The foundations of a building are the structure upon which it is built. And the same rules apply to a presentation. But you must appreciate what the foundations are made of. In a building they are concrete, steel, wood and other materials. In a presentation it is the aim and agenda/themes of the presentation that are the base structure upon which content is placed. The 'aim', agenda/themes of the presentation must direct the words, vocabulary, tenses and Soundbites you decide upon, What many presenters actually do is write tons of words about what they want to say, when in fact what they must say is directly formed from the aim of the presentation. Let the aim inform your writing, not your ego!

A soundbite is characterised by a short phrase or sentence that deftly captures the essence of what the speaker is trying to say. Such key moments in dialogue (or monologue) stand out better in the audience's memory and thus become the "taste" that best represents the entire "meal" of the larger message or conversation. Soundbites are a natural consequence of people placing greater emphasis on summarising increasing amounts of information. A Soundbite in the context of a presentation is often one of the key messages that support the aim of the presentation.

The SSS Model for Soundbites:

Specific - Short - Spicy

Presenting is communication through emotion. When you deliver a Soundbite that is specific, short, and spicy it demands the attention of the audience and that is your number one goal. Once you have their undivided attention you can then expand and go more deeply within the Soundbite to deliver supporting information, if necessary. Good sound bits are memorable and often are enough.

This is the part we practise, shape and fret over the most. The words! How straightforward are words? Well, unfortunately what a presenter thought they said, may and often does, take on a whole new meaning when heard by the listener. Our brains are meaning driven, that is what they do, we cannot help but to make meaning and connections based on our experience. If a picture is worth a thousand words, that is about seven minutes speaking time at the normal rate of 150 words a minute. The word KISS comes to mind, keep it short and simple. The average person holds between five and seven pieces of new information in their head at any one time before they need to digest, file away, write it down or do any number of other things with it. So, present in Soundbites and give time to digest before expanding into deeper waters.