Talk planning template for pitches, keynotes and speeches

A tour of the Talk Blueprint, the ten-section working document that holds your Source Talk and its Room Cuts for every stage you face.

The capstone closes From Story to Stage with a walk through the Talk Blueprint. This is the working document a speaker opens every time a stage is coming. It has ten sections, each tied to the lessons that teach it, and learners fill it in as they move through the course.

The ten sections cover the whole method. They start with the talk you are building, including what the room believes now and what you want it to believe by the end. Then come the deep version, the throughline, the five-beat spine, a sensory scene, an ethos moment, the peak and the ending, and the first sixty seconds and last four lines written to the word. The last two sections hold the four Room Cuts, for a pitch, a keynote, a TED-style talk and a speech, and a delivery audit.

A completed blueprint takes three to five hours across the course, and most of that time goes into writing. The blueprint holds the source and the Room Cuts hold the versions. You return to it before each stage because each room differs, and a version for that room is already waiting.

Key ideas.

The Talk Blueprint is a ten-section working document that holds a speaker's Source Talk and its four Room Cuts, ready to open before every stage.
In the Source Talk Method, the blueprint holds the source and the Room Cuts hold the versions, so every room has a version already waiting.
The first section of the Talk Blueprint names what the room believes now and what the speaker wants it to believe by the end.
A completed Talk Blueprint takes three to five hours across the From Story to Stage course, and most of that time goes into writing.

Questions.

What is the Talk Blueprint in From Story to Stage?

The Talk Blueprint is the working document at the centre of From Story to Stage. It has ten sections, each tied to the lessons that teach it. They cover the talk you are building, your deep version, throughline, five-beat spine, sensory scene, ethos moment, peak and ending, first sixty seconds and last four lines, four Room Cuts, and a delivery audit. You fill it in as you work through the course.

How do I adapt one talk for different audiences?

Build one Source Talk and cut it into a version for each room. In the Source Talk Method, the Talk Blueprint holds the source and the Room Cuts hold the versions, for a pitch, a keynote, a TED-style talk and a speech. For each cut you note what changes, such as the decision, the proof, the ask, the lens, the idea or the charge, and each cut has its own final line.

How long does it take to plan a talk with the Source Talk Method?

A completed Talk Blueprint takes between three and five hours, spread across the From Story to Stage course. Most of that time goes into the writing itself. The result is a working document you open before every stage for the next several years, because each room you speak in differs and the blueprint already holds a version for it.

Capstone of From Story to Stage, a free written course by Aaron C. Leaman, published by Brighter Future. The terms it uses are defined in the glossary.