Very true. What strategies have you found to be the best in knowing an audience?
Ryan
This is a great idea & one that I have done myself. It can also help you learn a few names & you can then incorporate them into the presentation as well.
Ryan
As has been said many times, try to find out the makeup of your audience. Possibly come up with a quick, non scientific poll at the beginning of your presentation and modify your delivery to accommodate some of the interests in the audience.
I have always tried to learn the type of audience I am presenting to, so I open up with some individual questions be I start the formal persentation. From that point I can gauge in what format I will present the information, since I normally will have several ways of presenting the information.
Clearly you must know your audience before you can customize a presentation. To truely zero in on an audience you must have as much information as possible about them, there position on an issue, there function or involvemnt, etc. If you dont know who you are talking to you are shooting around the bulls eye instead of at it.
Whenever possible I try to mingle with the audience before the presentation begins. Spending some time listening to the audience as they make their way into a room can help you customize your presentation. For example I’ve heard people say “I hope he talks about XYZ today†then it becomes very easy to include that info in your presentation.
Melissa,
Great points, especially about the side-bars, not only are they distracting but they are rude to both presenters & other listeners.
Do you have any favorite ways to reduce these?
Ryan
I totally agree with you. Engaging your audience is an key to keeping them focused and on task. We do not read the chapters to our students when we lecture, so why do the same with the slides presented. The slides should be used to foster dicussion.
When customizing your presentation, it is key to understand who your audience will be. This will allow the presenter the ability to determine the direction of the presentation. If you are uncertain who your audience will be, then I recommend you ask around. This is a very key element, as if you use too much jargon that is not relatable to the audience, then they will lose interest and focus.
Be clear and concise when presenting the material. Know what you are talking about. Nothing is more frustrating than attending a presentation that the presenter has no clue how to respond to the questions proposed.
Also, I think it is important for a presenter to stay in control of the presentation. Many times too many side-bar conversations can occur, which cause the presentation to get off track and this can cause people to lose interest.
Yes, just like in the classroom, its important to constantly be "reading" your audience to see if they are with you or if you need to "redirect" your presentation.
Ryan
Understanding your audience can change from group to group and could be a challenging issue.
I find that being able to "change up" the presentation to suit the audience works well, If you keep eye contact with them you can typically tell how it is going.
So true. I have actually made the mistake on both sides & neither is good. I have assumed an audience knew more than they did about my subject & I've assumed they knew nothing. Finding out the experience is a great way to avoid this situation.
Ryan
I think that knowing their experiences helps a greeat deal. You may try to be to simple. Knowing the audience guides you in how in depth you can take the presentation and what type of questions you may encounter.
I give you a standing ovation Helena! You make some excellent points. One of my biggest critiques of students & speakers is when they read what's on the power point slides. First of all this is insulting to your audience's intelligence as they can read for themselves. Also, when a speaker does this they tend to put way too much information on the slides as they are using these as they're speaking notes. So this needs to be avoided for many reasons.
Also, your suggestion to review recycled presentations is great. I'm all in favor of reusing, but always review to make sure it's fresh & applicable to this group.
Ryan
Great point Helena. This becomes even more important in the online forum as you don't have the nonverbals or visuals to read so checking in is vitally important.
Ryan
Yes, I've found this technique to be very helpful over the years.
Ryan
Absolutely, I think we must have a good understanding of who the audience is. I teach business classes in the online forum. I have different levels of students so I need to be sure to check in with them during the presentation to verify they are understanding the material or if they have any questions.
I like the idea of researching the audience and possible questions and issues that may arise.
It's important to keep your audience engaged and not just read from your notes. Likewise with Power Point slides, it's hard for the audience to stay focused if the presenter is simply reading the slides to them. Pausing and checking in with the audience is a great way to gauge their level of understanding or if they have any questions. Overall, I like when the presenter stops and interacts with the audience I think it is a great way to stay connected during the presentation. Each audience is different so if your reusing presentations be sure to review and plan how THIS audience is going to understand the presentation.
Agreed Marva & thank you for the personal example. I think this is a good illustration to always find out about your audience. In this instance you may be told you will be speaking to a "church group" & you think you know what this means. But, by your example, what kind of church group? Thank you.
Ryan
