Friday, March 27, 2009

To Really Reach Your Audience

To reach your audience, you must know your audience. Most of all, you want to know how much they know about the concept, project, plan, service, or product you want to talk to them about.

In preparing your presentation, consider these questions in relationship to your audience:

- Do they already have some idea about your topic? Have you met with them before, or have they heard about it from someone else, or other sources?

- Do you suspect they're misinformed about your topic? Are there false assumptions sitting out there in your audience?

- If they are aware of your topic, do they really understand it? Do they get the reasons behind your proposal, or what's different about it, what makes your stuff different from other people's stuff?

- Do they believe what you've told them, or what they've heard from other sources? Are they skeptical? If so, why? Do they believe in the benefits you're suggesting?

- Are they authorized to act? To sign or endorse? To budget for your proposal? Or is this just one step of many?

Knowing your audience allows you to tailor your remarks so that they know you're talking to them, not just spitting out a canned presentation. Much more effective.