Organize it, then write the script

Outlining

The list of absolute musts has to be pretty short. Think about it this way: Your wife (or husband, or domestic partner, or close friend) asks you to go to the grocery store to pick up a dozen eggs. You grab your keys and head for the door. As soon as you reach the door, however, she (or he) stops you. "Wait--we need some milk, too. And a loaf of bread."

Okay, you are fine remembering eggs, milk and bread. But if the list gets too much longer, you will have to write it down or you are likely to forget something.

Research has shown that most people's short-term memory will not recall more than five key points from a verbal presentation.

So when you are organizing your central points, it's a great idea to start by brainstorming ideas. You can write down every concept related to your topic that you would like for them to remember. At this stage, it may be most useful to simply scribble notes on a piece of paper, like a mind map, instead of trying to get overly organized at this early stage. Write down whatever occurs to you. Don't edit yourself; just throw things out on paper. All this information is already inside you because of all the research and preparation you have already done, so this activity should not take more than 10 minutes of your time. Don't try to be neat; the purpose is to get your ideas on paper. Neatness will come later.

After you have everything on paper, what you are faced with is a mass of ideas. Next, you will need to focus and prioritize all those concepts. Think of your central concepts as a grocery list of the things you absolutely must have. You don't want to bog your attendees down with a list of 20 items. They won't remember them all, and they might end up forgetting the ones that are the most important.