Scott,
this is a good example of having questions or tailoring ahead of time as you can cut time on your presentation when needed.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
The best way to customize a presentation to your audience is to first understand the audience. It is important to understand the audience's level of knowledge and it can help to seek out someone who is familiar with the audence if you are not. If you can find someone who matches the audience that you want to present before, it would be advisable to present to that person for rehersal so that they can give you feedback on how effective they felt the presentation was.
through the eyes of the beholder
this is why this class should also talk about body language, many times you may not be able to find informations on your guests or may not have the time.
even if you know your guests the dynamique can change very quickly from one group to another under the same criterias. it is important to have a plan but sometime you have to improvise.
LAURENT,
I agree & that is why good preparation is also a key factor. If you are prepared with your materials, you are much more capable of adapting in the moment.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
Reasearching the audience is important. However, how do you research the students (audience) when they are new to the program? We have students from all ages and all different backgrounds? I would say we have the right out of high school graduates and then the passion driven students who have been working other industries for 20+ years.
Carrie,
this is a good question & I think you've kind of answered it already. It's not necessary that you know specifics about your audience, but rather you have a good feel for the general makeup of your audience & so you are in good standing.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
Thank you for a great idea. I am always looking for different ways not only to develop a good rapport with my students, but to use actual examples of what I'm trying to teach them. I definitely plan on using your idea of Q&A first.
On the first day of (speech) class, I have the students write down answers to various questions (name/what they like to be called, education background (1st yr of college, returning student, 3rd attempt at higher ed, etc.), why they chose this particular class (required vs interest), expectations for class, work experience, the town they call home & where they grew up, etc. Then I have them introduce each other.
I use the information from these introductions to pull together demographics about our class & use the info in a PowerPoint slide to teach them about how useful it is to know about your audience. The info assists me in customizing the class just for that group. A win-win all the way around.
Cynthia,
this is a great exercise & I really like the idea of tying it to audience analysis, obviously a skill we want them to have.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
Researching why your audience is coming..is it something "mandated" or voluntary? What day of the week is it on..what time of day? Try putting humor into it. Keep moving..if you can walk around your audience, that will keep their attention. Put lots of visuals in the presentation if possible.
Michelle,
these are all great points, especially the one about voluntary or required. This aspect alone can really impact the way I shape & especially start a presentation.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
I definitely agree, it is important to change to fit your audience. I do find it difficult to keep classes motivated when there are few students participating in discussion, but you have to keep finding ways to adapt your topics so the students can get the most out of the content you are presenting. The listeners should never leave with confusion about your topic.
The best way to customize a presentation to your audience is to research what type of audience you're gonna be dealing with.When applicable, and you're one of a group of speakers who will be presenting that day, find out what the speaker(s) ahead of you will be talking about. You need to know the "mood" of your audience.
Woei,
this is great advice & see if you can weave the other topics into your presentation. This really helps with the flow of the messages.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
To research and apply the necessary points of the presentation that make your audience interested in the topic of discussion because if you are all over the place you will diffently will feel the reaction of the audience.
Sonia ,
yes, we need to be focused & on target the entire presentation.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
Sonia ,
yes, we need to be focused & on target the entire presentation.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
Knowing your audience and why they are attending your presentation
In all cases, I believe that the speaker must define the main point. To customize the presentation, he/she must then determine what the audience already knows about the subject and develop the points from there. If the information is too basic, the speaker will lose the audience's interest. If it is too detailed, the audience will become confused, even though they try to understand, and again lose interest. But if the speaker can determine the audience's current knowledge level, then develop the presentation from there to attain the main point, the presentation should be successful.
James,
I agree & defining the main point or "thesis" if you will of the presentation/speech is key to success.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
