Speech Presenting – Seven Ways to Tailor Your Speech to the Audience – Public-Speaking
Speech Presenting - Seven Ways to Tailor Your Speech to the Audience
Every speech has an audience and every audience is different. Tailoring your next speech to its audience is as important as the content in the speech. So how do you connect with an audience so your message matches their expectations, wants and needs and you get your message across effectively.Here are the Seven Strategies to Target Your Business Presentation Message With Laser-Like Precision1. Research your audience prior to the presentation.The more you know about your audience the more likely you are able to connect with them. I'm often blown away by the number of business people who just don't bother to find out anything about their audience. The more specific you can be the better. For example one of the best briefs I received from a client was the following description of the audience:"The majority of the group are on a two days, two nights, four off roster. These are largely process technicians. The remainder are on a five-days-on two-days-off roster. Day shift people include tradespeople (we call them maintenance technicians) and lab, administration and professional employees. Average tenure across the group is eight years ranging up to over 30 years. Average age across the group is 38 years. Gender Split: Females 6 per cent, Males 94 per cent"What a great start and fantastic research statistics on the audience. From this I could work out nearly half the audience hadn't been with the company very long, they were predominantly a younger audience and mostly male! This provided a strong foundation to tailor my message to connect with this group. Please note this was an exceptionally good briefing from the client and most of the time you will have to do the legwork to find out who your audience is!2. Find Out What Your Audience Want.Again ask key questions of the event organiser such as 'What are the key issues impacting on your industry, business or members?' I always try and meet as many of the audience as
possible prior to a presentation as ask "what's on your mind at the moment and what do you want to get out of this presentation?" Be specific.Here's an example I used for a recent presentation for entrepreneurs and venture capitalists. I discovered most potential investors will want to know 3 things when trying to raise finds. What are the sales projections? Who are your target customers? What is the exit strategy? Provide this and you've won them over.3. Use Examples.Nothing builds empathy and rapport with your audience as powerfully as examples. Remember you are selling intangible ideas and practical examples make these ideas more memorable, believable and tangible.4. Use Vignettes.No, this is not a type of dressing you put on your salad! It is a short story, example or incident. The key point is they are easy to remember and tell. But they must be short and relevant.5. Use Metaphors.These are powerful words that conjure up vivid images in the minds of your audience. They are a proven speechwriting technique. I recently heard former US President Bill Clinton speak. Clinton used the metaphor of the gap between the invention of the club and the shield to describe the present situation in the war against terrorism. He said,
"this gap needs to closed". This makes intangible concepts have more impact with an audience.6. Be Specific.The more specific you can be with actual examples, case studies, and results the more laser-like your precision will be in targeting your message. Know your content and don't be afraid to reveal personal stories as examples in your speech, this will strengthen your relationship with your audience.7. Use the Incident/Point/Benefit Technique.This one is really powerful. Tell the story, make the point and then importantly, reinforce how this will benefit the audience. It took me years to work this one out but it will make
a big difference to the impact of your presentations.Thomas Murrell MBA CSP is an international business speaker, consultant and award-winning broadcaster. Media Motivators is his regular electronic magazine read by 7,000 professionals in 15 different countries.
