Knowing your Audience - Public Speaking with Sofema Aviation Services (www.sassofia.com)
An Aviation Leadership and Management Skills Development Blog
Introduction
Let’s consider why are we making the presentation or speech, as well as to consider the reason the audience is in front of us?
Our first goal should be to get the message across to our audience that our objectives are in alignment - means that “their goals” are “our goals”. If we achieve this we should find the audience receptive.
Win over your audience by sharing that you respect their time and you do not intend waste it. That you are prepared and looking forward to sharing the information within your presentation.
If we can get to know our audience well we can connect with a shared understanding thus providing a platform to build on. If the audience feels we are speaking to them directly we win them over.
Our reason to be speaking may be related to Education, Entertainment or even Sales – whatever the reason we should endeavour to engage with the audience in the strongest possible to ensure get our message across in the least ambiguous way.
Identifying the Audience & Goals
So to consider the various reasons the audience is in front of us and whether they are there for a positive reason. It is possible that people in your audience are there not as volunteers but as “pressed men” means that they do not want to be there so may very well disconnect from the proceedings.
Conversely other people may be “professional attendees” - means they will attend any event as it a way of passing time and even as a work avoidance strategy.
You may also face “know it all’s” who believe they already know and fully understand the information you are going to share.
Finally you will have, lets call them genuine delegates who are interested and willing and eager to lean the information you wish to share. Such persons should typically behave in a professional way.
We have only one chance to make a first impression, so therefore preparing for the event in the best way that we can usually bring dividends in gaining audience attention.
Use of Icebreakers
Carefully crafted Ice-breakers can really work.
So consider using this approach scalable for your purpose – Small audience Icebreakers will obviously be different to the ones we will use with a larger audience.
Influences
Knowing in advance about the audience can help us to prepare by setting the level of detail of our presentation as well as the tone of our presentation.
Also of key relevance is the size of the group we will address as this will affect how we may provide context and to ensure that nothing we say should cause offence.
Sofema Aviation Services www.sassofia.com and SofemaOnline www.sofemaonline.
