- One of the best things you can do
for any public speaking is to tailor your message
to the specific interests of the audience
that's right in front of you.
The more you customize your message
to the specific people right there,
the more likely your message will hit that target.
And to do that, you have to know as much
about your audience as possible.
So let's talk about how to analyze your audience
for public speaking.
Be sure to download the free PDF
that will give you seven instant tips
to become a more confident speaker.
You can find that link
in the expandable description below the video.
The old public speaking triangle
has a lot of wisdom built into it.
In any situation you have the speaker, that's you,
you have the message,
and then the audience.
A lot of new presenters make the mistake
of thinking that it's mainly about them as the speaker.
They want to make the audience like them for example,
or they wanna focus mostly
on what's on their mind personally.
They think of listeners as a captive audience
and it's their opportunity as a speaker to shine.
Well, I have some news for you.
The audience is probably not there for that.
They're there for their own benefits.
Every single listener in your audience,
whether they realize it or not,
is asking themselves some version of the same question.
Why should I care?
What's in it for me?
What do I get out of this?
And on the surface, those may sound
like self-centered questions,
but I think it's entirely fair and appropriate
to answer those questions for your audience.
What's in it for them.
In fact, you are asking yourself those questions
anytime you're watching a speaker.
People are trading their time for what you may have to say.
So I think it's important to make sure
your message speaks to them personally.
I recommend that you take an audience-centered approach.
Let's talk about some ways you can get
to know your audience beforehand.
There's some really obvious ways to get a quick glance
at your listeners, like the general age
of your audience, gender, and other demographic factors.
This information is usually right on the surface
and easy to learn about,
and it can certainly help you tailor your message
to that particular audience.
Maybe you're speaking to a specific and official group.
You can tell a lot about your listeners
based upon their group affiliation
because they joined that group.
They're part of that group for a set of reasons.
I spoke to a group of about 40 nurses
in a hospital once,
and that instantly told me a lot
about what they cared about.
And so I customized my message
so it spoke directly to them.
Once you get past the basics, you get into more specifics
about the listeners' disposition toward the topic.
This is a phrase I pulled
from "The Art of Public Speaking" by Stephen Lucas.
It's a classic book.
The audience's disposition toward the topic,
include their interest, knowledge and attitude.
So what's their interest level?
Are they showing up for your presentation
because they want to be there
or because it's part of their jobs
and they have to be there?
That will shape how you tailor your message to them.
You may wanna spend a little time
in your message directly explaining the value
of what you're saying
to get them more interested, for example.
Next is knowledge.
What do they already know about your subject?
Are they just hearing about this for the first time?
Or are they already experts on it?
That's gonna shape the way you prepare in advance
and and deliver your message in the moment.
And what's their attitude?
This is especially important.
If there's any kind of persuasive element to your message,
you have to know where their attitude is currently.
We'll call that point A.
So you have a starting place to convince them
to your point of view.
Point B, I had to learn the interest knowledge level
and attitude about that group of nurses I was speaking to
to make sure my message hit the right target.
The challenge is interest level, knowledge,
and their attitude might not be right on the surface.
That means you have to gather this information
about your audience ahead of times.
And there are two key ways to do this.
One way, which I have sometime seen used
in profess settings
and I've done this myself,
is to give your audience questionnaires or surveys
maybe a few weeks in advance.
You can ask them anything you want
that would help you adjust your message.
But the second way to gather information
is the one I have seen use the most
in professional settings.
You have a long and detailed conversation
with the person who is trying to book you for the event,
the person inviting you to speak in the first place.
Essentially, if someone has already asked you to speak,
they know the information
and will usually be happy to share that with you.
They want your workshop, your presentation
or whatever it is to go well
because they invited you to speak
and that reflects on them.
I was asked to speak
to a group of emerging leaders a while back.
This was for a government client
and I spent about two hours worth
maybe more with the person who invited me to speak.
They told me everything I needed to know to tailor
and customize almost every single part of that presentation.
Sometimes this point person
is the one who is organizing the overall event.
And other times this will just be the supervisor
of the team that you might be speaking to.
I always make it a point to talk to the team supervisor.
They are probably the very best person
to give you any kind of information
that might help you tailor your message.
And then the last step is to go back to your message
and adjust it in every possible way
so that everything speaks directly
to that particular audience.
You don't want your message to sound ordinary and generic.
You want your examples, illustrations,
even the specific research that you cite,
and advice you give to hit the center of that target.
When I was working with government client,
I mentioned this point person was amazing.
He offered to look at all the early versions
of my notes and slides
and the small workbook I was creating specifically for them.
We went through every single page together
in detail to make sure that workshop was a big hit.
And it went really well.
If we look at this public speaking triangle, one more time.
Yes, you're still the speaker.
And that includes all of your knowledge, expertise
and any kind of special experience
that you bring to the table.
And you're still delivering a message that you care about.
I never give talks unless I already care about a subject.
And I never say anything that I don't really believe
but the key is to take an audience-centered approach,
take everything you know about your audience
and then customize that message and your approach
so the audience gets the most value
out of spending that time with you.
The more you customize your message,
the more likely it'll be to hit the target.
Be sure to download that free PDF
on these seven instant tips
to make you a more confident speaker.
And I would love to hear
about your public speaking experiences below.
What are you working on?
What are you struggling with?
What are some of your successes?
I look forward to reading your comments.
Until next time God bless,
and I will see you soon.