Available Content
Each principle card includes 3 things:
a personality, a purpose, and a mnemonic.
Identify the Principle Cards
Each of the 8 SpeechDeck principle cards are associated with a letter. The color cards from the acronym A-R-M-P-I-T-S and "C" for the "Clarify your Content" principle. Each principle card is numbered in the lower-right corner with the letter code and the number 1. Also, each principle card is labeled with a black square next to the word "PRINCIPLE" at the top of the card.
Beginners need not read any further than the short shaded summary paragraph at the top of the card. In this paragraph you will find three bolded words: a personality, a purpose, and a mnemonic.
Identify the Personality
The first bolded word and the icon in the upper left identify a personality type that can be easily distracted or otherwise fail to pay attention to your message. The eight personalities are: reporter, know-it-all, foreigner, copycat, kindergartner, chicken, puppy, teenager.
These symbols are for memory purposes only, and you don't need to memorize them unless it is helpful for you.
Identify the Purpose
The second bolded word on each principle card is the overall purpose. This purpose will help you choose which color/principle will help you the most. the corresponding eight purposes are: substance, interest, normalcy, legitimacy, activity, application, focus, impact.
These purposes do not need to be memorized as they are referenced on the content delivery card C40.
For an explanation of using the content delivery card Click here for the How Technique Cards Work Tutorial.
Identify the Mnemonic
The third bold word on each principle card is an acronym or mnemonic to help you remember the three skills that are discussed on the bottom half of the card. Advanced speakers may wish to memorize these 21 skills. For others, these mnemonics are also listed on the content delivery card C40.
Identify the Skills
The techniques associated with each principle/color are categorized under one of three skills on each card.
If you prefer the principled centered approach, you may choose to memorize the 21 skills and then develop your own techniques to implement that skill. The SpeechDeck Mastery Packs break down these skills even further for those who want to take the principle centered approach to the professional level.
If you follow the step-by-step technique card approach, you will see that each technique is associated with one of these skills.
It is not recommended for beginners or occasional speakers that you try to incorporate all 21 skills in every presentation. While the 8 principles/colors are foundational principles that apply to ALL speeches and presentations, some skills are more appropriate to different types of presentations than others.
While a professional speaker will have mastered all 21 skills, he may not use every skill in every presentation.