Know Your Audience When Speaking In Public

The past two blog posts were about the benefits of public speaking and how to prepare for a great presentation. But equally important is the audience you are speaking to. Let’s take a look…

The better you know your audience, the better your presentation will be. If you don’t know the audience beforehand, ensure you allow time at the beginning to get a better understanding of why they are there. Me for example, I ask the participants at the beginning why they came to the talk/workshop. This way, I can ensure I talk about things they are interested in. If you have a very big audience and you can’t ask everyone, ask questions and get them to raise their hands. Here are a few questions to get prepared before your talk.

– Who are you talking to?

– How many will you present to?

– What do they all have in common?

– What level of knowledge do they have about the topic?

– Does the terminology you are using need to be explained in your presentation?

– How deep do you have to explain something?

– What decision is made by whom and what criteria influences them?

– What’s in it for them? Why should they listen to you?

– What do they need to know to understand your presentation?

– How old is your audience?

Once you know your audience, you can ensure they can follow your presentation. You will know which terminology you need to explain further.

If you want to learn more about how to become a better presenter and get into public speaking, check out my book ‘The Public Speaking Formula’.