The lecture "How to Speak" by the late MIT computer science professor Patrick Winston (1943-2019) offers excellent advice for effective communication. Heuristics from the transcript:

• "... your success in life will be determined largely by your ability to speak, your ability to write, and the quality of your ideas, in that order ..."
• good structure for a talk has several major components:

"... start with [an] empowerment promise ... tell people what they're going to know at the end of the hour that they didn't know at the beginning of the hour ..." * "... cycle on the subject. Go around it. Go round it again. Go round it again ..." * "... build a fence around [what you're saying] so that it's not confused with [other ideas] ..." * "... [provide] verbal punctuation ... landmark places where you're announcing that it's a good time to get [refocused on the talk] ..." * "... ask a question ..."

* other techniques for effective speaking include:

pick a good time (when people can be attentive) and place (well-lit, not too large or small) * use boards (to focus attention and explain at optimal speed) and props (highly memorable if appropriate) and slides (useful for exposing ideas rather than teaching; "... You have too many, and they have too many words! ...") * inspire people by exhibiting passion for what you present * rehearse with people who don't know your subject and give you honest feedback * share your vision and tell what you've done to achieve it

* to help your ideas be remembered, provide:

a Symbol – a visual image * a Slogan – a short phrase summary * a Surprise – something unexpected * a Salient Idea – a key concept * a Story – why you did it, and why it's important

* end with the bottom line – your contribution – and with a verbal benediction or salutation to the audience

(cf Tufte Thoughts (2000-12-18), There Are Three Points (2012-05-06), Meta-Briefing (2012-11-22), ...) - ^z - 2020-04-19