Customize Your Presentation for Any Audience (Part 3 of 3), by Myra Corrello, PhD
November 27, 2008 | Leave a Comment
Here are three final ways to create greater connection with each audience you address:1. Appeal to their common values. Research shows we often assume we share more values that we actually do. However, in almost any audience, you can identify a few commonly-shared values. For example, audience age can be an effective indicator. If you are speaking to an audience comprised primarily of senior citizens, your persuasiveness could be enhanced by appealing to their sense of patriotism and sacrifice. For baby boomers, examples and illustrations that emphasize individual achievement can be effective. A Generation X audience will find your argument more convincing if you appeal to their value of life balance and flexibility. An organization’s stated mission and values statements are also great sources for incorporating common values. Pay particular attention to unique phrases and metaphors used by the organization to describe itself and its activities. These can be great additions to your presentation.
2. Create a common bond. What personal experience can you share that helps them feel connected to you? Audiences want to feel you are one of them. On the surface, I seem like an unlikely source for relating to an audience of construction contractors. It would be easy for them to question my ability to understand them and their specific issues. That perception changes immediately with my opening story. I explain how I first learned sound business principles growing up in my family’s contracting business. I take them through the key lessons I learned through years of home-based training. I create credibility with them. We then share a bond. They become more receptive to my message. Audiences have a keen interest in understanding your motives. They make character and credibility judgments based on what they learn about you. Sharing appropriate personal information can help them form the image you wish to portray. Remember, it’s all about them. Self-disclose when it’s justifiable. Just stay focused to meeting their needs.
3. Incorporate quotes from their founders and historical milestones. All organizations have a history full of stories, rituals, and other relics that are passed down through generations of members as a means of perpetuating its values, accomplishments, and uniqueness. Showing respect for the organization by incorporating these cherished organizational relics into your presentation helps to reinforce what makes them great.
Regardless who you’re speaking to, you can be sure they like special treatment. It only takes a small amount of creativity and research to give them a unique, timely, relevant message. Think of it as a special hand-written note for each one.
What can you do differently with your next presentation to show your audience you really care about them?
Myra
Helping Individuals and Organizations Increase Their Image, Influence, and Impact
MyraCorrello.com
Customize Your Presentation for Any Audience (Part 2 of 3), by Myra Corrello, PhD
October 23, 2008 | Leave a Comment
Here are three more tips to help you connect with any audience:
- Use statistical analogies that are special to them. Effectively conveying statistics is often a challenging necessity. Most of us don’t process statistical data as easy as more conceptual information. Often, it’s hard to grasp the magnitude of what the statistics are supposed to convey. Your goal should be to look for measures your audience are very familiar with and then use those numbers as comparisons to the new data you’re presenting. For example, when I speak about the geographic devastation of Hurricane Katrina, I often compare the square mileage of the audience’s county or state (a size they’re very familiar with) to the total square mileage of the hurricane’s devastation. Often, the comparison is over 100 times the familiar comparison level. That catches attention. Especially if it is portrayed as a graphic. There are numerous websites full of interesting statistics that can be used for this type of comparison. Be creative!
- Tell a story and feature one of their referent leaders as the main character. One of the most effective ways to increase your presentation effectiveness is by crafting a great story that incorporates your key messages. Professional speakers rely heavily on signature stories as the cornerstone of their presentation – beautifully blending together ideas and emotions. A great story connects with your audience on emotional, personal, and intellectual levels. Increase the impact of the story by personalizing it to each new audience. Find a good sport within the organization that everyone knows and likes. Make that person the “star” of your story. Your meeting host will be a great source for identifying an ideal target. This is an especially effective technique if the story is slightly humorous. Just make sure to keep the story respectful and in good taste.
- Feature an item from the morning paper. Community news creates an instant common bond. Even better when you creatively weave it into your key points. If your presentation is in a different locality, you will score big points as an outsider for the extra effort to meet them on their turf. A local sports victory, a school recognition, or a new cultural attraction can be a great source of community pride. Find a way to give them kudos for their community accomplishment while reinforcing a key message in your presentation.
Using familiar statistics, a popular co-worker, or an item from the morning paper can make your presentation feel fresh and updated. What other techniques have you used to give your presentation a more customized touch?
Myra
Helping Individuals and Organizations Increase Their Image, Influence, and Impact
MyraCorrello.com
Customize Your Presentation for Any Audience (Pt 1 of 3), by Myra Corrello, PhD
September 18, 2008 | 1 Comment
You’re sorting through the mail and you spot an envelope containing a hand-written address — yours. That envelope immediately moves to the top of the stack. Inside, a hand-written note. Someone who has taken the time to create a message just for you. It’s a special but rare occurrence in this day of mass communication. So much of the communication we receive is “one size fits all”. But customizing your communication does not have to be difficult. With the widespread availability of the internet, customized information abounds that can be added to your message to make it very special to its recipient. Even though you may be called upon to deliver the same general presentation to many audiences, you can create truly meaningful messages for each audience by incorporating some easy customizing tips.
- Conduct pre-presentation informational interviews to identify your audience’s hot issues. Any great presentation starts with a thorough needs assessment. What must be covered? What do they care about? What’s worrying them? What do they already know? Talk to people who offer different perspectives on the topic. If your audience is diverse, talk to a sampling of individuals that represent those diverse perspectives. Audience members from different organizational levels and different departments will have different views. To help you make the final choices in content, remember to place a high priority on the needs and desires of the decision maker who is ultimately responsible for your presence. Make sure your content choices will satisfy the boss. When choosing content for any presentation, always ask yourself: 1. Is this content new to this audience or is it something I can present in a new way? 2. Is this content relevant and interesting to this audience or can I find a way to make it relevant or interesting to this audience? These two questions should be your litmus test. If you can’t answer both questions affirmatively, look for different content.
- Use their images in your materials. We all know the powerful impact of visuals. Pictures, as the old saying goes, can save us thousands of words. Audiences are delighted when they see themselves on the “big screen.” Adding their candid staff photographs, their products, and their logos to your electronic visuals and handouts is a thoughtful way to demonstrate this is their program. With the wide availability of digital graphics and photographs, it has never been easier to import these custom touches into your presentation. Definitely check the organization’s website as a starting point but also befriend the organization’s internal communications representative. If you do conduct a pre-presentation visit to the organization, take your camera and gather images as well as information.
Playing detective before your presentation can produce all kinds of unexpected treasures. It just takes an effort to ask the right questions of the right people. Taking the extra time to also add thoughtful, entertaining, and engaging visuals can really add polish to your program. What are some creative ways you’ve customized your presentations for a new audience?
Myra
Helping Individuals and Organizations Increase Their Image, Influence, and Impact
MyraCorrello.com
