Look around you

Need some inspiration for your next talk? Visit some really old buildings. This is an angel in the Basilique du Sacré-Coeur in Paris. In Cambridge, there's the Fitzwilliam Museum, King's College Chapel (a mini-cathedral) and many university buildings. London has countless interesting old buildings - I recommend the Natural History Museum.

Take inspiration from these remarkable structures and the artefacts inside. 

Consider:

+ who created this and why
+ who has visited here before you
+ your situation versus theirs
+ the layout and function of the place

Then use these as a new perspective for your talk. 

Weekly update meeting? Imagine you’re speaking in a place that has stood for centuries, or that you're Galdriel inspiring the fellowship.

Team presentation? Think about the builders: they designed every detail with the audience in mind. What details have you designed for yours? How did you construct it?

Conference keynote? Ask yourself whether your message is likely to be remembered next week, next year, or in ten years. Find the universal values that have endured since the Stoics.

A change of environment can create a change of thinking. Some of my best ideas for talks have arrived while walking through museums, chapels and old public buildings.

Great speakers don’t only study speaking. They study places, people, art, industry and purpose.