How to Brain Dump Effectively and Set Yourself up for a Winning Presentation

brain dump encore workshop presentation design presentation tips presentations Nov 22, 2021

Have you ever heard of the term ‘brain dumping’ before? Or better yet, done a brain dump yourself?

Brain dumping is an awesome technique that I learned a few years into my public speaking career, where you write down all of your thoughts – stream of consciousness style – in order to plan a successful presentation.

This technique can be used for a myriad of things. Today, we’re going to focus on how you can use the brain dump to your advantage.

Whether you have a big presentation coming up that you have a million ideas for and can’t quite seem to nail or narrow them down, a sales pitch that feels like it’s missing the mark, or you’ve been asked to speak at a wedding and haven’t a clue what to say (been there, done that).

This post will walk you through some of the benefits of brain dumping, how you can apply this technique to other areas of your life, and the exact brain dumping process that I’ve used to plan some of my most impactful speeches to date.

The benefits of brain dumping

According to Merriam-Webster, a brain dump is “the act or an instance of comprehensively and uncritically expressing and recording one's thoughts and ideas (as on a particular topic)” (1).

In other words, brain dumping means that you write every thought or idea down in order to give each one the attention it deserves.

So, what are some of the benefits of brain dumping? Well, speaking from experience, I’ve noticed that I instantly feel lighter after getting all of the racing thoughts out of my head and onto paper or a digital document. Especially when I have a big presentation that I’m preparing for.

It’s usually the case that I have a bunch of ideas floating around and so many things I want to say. So, I’ve found that by making notes of everything ‘going on up there’ without judgment, I’m able to proceed with the actual planning of materials.

An added benefit? As I’m writing my initial ideas, I find that even more ideas come to the forefront because I’ve made room for them (2).

Brain dumps are something I do first thing before any presentation, important client meeting, or even new workshop that I’m developing. Fun fact: our signature program, Encore Communication Coaching was born out of these infamous brain dumps.

It’s pretty neat to see how far Encore has come, and the full circle moment of teaching others how to brain dump for their presentations with this process. If you’re interested in a more one-on-one style of presentation coaching, be sure to check out this page to view our upcoming dates.

With any piece of content that I create, it’s a guarantee that there’s a sheet of paper with messy scribbles that came before it.

Brain dumps aren’t just for presentations

The other cool thing about brain dumps? They can be used in so many areas of your life – not just presentations or public speaking.

If you’re feeling overwhelmed by your to-do list or aren’t sure where to start on a project, doing a good old-fashioned brain dump might be your answer.

You can even get creative with it by using different colored pens and assigning a color to a particular category of your life. If you’re looking to implement this technique in a more general way for to-do lists or journaling purposes, check out this article that walks you through the process (3).

My brain dumping process step-by-step

Here’s how I use the brain dumping technique when planning any presentation, workshop, or communication.

Get everything out of my head

As you may have guessed by now, the first step is to write everything down. Seriously, everything. Any thoughts I have that relate to my topic (and even some that don’t) get scribbled. Sometimes I set a 30- or 40-minute timer here to keep me on track.

Personally, I like to use a pen and paper for this step, although any medium will work. Whether it’s a blank Google doc, Word document, or notepad – pick your favorite and get writing – non-judgemental, stream of consciousness style.

The more that you’re able to get out of your head at this stage, the better. That way each idea is out in the open and can be tended to accordingly in the next step.

Group common themes and ideas together

Now that all of your thoughts are in one place, it’s time to get grouping. After reviewing some of the notes you’ve made, you’ll begin to find that there are common themes and ideas.

On a separate sheet of paper or in a separate document, combine any of your ideas that fall into the same category. You can color code, do some circling, copy and paste – whatever makes the most sense for you.

If you need to, step away from your initial brain dump for an hour or so. Depending on my energy levels, I find that stepping away for a while helps me look at all of my thoughts with fresh eyes and new perspectives.

Check for content gaps

Now that you know which of your ideas can be grouped together, it’s time to check for gaps. What still needs to be created that isn’t already? What are you missing?

Asking yourself these questions and filling in the empty space will give you an amazing starting point to begin planning the rest of your presentation.

For a video explanation of my brain dumping process, check out this Instagram Reel.

Planning your presentation after the brain dump

Now that you’ve successfully released and organized all of your thoughts in the medium of your choice – the next step is planning.

While it may still seem daunting, this next phase will be much easier now that all of your thoughts are in one place rather than in your head.

To get started, check out this post – How To Begin Your Presentation With Impact that will give you everything you need to map out your introduction. For a more holistic approach to creating a presentation that drives results, you can also check out The Two Critical Strategies You Need For Any Successful Presentation.

And if you don’t want to map out your content or presentation alone, our Encore Communication program walks you through this process from start to finish, all the way to your final delivery. After completing this program, you’ll have a tool belt that you can take into any future public speaking endeavor. Visit this page to learn more.

Conclusion

Brain dumping is a technique that can be used in just about any scenario that requires planning. It’s an amazing way to clear your mind of any thoughts that are crowding it and get everything out in the open so you can make sense of it all.

When it comes to my own content creation or public speaking process, brain dumping has become a non-negotiable.

You now know some of the many benefits of brain dumping, how you can apply this technique to other areas of your life, and the exact process that I’ve used to create some of my most powerful speeches and workshops.

For more insights on developing and executing a successful presentation, make sure you’re following us over on Instagram, LinkedIn, and Facebook. That’s where the magic happens.

Happy brain dumping!

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