One of the first questions I ask the speakers I work with is, “Can you tell me about your presentation in one sentence?” If they can tell me their position, their stance, their big idea in one sentence, I know they’re in great shape and we can turn our focus into fine-tuning their speech and focus on their marketing and their personal brand.
If they can’t, and most speakers fall into this category, then I know we need to hone in on the speaker’s objective with their presentation. What are they trying to say and why does someone need to hear it? One of the better articles on this and one I recommend everyone interested in giving a clear, concise, and compelling speech read, is an article by Brenda Barbosa called The 1 Sentence That Will Make You A More Effective Speaker Every Time (you can find it here: https://www.inc.com/brenda-barbosa/the-1-sentence-that-will-make-you-a-more-effective-speaker-every-time.html )
The article also gives several additional resources that are also well-worth your time.
Think of your one sentence as your GPS destination – if you don’t have that nailed down before you start, you’re not going to be able to navigate the best path forward.