I do presentations for a variety of companies, organizations, and interest groups. I think the best way to customize it is to get a feel for the "culture" of the organization. Secondly, know to whom you are speaking and if they have any pre-conceived ideas about what outcomes they want from the presentation. Beyond the basics: size of the audience, demographic make-up, etc. I like to know if they are required to attend or if it's optional.
You must understand all of the dynamics connected to your presentation. This includes knowing as much as you can about your audience (demographics), be mindful of the time of the presentation (morning vs. evening), and understanding the physical layout of the place you are presenting.
Yes, stories are incredibly powerful & I highly encourage you to use them whenever possible.
Ryan
I like to use personal stories that relates to the subject matter.
Great idea, especially the aspect of including visuals & references that are specific to the company or organization to which you are speaking.
Ryan
Know the dynamic of the audience and include visuals or references to their company or organization.
Know your subject and audience then arrange your presentation.
I am customizing a presentation by focusing on who I am giving the presentation to (young audience, professionals, lay person etc). I also customize by either knowing the individuals in my audience or giving a presentation to people I have not met before. It is not necessarly easier to customize a presentation to people we know.
What strategies do you use in customizing an online presentation vs. a face-to-face presentation?
Reserch is always the best option. Having the ablilty to know your audience gives you a chance to tailor the presentation to fit their needs.
"Variety is the spice of life." A very old statement but I have found it to be very true in my presentations. The more variety I can use, the more engaged my audience is, especially when we are together multiple times.
Ryan
we use various methods for presenting info, such as whiteboards, hand-outs, ppt, video. the trick is to change up as much as possible. someone commented that their students get lost in the pictures of a powerpoint, i find that varying the above items reduces this quite a bit and sometimes they are refreshed by getting a handout or today we are going to watch a video, etc...
These are all great ideas. I especially like your idea of the option to pre-submit questions. This will help them to anticipate your presentation & also give you a chance to prepare for those tougher questions.
Ryan
I believe that in customizing a presentation to your audience we can utilize more the technology at our finger tips. We can engage our audience even before the presentation by making the option available to pre-submit their questions. In addition a small 10 question survey can me made available to get a feel for the audience perception, experience, expectations etc. Know your audience.
Practicing on a group similar to the audience is good, to build confidence and ensure that the presentation is most effective. Further ensuring that even the most hostile walks away motiviated and activated is important show them what's in it for them.
Great points. Regarding making it relevant I once heard a speaker make the point that it is the speaker's job to make the application, don't just leave it up to the audience. Thanks for the reminder.
Ryan
I was hoping this course would help me keep my students' attention in an all-lecture class. It is after lunch and I have a hard time with them nodding off. I modulate, show examples, try not to cover too much, and I start every lecture with reasons they will need the info. Any help?
* To know the expectations of your audience. So you can tailor your information directly to the needs of the audience.
* Take into consideration differences in knowledge of the audience and plan and prepare several various supporting explanations to cover all levels.
* Knowing that the audience is present by requirement include facts that will be relevant to their lives in general not only to the topic of presentation.
Maureen,
I'm sorry you feel this way, I admit this course is more about delivering effective presentations in a meeting format rather than classroom instruction.
Based on my experience I have the following to be fairly effective. First of all, I would try to get the students involved as much as possible, including getting them up & moving around. If you are lecturing, break it up with periodic paired discussions. Ask a couple of thought-provoking questions that they really have to think about that pertain to what you just said. Then have them get up & find someone in a different part of the room & give them 2 minutes to discuss, that's 1 minute per person. Hold them to the 2 minutes & then, while they are still standing, ask a couple of groups to share what they discussed. Then have them sit by their "new friend." Repeat this every 10-12 minutes. I have found that this keeps the class on it's toes & also is a great way to check for understanding. Hope this helps.
Ryan
I think this is a great strategy & even one that you can have predetermined questions to use.
Ryan
This is a great idea as it allows you to save time & effort by having one core presentation that you can then slightly alter for each different group.
Ryan
