Let them come to your listener as a sequence of related ideas, not a mixed up jumble of concepts.
Decide which ideas are fundamental.
Decide which ideas are derivatives.
Decide which ideas merely details.
Make the connections between them clear.
Question: Whose job is it to do the integration of ideas - is it yours, or the listeners?
Answer: It is your job; the speaker.
It is your job to make your ideas intelligible by integrating your thoughts into a unified, coherent message. Do not give your listener the task of unpicking and deciphering your language.
Strive to make your meaning clear.
Structure your message.
Structure your message like a tree.
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Limit your message
There is a limit to how many points a person can “take in” at one sitting.
How many points can a person retain in the short-term memory?
Research tells us the number is between 5 and 7 “bits” of information at any one time.
What happens to information, in your minds eye, if someone tells you too
much, too quickly?
Do not overwhelm people with too much information at once. It is counterproductive. Limit the amount to groups of five to seven points at a time.
What should you do if you have more than seven points?
1. Break your message down into chunks and do it “a bit at a time”.
2. Check for understanding after each five to seven “bits”.
Limit your message.