Public Speaking Tip: Know Your Audience
At my favorite Starbucks this morning I couldn’t help but notice the disheveled gentlemen going around asking strangers if they were “Mark”. It looked to be a business meeting and I can’t think of a worse way to start a meeting-assuming he ever figures out who is “Mark”.
I’ve seen public speakers during their presentations who gave me the same impression. They had done nothing to learn the character of their audience. The easiest way to accomplish this is to ask the meeting planner for the names and phone numbers of five people that will be in attendance of your presentation. Call them and tell them they were recommended for you to interview. By doing this simple thing you can learn volumes about your audience and can customize parts of your presentation to your audience. Your audience will love you for it!
As far as the guy in Starbucks this morning-try going to Google and putting the persons name in Google images! Or, ask the person to describe themselves or what they or you will be wearing. If you don’t do any of that it appears that you didn’t have enough interest or respect for the person you are meeting.
Steve Mertz
Make Your Audince Feel Special!
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