For when you only have a few minutes to talk to someone who asks for tips on how to take good pictures, you might consider the following elements that have been helpful for me:

1. Produce Emotional Impact
1. Purpose (what message do you want people to walk away from the picture with?)
2. Content (what subjects are impactful?)
3. Focus (is the most important part of the picture clear?)
2. Understand Composition
1. Rule of thirds
2. Depth of field
3. Fill the frame
3. Capture Dynamic Lighting
1. Correct exposure
2. Color
3. Contrast

You probably have your own three sets of three that you feel are most important. To tell you the truth, I pretty much made this up on the spur of the moment in a time-crunched setting earlier this year. But it wasn’t hard because it was just summing up what I already knew in my head. Just think about it and you’ll find how beneficial your own experience can be to others.