WEBVTT - What question are you answering?

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of iHeartRadio.

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<v Speaker 2>Good Morning, This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast.

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<v Speaker 1>Today's tip is to get.

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<v Speaker 2>Clear on what question you are answering. That way, what

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<v Speaker 2>you say or the information you provide is more likely

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<v Speaker 2>to produce the results that you intend. So I have

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<v Speaker 2>edited a fair number of people's essays and op eds

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<v Speaker 2>in my life. I've noted that many start with a

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<v Speaker 2>topic in mind, but not necessarily a clear purpose. Someone

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<v Speaker 2>has decided to write a piece about the policy of

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<v Speaker 2>foreign aid or healthcare, or about education, or about pets

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<v Speaker 2>on airplanes.

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<v Speaker 1>They have a lot of interesting facts, quotes, and stories,

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<v Speaker 1>but they haven't necessarily thought about what question they are answering.

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<v Speaker 1>I always joke to people that they need to answer

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<v Speaker 1>whether they are for it or against it. That's a

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<v Speaker 1>little simplistic, but if you are writing a persuasive essay,

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<v Speaker 1>that is usually the question you are answering. Do you

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<v Speaker 1>come out for it or against it? And what should

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<v Speaker 1>we do about it? Even if you are not writing

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<v Speaker 1>an op ed, you are probably answering some sort of

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<v Speaker 1>question with any content you create, and knowing what that

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<v Speaker 1>question is can make your work a lot more clear.

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<v Speaker 1>Let's say you're giving a presentation to managers at your

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<v Speaker 1>company about the new performance review process. That's fine, but

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<v Speaker 1>there are lots of different questions you might actually be

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<v Speaker 1>answering with that presentation. Maybe you are asking the managers

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<v Speaker 1>for feedback so the process can be refined, So your

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<v Speaker 1>question is how can this be better? But maybe your

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<v Speaker 1>CEO has declared it to be a done deal, so

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<v Speaker 1>now you're trying to soothe people's nerves about change. The

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<v Speaker 1>point of your presentation is to answer the question of

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<v Speaker 1>I'm not sure how this is all going to go,

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<v Speaker 1>and can you make me feel less nervous about it?

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<v Speaker 1>Asking yourself what question am I answering anchors you in

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<v Speaker 1>the purpose of your presentation or your rite up. This

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<v Speaker 1>keeps you focused and helps ensure that you achieve your goals.

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<v Speaker 1>This is another example. If you're giving a presentation about

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<v Speaker 1>the work your nonprofit is doing to a group of

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<v Speaker 1>potential donors, the main question you are likely answering is

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<v Speaker 1>why should I support this group financially versus all the

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<v Speaker 1>other things I could be doing with my money. If

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<v Speaker 1>you're presenting to current donors, on the other hand, the

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<v Speaker 1>question is more likely am I sure that my money

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<v Speaker 1>is doing good things, or if I give more generously,

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<v Speaker 1>will you be able to do even more cool things.

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<v Speaker 1>When you're clear on the question your presentation or write

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<v Speaker 1>up is answering, you have a filter to help you

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<v Speaker 1>decide what does and does not belong. So, for instance,

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<v Speaker 1>if you are giving a presentation about that nonprofit to

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<v Speaker 1>potential clients who might be receiving some of your help,

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<v Speaker 1>they might not care quite as much about your really

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<v Speaker 1>cool funding mechanism, even if it is really cool. You

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<v Speaker 1>want to answer the question of whether you can help

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<v Speaker 1>them effectively. Keeping in mind the question you are answering

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<v Speaker 1>will help make the most of your and your audience's time.

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<v Speaker 1>You always want the answer to the question is this

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<v Speaker 1>worth my time to be a resounding yes. In the meantime,

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<v Speaker 1>this is Laura. Thanks for listening, and here's to making

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<v Speaker 1>the most of our talk. Thanks for listening to Before Breakfast.

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<v Speaker 1>If you've got questions, ideas, or feedback, you can reach

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<v Speaker 1>me at Laura at Laura vandercam dot com. Before Breakfast

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<v Speaker 1>is a production of iHeartMedia. For more podcasts from iHeartMedia,

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<v Speaker 1>listen to your favorite shows