Know Your Audience. Your Speech Is About Them, Not You!
Mompoloki Makwana ????
CEO @ Employee Africa | Transforming African Workforce | Global Business Speaker | Executive Coach
You cannot get your message across if you do not know your audience. Make time to research and study the people you are going to address. This is a very important step in effective public speaking.
I train hundreds of professionals through my public speaking program, Master Public Speaking and through survey, I got to realize that when people practice and learn public speaking they usually don't take into consideration the part of studying and doing an in-depth study about their audiences.
When you understand the people you are going to address, you already have 70% chance to get your message across effectively. Know your audience, it matters. It sets the tone, breadth, indepth, technicalities and nitty grittiest of your presentation. Be interested in knowing their hobbies, matters close to their hearts, their pain points, success track records and more. Be genuinely interested in your audience.
Ask about the audience's expectations as well as their demographics—age, background, gender, and more. If you are presenting at an industry event, research the event website and familiarize yourself with the mission of the event and typical attendees.
Knowing your audience gives you clarity on their:
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This knowledge will help you to customize your message delivery, on how to structure your message and also help you to deliver the message in a way they can easily understand and relate. Your role is to get your message across when you present. In order to empower, inspire and transform your audience, knowing your audience must be your priority. Set aside time to invest in knowing your audience before the presentation. It will make your presentation job easier!
If you are presenting in a foreign country, it is important to understand the cultural differences of the audience. How do they dress? How is their sense of humor? How do they typically communicate? What gestures are appropriate or inappropriate? Are there religious factors that should be considered?