You can subscribe by visiting http://www.8mmedia.com. Thomas can be contacted directly at +6189388 6888 and is available to speak to your conference, seminar or event. Visit Tom's blog at http://www.8mmedia.blogspot.com
Public Speaking Tips: The More You Know, The More It Will Flow – Tips For Knowing Your Audience – Public-Speaking
Public Speaking Tips: The More You Know, The More It Will Flow - Tips For Knowing Your Audience
The more you know about your audience, the better your presentation will go.For example, if I've got a large diverse group, I'll ask the organisers to give me the names of five people who will be in the audience who represent a cross section across the organisation. I learnt this from listing to a Voices of Experiences CD with Rosita Perez put out by NSA of USA.I'll ring each individually prior to the presentation and the conversation will go like this after a brief introduction:Q: "What keeps you awake at night?"A: "What work of personal?"Q: "Both"I then get a great insight into the challenges they face, personally and professionally.I then summarise and work this into my presentation."Gathering intelligence about your target readers when writing a book or about your audience members prior to a presentation is an effective way to keep your readers or listeners awake, alert, amused, and involved. You can learn more about your audience members by asking the host specific questions about the group," according to US speaker Jeff Davidson.He suggests asking these questions:Who is the most popular person in the audience?Who is the least popular?Who wins the contests or gets all the honors?Who never gets any of them?Who has been with the organization the longest?Who recently came on board?Who is the biggest kidder?Who leaves the biggest tips?Who is known for falling asleep in presentations?"If you can gather the answers to any of these questions in advance, you have excellent tools at your command! The fact that you go the extra mile by finding out such information gets people buzzing about you and your presentation and makes you more memorable," Mr Davidson said in a recent article in SpeakerNet News published on the 20th May 2005.Thomas Murrell MBA CSP is an international business speaker, consultant and award-winning broadcaster. Media Motivators is his regular electronic magazine read by 7,000 professionals in 15 different countries.You can subscribe by visiting http://www.8mmedia.com. Thomas can be contacted directly at +6189388 6888 and is available to speak to your conference, seminar or event. Visit Tom's blog at http://www.8mmedia.blogspot.com.
How to Answer Questions Your Audience Will Ask – Public-Speaking
How to Answer Questions Your Audience Will Ask
In elementary school, most of us asked questions which were for purely informational purposes. A raise of the hand usually got the attention of the teacher and the question was treated matter-of-factly. In training however, questions from the audience are rarely asked and when they are, they don't get the attention they deserve. However, these questions, along with other indicators, can give a trainer an abundance of information to analyze their audience. It is crucial that trainers take these questions and other indicators seriously to avoid having their presentations become one-sided.In training, audiences don't just ask questions because they want information. In fact, simply needing information actually represent a small percentage of the motives behind audience questions. For example, an audience member is likely to ask a question because they may want to lead you and the discussion in a different direction. Someone might use a question to tell you something that they know. A trainee also might ask a question simply out of need for attention.An audience's four basic reasons for asking questions are: to get feedback, to stimulate discussion, to provoke thought, and to maintain interest. Mishandling questions can destroy an effective talk. Always prepare for questions by knowing both your topic and the audience, and anticipate areas for potential questions. When answering questions be concerned with the whole group. Never let one person dominate; repeat or rephrase questions for the entire group. If you do not know an answer, admit it, but do try to find the answer or advise the person who asked the question where the answer might be found. An excellent technique for involving the group is encouraging others in the group to respond to questions.Trainers are often asked questions when they haven't asked the audience for them. This often catches trainers off guard, but may alert them to an area unintentionally left out of the presentation, or alert them to a new area of audience interest. Such an unsolicited question can throw a trainer off balance, but there are methods for handling it. First of all, prepare completely in advance. Survey possible questions which might arise and come equipped with the answers. When a question is asked, listen carefully and think while it is being asked. Repeat the question to be sure that all have heard it. Pause before answering in order to concentrate. Try to draw the questioner out further if necessary. Although the best answer to a question may be another question, make sure that you never argue with an audience member. Finally, after answering the question, return as soon as possible to your main thought sequence.Copyright AE Schwartz & Associates All rights reserved. For additional presentation materials and resources: ReadySetPresent and for a Free listing as a Trainer, Consultant, Speaker, Vendor/Organization: TrainingConsortiumCEO, A.E. Schwartz & Associates, Boston, MA., a comprehensive organization which offers over 40 skills based management training programs. Mr. Schwartz conducts over 150 programs annually for clients in industry, research, technology, government, Fortune 100/500 companies, and nonprofit organizations worldwide. He is often found at conferences as a key note presenter and/or facilitator. His style is fast-paced, participatory, practical, and humorous. He has authored over 65 books and products, and taught/lectured at over a dozen colleges and universities throughout the United States.