So how can YOU prepare to MEET your audience where they are? Remember–an «audience» can be one person or thousands of people. It can be your child, your partner, a colleague, or a room packed with people gathered to hear you speak.
Here are three of my strategies for you, to really ENGAGE with your audience:
- DO YOUR RESEARCH: Before you start a conversation, do your homework and get CLEAR on:
- What exactly are they looking to learn/ accomplish/ explore?
- What may get in the way of their objectives? What is their pain point?
- What language do they use? From ACTUAL language (Spanish, English, Chinese) to more technical, cultural or age-appropriate language.
- FIND A WAY TO CONNECT EMOTIONALLY: What details of their lives can you study so you can begin with true RESONANCE? If you are talking to a child, what video games/ movies/ trends are they into? Start with that. If you are speaking in a new community, what can you learn/observe about their way of life which you can bring to the conversation?
- DON’T START WITH YOU: NEVER ever begin a conversation or a speaking engagement talking about yourself, your accomplishments or even using the word «I» in the first 60 seconds. (See if you can purposely wait 120 seconds before using the word «I».) To meet your audience where they are, you need to focus on THEM!
If you are interested in more «speaking» tips then check out my last webinar:
5 STEPS TO ROCK A STAGE & LAND A TEDx TALK
I’m off to deliver MY TALK to my audience here in the state of Washington!
Have a wonderful rest of your week.
