EPSON | Presenters Online : Basics > Delivery

One of the keys to developing effective presentations is learning how to analyze an audience — before you ever begin speaking. For example, assume you are speaking to a sales team who has just gone through a rough quarter. If you are aware of this fact before you write your presentation, you can include the type of information that would be most helpful, and avoid the kind of information that would be most harmful.

Presenters learn about their audiences from a variety of sources. Consider doing the following before a presentation:

Interview the organization/company executives in charge of the meeting/event
Interview a sampling of the audience members
Review company/organization literature
Research company/industry news via the Internet, magazines, newspapers, etc.
Research associates within the industry

More importantly, try to answer the following questions in an effort to learn as much as possible about your audience.

1. Who is in your audience?

In order to give an effective presentation, you need to know as much as possible about your audience. Find out key demographics of the audience and determine how familiar they are with the subject of your presentation.

2. What does your audience want?

One goal of your presentation is to meet the expectations of your audience. So, focus on the audience's wants and needs. The success of your presentation depends on your ability to address those wants and needs.

3. Why are you presenting?

As you learn more about your audience and their expectations, it is important to do a self-evaluation as well. Are you comfortable speaking to this audience about this subject? Are you the right person for the presentation? How can you prepare to "be" the right person?

4. When/Where is your presentation?

Many presenters forget this step. Time and place are important considerations to consider when planning your presentations. Studies show that afternoon audiences respond differently than morning audiences. Typically, afternoon audiences require additional breaks because they have a reduced attention span. In addition, the venue in which you present may have a significant impact on your presentation. Presenting at a breakfast luncheon for example, requires more planning than a presentation in a standard conference room.