5 THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT YOUR AUDIENCE

A presentation is much like marketing. No one is interested in you or your product until they feel it fills a need or it’s valuable to their progress in life. Little wonder then, why companies spend millions of dollars on market research to know what their would-be consumers want. Having a good knowledge of your audience will help you give a presentation that’s worthwhile listening to. The following audience analysis will help you.

1.     Who will be there?

You need to know who will be listening to your presentation. Are they a group of teenagers, working-class adults, retired people, or business professionals? You should also find out about their cultural and religious background, their values and challenges. This will help you tailor your presentation to suit your audience and know what’s acceptable to them.

2.     What do they know about your subject?

This is essential if you hope to get your audience attention and hold it through your presentation. If they are experts on the subject on  hand, don’t dwell on the basics but build on these fundamentals. If they seem novice, it’s even simpler for you but try to speak clearly in a way they can grasp what you are conveying.

3.     What do they expect?

This is like asking why they will come to listen to you. This question will help you know what motivates your audience. If you are able to beat their expectations, wow! That will be awesome.

4.     What’s the size of my audience?

This will help you know what to expect and prepare your mind for it.  Believe me; it will knock you off your feet if you found out on the day of your presentation that upward of a thousand people will be listening to you when you had fifty in mind. Knowledge of the size of your audience will also help you understand the physical rigors involved in your speech like how much walking around you need to do while speaking. If you will be speaking to a large audience, it means you’ll need a microphone. Also, It will be of great help to you if you visit the venue of the presentation before the day of the speech.

5.     What’s the attitude of my audience?

If your audience feels that they don’t need to hear you, then you first have to correct that impression otherwise you’ll putting money into a leaking bag. Their attitude can be corrected by preparing a fitting introduction.