How to communicate clearly

Discover how to put together the throughline, or main idea that acts as a

connective thread or roadmap for your presentation.

Reflections

Write the ideas you are thinking about developing into a talk. Then, use the checklist below and add stars to help you decide which idea to focus on.

- Put a star next to ideas you can tell personal stories about.

- Put a star next to ideas that could change an audience’s perspective in a surprising way.

- Put a star next to the ideas you are most excited to speak about.

- Put a star next to ideas that make sense for you to talk about (an environmental scientist may be a better person to give a talk on climate change, but only you could give a talk on how your experience hiking in the mountains shaped your thoughts on the environment).

- Put a star next to ideas that feel the most important to talk about now.

Your main idea statement

Think through the following as you re-write your main idea:

- The challenge: A good idea is often a response to a difficult problem or issue; is there a problem or issue your idea addresses?

- The solution: What does your idea provide for people? What is the gift?

- Clarity: What needs to be clear for the audience?

Write down your main idea.

Lesson vocabulary:

Exist

– to be real or alive

Experience

– something that happens to you or that you learn from

Audience

– a group of people who listen to or watch something

Purpose

– the reason why you do something

Meaningful

– important and having a clear message or value

Plan

– a detailed idea of what to do or say

Link

– to connect or join things together

Topic

– the subject or idea being discussed

Observation

– something noticed or seen carefully

Direction

– the path or the way something is going

Expectations

– what people think will happen or want to happen

Obstacle

– something that makes it hard to do something

Proper

– right or correct for the situation

Explore

– to look at or think about something carefully and deeply

Include

– to have something as part of a whole

Summary

– a short statement that tells the main points

Rush

– to do something too quickly without enough care

Example

– something that shows or explains an idea clearly

Flesh out

– to add details to make something clearer or more complete

Connect

– to join ideas or things so they relate to each other

Impact

– a strong effect or change caused by something

The TED-Ed Student Talks program provides free, customizable activities for educators to support their students in identifying, developing and sharing their ideas with each other and the world. Learn more at the Student Talks page.