Say it like this
- Let me run through the talking points for today's demo.
- We should align on our talking points before the board meeting.
- Here are the talking points we want to emphasize with the stakeholders.
Use it at work
Preparing
- Can you send me a few talking points for the client call?
- Here are my talking points for the all-hands.
For leaders
- I've put together talking points about the outage.
- Use these talking points if customers ask.
Reviewing
- The talking points are too long. Let's cut to three.
- Let's align on talking points before the meeting.
Don't say this
Bullet points are visual items on a slide. Talking points are the key messages you want to communicate verbally.
Practice
Try it
4 quick exercises
1. Before the investor pitch, the team _______ three key talking points about market opportunity, product differentiation, and go-to-market strategy.
2. How would a tech professional naturally say this?
3. Which sentence uses 'talking points' incorrectly?
4. Rewrite this in natural tech English using 'talking points': 'We have some important things we want to tell the customer about our new feature.'
Say it out loud
Phrase 1 of 3
"Let me run through the talking points for today's demo."
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More about talking points
Real examples(3)
- in a standup
"Our talking points for the sprint review are progress on the API migration, the bug fixes we shipped, and the timeline for the next phase."
- in a client meeting
"The product team prepared talking points highlighting scalability, security, and cost savings to present to the enterprise client."
- in a team briefing
"Before the all-hands, leadership shared talking points with managers so everyone would communicate the restructuring consistently."
More mistakes(2)
Handle with care. Often confused with 'bullet points' or 'agenda items'. Talking points are specifically the key messages or arguments you want to communicate, not just a list of topics.
- ✕The talking points are too detailed and have too many paragraphs.✓The talking points are brief and focus on three main messages.
Talking points should be concise reminders, not full scripts or lengthy explanations.
- ✕I forgot to mention some of the talking points in the meeting.✓I forgot to mention some of the talking points during the meeting.
Use 'during' to specify the time period when talking points should be covered.
Other forms(2)
- talking points noun
"The talking points for the pitch are ready."
- talking point (singular) noun
"One important talking point is our competitive advantage in latency."
Often used with(5)
- prepare talking points · To create talking points before a meeting or presentation
- key talking points · The most important messages to communicate
- align on talking points · To agree as a team about what messages to deliver
- cover the talking points · To discuss or mention all the main messages
- stick to the talking points · To stay focused on planned messages and avoid going off-topic
Similar words(3)
- key messages · Similar meaning, but 'key messages' is more formal and strategic
- main points · More general; 'talking points' specifically refers to planned communication
- agenda items · Agenda items are topics to discuss; talking points are the messages to deliver about those topics
Opposites(2)
- off-topic
- tangent
Questions(4)
- What is the difference between talking points and bullet points?
- Bullet points are visual elements on a slide or document, typically short phrases or single words. Talking points are the key messages and arguments you plan to communicate verbally. Bullet points help organize information visually, while talking points help you communicate key messages consistently. You might have bullet points on your slide that you expand on using your talking points.
- How detailed should talking points be?
- Talking points should be concise and brief, typically one to three sentences per point. They serve as reminders of what to say, not full scripts. If they are too detailed, they become hard to reference quickly during a meeting. A good rule is to make them detailed enough to remember your message, but brief enough to review in a few seconds.
- When should I prepare talking points?
- Prepare talking points well in advance of important presentations, client meetings, product launches, or any high-stakes communication. For routine meetings, talking points may be simpler or prepared the day before. For major announcements or investor pitches, prepare them several days in advance and review them with your team to ensure alignment.
- Is talking points formal or informal?
- Talking points are neutral in formality. They are used in both formal and informal settings. You might prepare talking points for a casual team standup or a formal board presentation. The language within the talking points themselves reflects the formality of the context.
