Long-time readers of this blog know that I stress the importance of thinking about the audience before preparing a speech or designing a presentation. A speech or presentation is always about the audience: first; last; and foremost. That’s why I am delighted to share a short video featuring my friend and fellow public speaker, Conor Neill.
Conor Neill is an entrepreneur, author and professor at IESE Business School in Barcelona, Spain. He writes a terrific blog about public speaking, and I encourage you to spend some time checking it out.
In the video below, Conor succinctly explains why speakers should always ask themselves what they want their audiences to do when they have finished speaking. What is the action that you want them to take that will help them reach the goal that you have set for them.
You need to think about the topic of your speech from their perspective. What benefits do they have to see? What level of trust do they have to have in order to act on your words?
Asking that question will spawn other important questions and will get a speaker thinking about the speech or presentation from the audience’s perspective.
Some great advice in one minute.
I want the speaker to say, “You’ve inspired me! Now I’m going to work on that presentation I’ve been carrying around in my mind for a long, long, time. Thank you!”
I agree 100%. Always start with what the audience needs and determine if you can give it to them. Wording your speech so it touches the audience with what they need rather than bragging or selling yourself what you can do for them makes all the difference in the world. Sell yourself with some humility in the first place to establish your credibility but leave it and make the rest about the audience.
Thanks for the comment, Jack. I very much like the line, “sell yourself with some humility in the first place to establish your credibility but leave it and make the rest about the audience”. Great advice.
Cheers!
John