Clarify Audience Needs: Crafting Presentations That Resonate

When we start out our careers, many of us focus on showing our hard work, proving our credibility, and displaying our dedication. Luckily, the first feedback Aliza ever received helped her focus her attention differently.

This story is one of the 101 real-life inspiring leadership speaking up examples from the book 'Unapologetic Voice: 101 Real-World Strategies for Brave Self-Advocacy and Bold Leadership.'

The Presentation Assignment

Aliza Carpio , now a Director (Product)Tech Evangelist in a software company, was fresh out of college as an engineer in the tech industry. She was tasked by her leader to draft a presentation for the Chief Information Officer (CIO) about a new project.

The task was to outline the current status, future direction, and achievements of this project. Filled with enthusiasm and eager to demonstrate her capabilities, Aliza dove headfirst into the project without pausing to ask further questions about her audience's needs.

For two weeks, Aliza worked tirelessly on a PowerPoint deck, putting in her utmost effort to showcase every detail of the project. When the time came to review the presentation with her leader, she was met with an unexpected response.

The Eye-Opening Feedback

He began with, “Aliza, I can tell you put a lot of work into this,” to which an eager Aliza responded, “Really? Can you really tell?” But the reality of her oversight soon became clear. Her leader pointed out, “You created over 50 slides, for a meeting that will likely last only five to seven minutes.”

"You created over 50 slides, for a meeting that will likely last only five to seven minutes."

Aliza had wanted to show that “we did our job, we did all the due diligence,” but in doing so, she had missed the mark on what was truly needed: a concise, clear presentation that would enable senior leaders to make informed decisions about investments.

Through that feedback she realized that while thorough preparation is vital, it is equally important to understand the audience's needs and expectations. She compared her approach to “showing up to a soccer game, but what I did was I studied every sport that the Olympics had,” highlighting the mismatch between her preparation and the meeting's actual requirements.

The Problem With Thorough And Perfect

Back then, as a newbie, Aliza approached her work with a student's zeal. "I looked at everything as, 'I want to get an A plus and maybe some extra credit,'" she recalls. Her focus was to follow the instructions given by her leader and excel. "I got it. I got it," she thought confidently, diving headlong into the task.

This attitude led her to pour over every detail, sacrificing weekends in her dedication. "I was just so proud of the work that we were doing that I wanted you to know we were thorough," Aliza justified.

"I was just so proud of the work that we were doing that I wanted you to know we were thorough."

Her drive was not just about proving the quality of their work but also ensuring that no one could question their thoroughness. However, this intense focus on detail caused her to lose sight of the presentation's actual purpose. "That's not even what they wanted," she realized later.

The leadership was more interested in understanding the direction of the project and what support was needed." I had a different pursuit. I had a different set of goals for the presentation," Aliza reflects.

Importance Of Clarifying The Audience's Needs

One positive aspect of being new to the field is the freedom to ask many questions. The goal is not the thoroughness of the research but about meeting the audience's expectations. It's about solving for customer needs, solving for the business, and not necessarily how thorough you are or showing your expertise. Now, with the wisdom of experience, Aliza looks back and laughs at her presentation, recognizing the important lessons it taught her about effective communication.

Professional communication is more than simply relaying your knowledge; it's about aligning your message with the audience's needs. When you’re given a project, task, or presentation, ask clarifying questions to understand what the audience expects and how best to convey the information.

Some good questions to ask are, “What’s the purpose of this presentation? What decisions does the audience need to make? What questions are they trying to answer? What key point do we want to get across?”

Especially when dealing with busy executives, communicate boldly with clarity and precision. This ensures your message is not heard and most importantly, supports decision making, and doesn’t waste your and other people’s time.

Reflect

• Have you ever presented focusing on proving your thoroughness, credibility or expertise in a professional setting? How did that affect your communication?
• Can you recall a time when you prepared extensively for a presentation or meeting, only to realize that you had missed the audience's needs? How might asking questions have changed your communication?
• What questions can you ask before you start working on a presentation?

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