Presentations International

Know your Audience

Well, as promised in the last newsletter, we’ll explore the top ten presentation skills in greater depth.
Number one on the list is "Know your Audience." This is THE most important skill for giving an effective and dynamic presentation. If you know your audience, you will be able to craft a presentation that is tailored to their needs and their level of understanding. When you tailor the presentation to the needs of your audience, they will be more likely to stay engaged and you will be better able to "sell" your idea, proposal or product.

Every audience has its own unique set of needs and expectations. By spending time up front asking a few important questions you will be able to craft a presentation that meets the audience’s specific needs.

Here are a several things you need to know about your audience:

1.What is their native language?
2.What is their level of understanding of the language you are speaking?
3.What is their level of understanding of the topic?
4.What do they need from you?
5.What, if any, preconceived notions do they have about the topic or about you?
6.How many people will be in the audience?
7.How will they be able to use your information?
8.What are the audience’s current problems and concerns?
9.How much time will you have with your audience?

If you are starting a speech or presentation from scratch, you may want to create your outline specific to the responses to the above questions.

Even if you have a presentation you deliver over and over, you should make slight adjustments that will make it more relevant for each audience. Here are some examples of how you can easily and effectively change a few elements.

If you are delivering a presentation to an audience of non-native speakers who are well versed on the subject, you will want to scan for words that may be particularly difficult for your audience. They can then be replaced with words that are more easily understood.

Some people provide a printed handout of the PowerPoints or a summary of the major presentation points, so that the audience can follow along and take notes. Although this is an effective method, you must be careful that the audience does not spend the entire presentation reading instead of listening and connecting with you. An effective approach is to make sure that your oral presentation provides richer content than the handout. An alternative is to give them the material AFTER the presentation.

If your presentation was created for business peers, but your audience has less expertise, make sure that you "translate" any words that may be too technical. Also, avoid acronyms. If you must use them, provide a brief description of their meaning.

Where do you find the answers to the questions about your audience? There are a number of great resources. To find this very important information, you can:
Ask the person who has invited you to give the presentation
Review the company website
Investigate via the Web (e.g.,"Google" the company and/or the names of some of the audience members
Consult with people in your company who know the audience.
Spend time in advance with a member of the audience to learn about their work and their company

Challenge yourself to find the information you need. Become a detective. The more you know about your audience, the more specific your presentation can be. This information will also help you in step two, "Know your Subject."

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Question and Answer

Dear PI,

I am giving a presentation next month and I am going to be using PowerPoint. Do you have any advice for me?

Gretchen Deeter

Dear Gretchen,

I have quite a few tips that will make your presentation more exciting. Many people who use PowerPoint use it to put as many words on the screen as possible. This not only creates a virtual "eye test" making the audience squint to be able to get all the information but keeps them from connecting with you. Also, audiences read at different speeds, so you may have a part of your audience struggling to keep up with you, while the other part may have finished reading and become bored.

Use the "Keep It Simple" philosophy:
You can be most effective with PowerPoint if you think of it as a visual aid. Think of images that will convey the message instead of writing the message in words. Make sure the images are clear, recognizable and concise. This will help illustrate your point while keeping your audience connected to you.

If you need to use words, follow these guidelines:
1.Use easy-to-read fonts such as Arial, Franklin Gothic, Gill Sans, Helvetica, Times, New Roman or Verdana
2. Use no more than two fonts. Use them throughout for a more uniform appearance
3. Title should be at least 28 points
4. Bulleted items should be at least 22 points
5. Try to keep bulleted items to one line. Use no more than two lines
6. Do not use capital letters or bold fonts except for emphasis
7. Use italics for quotations
8. Reds and oranges are difficult to read.
9. Blues, greens and browns are more easily read
10. Do not use white type on a dark background if participants are more than twenty feet away.

Good luck on your presentation, Gretchen

Don’t forget to write to us with your questions.

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Know your Audience Question and Answer
Know your Audience Well, as promised in the last newsletter, we’ll explore the top ten presentation skills in greater depth. Number one on the list is "Know your Audience." This is THE most important skill for giving an effective and dynamic presentation. If you know your audience, you will be able to craft a presentation that is tailored to their needs and their level of understanding. When you tailor the presentation to the needs of your audience, they will be more likely to stay engaged and you will be better able to "sell" your idea, proposal or product. Every audience has its own unique set of needs and expectations. By spending time up front asking a few important questions you will be able to craft a presentation that meets the audience’s specific needs. Here are a several things you need to know about your audience: 1.What is their native language? 2.What is their level of understanding of the language you are speaking? 3.What is their level of understanding of the topic? 4.What do they need from you? 5.What, if any, preconceived notions do they have about the topic or about you? 6.How many people will be in the audience? 7.How will they be able to use your information? 8.What are the audience’s current problems and concerns? 9.How much time will you have with your audience? If you are starting a speech or presentation from scratch, you may want to create your outline specific to the responses to the above questions. Even if you have a presentation you deliver over and over, you should make slight adjustments that will make it more relevant for each audience. Here are some examples of how you can easily and effectively change a few elements. If you are delivering a presentation to an audience of non-native speakers who are well versed on the subject, you will want to scan for words that may be particularly difficult for your audience. They can then be replaced with words that are more easily understood. Some people provide a printed handout of the PowerPoints or a summary of the major presentation points, so that the audience can follow along and take notes. Although this is an effective method, you must be careful that the audience does not spend the entire presentation reading instead of listening and connecting with you. An effective approach is to make sure that your oral presentation provides richer content than the handout. An alternative is to give them the material AFTER the presentation. If your presentation was created for business peers, but your audience has less expertise, make sure that you "translate" any words that may be too technical. Also, avoid acronyms. If you must use them, provide a brief description of their meaning. Where do you find the answers to the questions about your audience? There are a number of great resources. To find this very important information, you can: Ask the person who has invited you to give the presentation Review the company website Investigate via the Web (e.g.,"Google" the company and/or the names of some of the audience members Consult with people in your company who know the audience. Spend time in advance with a member of the audience to learn about their work and their company Challenge yourself to find the information you need. Become a detective. The more you know about your audience, the more specific your presentation can be. This information will also help you in step two, "Know your Subject." Top Question and Answer Dear PI, I am giving a presentation next month and I am going to be using PowerPoint. Do you have any advice for me? Gretchen Deeter Dear Gretchen, I have quite a few tips that will make your presentation more exciting. Many people who use PowerPoint use it to put as many words on the screen as possible. This not only creates a virtual "eye test" making the audience squint to be able to get all the information but keeps them from connecting with you. Also, audiences read at different speeds, so you may have a part of your audience struggling to keep up with you, while the other part may have finished reading and become bored. Use the "Keep It Simple" philosophy: You can be most effective with PowerPoint if you think of it as a visual aid. Think of images that will convey the message instead of writing the message in words. Make sure the images are clear, recognizable and concise. This will help illustrate your point while keeping your audience connected to you. If you need to use words, follow these guidelines: 1.Use easy-to-read fonts such as Arial, Franklin Gothic, Gill Sans, Helvetica, Times, New Roman or Verdana 2. Use no more than two fonts. Use them throughout for a more uniform appearance 3. Title should be at least 28 points 4. Bulleted items should be at least 22 points 5. Try to keep bulleted items to one line. Use no more than two lines 6. Do not use capital letters or bold fonts except for emphasis 7. Use italics for quotations 8. Reds and oranges are difficult to read. 9. Blues, greens and browns are more easily read 10. Do not use white type on a dark background if participants are more than twenty feet away. Good luck on your presentation, Gretchen Don’t forget to write to us with your questions. Top