You Will Fail!

You will fail to have a successful presentation if you don’t take the time to learn about the needs of your audience.

Presentations take time. They take time out of the busy lives of the participants. They take time out of the busy life of the presenter. With our time being such a sacred commodity, it is crucial that every presenter have a good understanding of not only what they are presenting, but who they are presenting to. It isn’t necessary to know the detail of everyone in your audience, but it is crucial to process and reflect on why your audience has chosen to listen to you.

Why should your audience bother with putting away their iPhones or Blackberries? How will you change their life? How will they think differently after your presentation? Do you have a solution to their problem? If not, don’t bother presenting, send an email, a memo, a link to a web page, whatever you do don’t waste their time with a presentation.

Before creating your next presentation, ask yourself the following questions:

1. Who are they?


2. Why are they here?


3. What is their background?


4. What’s their problem/issue?


5. How can I help?


6. What’s my central point?

Taking the time to analyze the needs of your audience will immediately make you a better presenter. Most presenters don’t take the time to answer the kinds of questions listed above. They are failing to realize that their audience will drive their approach to their presentation, not their content. Every great teacher & presenter knows that content covered, does not equal content learned.

Be purposeful with your design and don’t be afraid to let your audience guide you.