Brian Jetmore's blog
Know Your Audience
As a professional public speaker for over 30 years, there is one thing I have really come to appreciate that makes the difference between a good and a great moment in teaching others.
Your goal in speaking to a group is to either inform, persuade or entertain them. To achieve any or all of those objectives, you should know their interests, likes and dislikes. Before you speak to a group of people, you should learn as much about them and their interests as possible. You can can also find information about them and their mood at the beginning and during your speech. You can then tailor your speech to their needs and to better assure a positive reaction from them.
It is important to arrive early to be able to engage some of the audience in a personal conversation. This also will help in overcoming the nervousness of speaking to a room of strangers. When you find some friendly faces in the audience that you recognize the flow of your speech will relax.
Your goal in speaking to a group is to either inform, persuade or entertain them. To achieve any or all of those objectives, you should know their interests, likes and dislikes. Before you speak to a group of people, you should learn as much about them and their interests as possible. You can can also find information about them and their mood at the beginning and during your speech. You can then tailor your speech to their needs and to better assure a positive reaction from them.
It is important to arrive early to be able to engage some of the audience in a personal conversation. This also will help in overcoming the nervousness of speaking to a room of strangers. When you find some friendly faces in the audience that you recognize the flow of your speech will relax.