| I have difficulty tailoring my presentation to my audience (F2, F10).
The effects of different audiences on a presentation are quite obvious, but the importance of assessing the audience correctly is often not well understood. A good assessment makes the difference between a presentation in front of ‘the audience’ (detached) or with ‘your audience’ (attached and the audience becomes a co-producer). A good presenter will always try to get adequate background information on the audience.
Preparation questions for assessing the Personal setting
How many people will you address?
• Small group: interactive presentations often work best in groups up to fifteen persons
• Medium sized groups: up to 60 people, importance of using tools increases • Large groups: above 60 people; importance of simple/concise messages increases
Why are they there?
• Obligatory (course)
• Voluntary: did they have to pay to attend?
• Because of their involvement in the topic
• Out of interest
What is the composition of your audience:
• Demographic characteristics: age, gender, culture
• Educational background
• What is the level of understanding of the topic of the audience?
• Experts (professors); so focus most on content and information
• Fellow students; so focus more on persuasion
• General audience (Thesis presentation); so balance
What is their status: are they decision-makers?
What is your status (in the eyes of the audience):
• What is your reputation
• What is your level of credibility (ethos) with the audience, i.e. to what extent do you have to explain who you are?
Who is officially ‘in charge’?:
• Chairman of the day
• The teacher or a tutor
• A fellow student
• Remember: ultimately you are always in charge of your own presentation
Will you be the end, or the beginning, of a long sequence of presentations?
• First presentation of the day: ‘wake up call’ for most
• Second presentation: most focused and active listening posture (provided they did not fall asleep again during the previous presentation)
• Third presentation: span of attention will wither away and additional means are needed to keep them involved
• Fourth presentation: try to get out of this position (depends a bit on the time of the previous presentations; in case of short presentations, it need not be bad).
• Fifth presentation: ask for a break.
Will your presentation be immediately before, or after, a break?
• Before a break: understand that you are the only person keeping the audience from getting a break; you don’t have to make the presentation shorter – but assertive - but nevertheless assess what this circumstance implies for the effectiveness of your speech
• After a break: understand that you are the first to talk to an audience after they had engaged in more active interaction; relate to this
Who are the other speakers?
• Same story: establish possible overlap and use this as a linking-pin for your own presentation
• Different story: make sure that the audience does not get confused; provide a ‘bridge’ with the other presentations
Think on beforehand how you would want to deal with unexpected or undesired behaviors from the audience, such as (see F10 for more suggestions):
- asking questions during your presentation;
- people that you feel did not understand your presentation;
- the audience is not very silent, moves around, and you get the impression that they do not like your story;
- unexpected late entrances by members of the audience.
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