fun mind mapping technique.

Mind mapping is a process that will enable you to enjoy generating and organizing your thoughts and then creatively presenting them to others. Here is a brief explanation of mind mapping from my favorite book about the subject, “Mapping Inner Space,” by Nancy Margulies with Nusa Maal.

“Mind mapping is an easy-to- learn, straight forward system for generating and organizing any ideas. Using a central image, key words, colors, codes and symbols, mind mapping is both fun and fast Ö.once you let your ideas and associations flow, you will no doubt create your own maps of previously unexplored territories.”*

So block out about 30 minutes, find a comfortable place to work, get a pad of paper and some colored markers. Draw a small circle or bubble in the middle of your page. Put “My Speech” there in the middle of the circle. We are now going to “draw” your speech. Are you now completely confused and feeling a different sort of panic setting in, the panic of not knowing what you’re doing? Well try for a moment to keep an open mind about this new process.

As Nancy Margulies puts it, “For many of us, the traditional style of writing ideas in a linear fashion, using color on lined paper is a deeply ingrained habit. Retraining the brain to draw ideas radiating from a central image takes a bit of practice and patience. However, after you have the basics of Mind Mapping down, the obvious benefits will lead you to use this technique any time you want to put ideas down on paper.”

So now, working on your paper out from your central circle with the words, “My Speech” in it, draw your first branching line that radiates out from the circle. On that branch line radiating outward, write down all the words and phrases that come to your mind in response to the first of the seven key brainstorming questions listed below, “Why am I giving this speech?”

After you have written down everything that came to your mind for the first branch question, draw a second branch line radiating out from the central circle and respond to question number two. One at a time, on each of these seven branching lines, write a key words or phrases that are generated in your mind from the questions below. 

Remember you can keep adding smaller radiating branches off each of the main branches as you go along in this process and soon your paper will be filled with new and interesting ideas for your speech:

Branch 1:

Why am I giving this speech?

Branch 2:

What do I want to accomplish with my speech?

Branch 3:

What is my purpose for giving this speech? (Is my purpose to inform, convince or persuade my audience?)

Branch 4:

What are the biggest headaches, challenges, fears, aspirations or needs of my audience?

Branch 5:

How can what I have to offer in terms of information, services or ideas truly serve my audience?

Branch 6:

Why am I passionate about the topic that I am giving this speech about? (If your topic is not compelling to you, it will most certainly not resonate deeply with your audience.)

Branch 7:

What is one story from my life or another person’s experience that I have heard or read about that communicates my passion for this topic?

Each idea that you brought up on your mind map will now have generated multiple other ideas that have sprouted in your brain as you went along . Write all these ideas down too. Eventually your page or “mind map” will be covered with new ideas, words and phrases. And it’s fun!

Use this mind mapping technique whenever you get stuck with The Dreaded Writers Block. It will jog your brain loose so it can begin to show you new and different directions you can go with your speech. This technique will also allow you to do all your brainstorming thinking and writing in both a fun and creative way.