By Ellen Egan
We are coming to the final and very important part of our audience analysis. We can now take all that we have learned about our audience in terms of how many people will be there, their knowledge of the topic, their demographic details (age, gender, education, etc..), their interest/reason for attending, the environment along with their needs and create a customized presentation for them.
I guarantee that if your audience has the feeling that you truly understand them and their needs well enough to create a customized presentation just for them, they will be even more receptive than if you were the guru of all gurus on your subject. People like to be spoken to as though their perspective is important. In fact, this is more important than being a subject matter expert.
When creating your outline think of what needs your audience would like you to address. Do they have a problem that needs to be solved? Are they looking for options or best practices? Often during public speaking, a nervous presenter will drone on with all of the knowledge they have about a topic, leaving the audience feeling that they are only there as witness to the presenter listening to his own voice.
Instead, find out what your audience would like to know, reasearch it, find some interesting anecdote or factoid and give them the solution(s) to their problem. They will be standing and cheering at the end.
To your success,
Ellen
by Ellen Egan
In our discussion of the audience analysis, we have covered:
A nalysis – Who are they? How many will be there?
U nderstanding – What is their knowledge of the subject?
D emographics – What is their age, sex, educational background?
I nterest – Why are they there? Who asked them to be there?
E nvironment – Where will you stand? Can they see and hear you? How will they be seated?
N
C
E
Today, we will be covering the “N” in audience analysis. The “N” stands for Needs. What are the audience’s needs? This is a very large topic. Their needs can be
- Informational – They need this information to do their job, get a promotion, buy a house, etc.
- Physical – They need the certificate that they receive at the end of the course
- Emotional – They need to have their ideas, thoughts, feelings, validated by someone else (ie. you)
Also very important is What are your needs as the speaker? These can also be
Informational - You need feedback or inputs from the audience.
Physical – You need a sale
Emotional – You need to have your ideas, thoughts, feelings, validated.
If you can prepare for you speech with both the audience’s and you own needs as a primary factor, you will be able to craft a successful presentation.
To your success,
Ellen
In our audience analysis the “E” in audience, stands for environment. some will refer to this as the public speaking atmosphere. The environment where you will be speaking will be critical to your success and you will want to have answers to these questions as you prepare for your presentation.
- How big is the room? If the room is very large and you have a small group, you may want to arrange the seating so that it is close together so the audience does not perceive that you are separate from them.
- Where will I be standing? If you are up on a stage or separated from the audience by a table or a podium and you need to be closer to them (e.g. to answer questions), you may want to change the arrangement. Or request a podium if you feel more comfortable this way.
- How will the audience be seated? Do you need the audience to be in a classroom seating, a horseshoe shape, lecture-sytle? See if the seating fits your needs and change it if necessary.
- Do I have/need a microphone? If you’re in a large hall with a big audience, a microphone is a big help.
- Can the audience see and hear me? Just like the question above. It’s hard for your audience to get your message if they can’t see or hear you.
- Is it too hot or too cold? Both extremes are uncomfortable and distracting for your audience. But, if given a choice, go with colder as it keeps people awake (especially after lunch).
- Is there audiovisual equipment and is it working properly? Re-check your equipment at least an hour before the presentation.
With all of the above questions, it is always best to ask before the day of the presentation so you can make other arrangements if necessary. Think of the room as your territory and you want it to be as comfortable as possible for you and your audience.
To your success,
Ellen
By: Ellen Egan
In our audience analysis, we have so far discussed:
A nalysis – Who are they? How many will be there?
U nderstanding – What is their knowledge of the subject?
D emographics – What is their age, sex, educational background?
I
E
N
C
E
The I in our audience analysis respresents Interest. What are the interests of our audience? Why are they attending your presentation? Did someone ask them to be there or are they attending out of their own interest? Are they looking to solve a problem or to make something better? Are they paying for their attendance themselves or is someone else covering the cost?
It is always helpful to understand “Why are they bothering to be there?”. With an understanding of your audience’s motivation for attending, you can develop your presentation to address their motivations. audiences that feel that their motivations have been understood by the presenter are more likely to applaud at the end of the presentation.
To your success,
Ellen
Uncategorized | sparkler | 
September 29, 2009 2:55 pm | 
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