Integration refers to the process of looking back over your content and being sure that it integrates with your purpose and flows well. Below, we describe how to do this with the Verbal Brain Dump Technique, however should you choose to use another process, we encourage you to take into account the thinking questions in this section.
Using the Verbal Brain Dump Technique
Once you’ve finished recording yourself, copy the transcription text into a blank google doc. Obviously you will have a lot more content than you need, but this is a great problem to have! This content will be useful not only for your panel presentation, but possibly for your reports and other communications you’ll be developing later. With this in mind, its time to pull out the highlighter and find your best and most useful material for the panel, setting aside the rest for later.
1. Highlight 💭
Read through your transcription, looking for the moments where you communicate the most essential points with clarity and power. Highlighting these moments. As you read, ask yourself:
Is this Essential?
Is this Powerful?
Is this Clear?
2. Distill 🎞️
Open a second document, and paste your highlights into it. Now ask yourself:
Have I repeated myself? (you should only say things once)
Have I covered all the key things that need to be said?
Reflecting on this content as a whole, what is the core story I am telling? How would I summarize this overall story in a sentence?
Again, reflecting on the content as whole, what 1 or 2 key phrases jump out at you?