How to Tell Stories in Presentations – Video

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Introduction: How to Explain Complex Topics Clearly in a Speech

This video explains how to handle a speech on a complex subject without losing your audience. You’ll learn why your real job is to make difficult ideas simple, how to strip out jargon and how to translate specialist language into clear speech that anyone can follow.

What you’ll learn: Making Complex Speeches Easy to Understand

• Why your audience needs simplicity, not complexity
• How jargon weakens clarity and connection
• How to explain technical terms in plain language
• A straightforward “12-year-old test” for your speech content
• How clear language improves audience trust and understanding

Summary: Turning Complex Ideas into Clear, Audience-Friendly Speeches

When your topic is complex, your challenge is not to show how much you know but to make the subject easy for others to understand. That means cutting jargon, explaining any necessary terms and choosing language your audience can follow without effort. A good guide is to speak in a way a 12-year-old could understand. Clear, simple speech helps your message land, keeps your audience with you and makes your talk far more effective.

Mini FAQ: Speaking Clearly on Difficult Topics

What’s the biggest risk with complex topics?
You overwhelm the audience with jargon or detail, and they stop following your argument.

Should I remove all technical terms?
Not always, but only use them if you explain them clearly and keep them to a minimum.

What is the “12-year-old test”?
It means checking whether your speech would make sense to someone with no specialist knowledge. If not, simplify it.

How does simplicity improve a speech?
People understand faster, stay engaged and trust you more because the message feels accessible.

Transcript (edited)

If you’ve got a speech to make and the subject is complex, you’ve got a difficult job. You need to think harder about how to make it easy, because your job is to make it easy for the audience. Cut out any jargon. Explain any terms. Put it in language that a 12-year-old would understand. That’s the standard great writing aims for, and your speech should aim for the same.

Suggested Links

• Simplify complex messages for your audience
• Cut jargon from your presentations
• Explain technical ideas with confidence
• Keep your speech clear and engaging

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