Having the right words to reach your audience is paramount when it comes to communication. You want to use language that will be impactful and convincing, and remain with them long after your punto finale. But, the question then becomes: What will your audience be most receptive to and how do you figure that out? After all, you aren’t a mind reader. The truth is, we will never know exactly what to say to people to bring them over to our side, but there are some techniques that you can use to figure out who you are talking to, and how to really make your words resonate with them. You should be able to speak to your audience so that what you say connects with each and every one of them. Even a message for the masses has the ability to be relevant to each listener. So what should you consider when you are gauging an audience?
At-a-Glance or In-Depth Investigation?
Being able to use the information that you grasp from quick observations or more in-depth research will go a long way in helping you craft appropriate and powerful messages. The one main factor to consider, though, is time. Have you been placed in an impromptu situation or did you have a lot of time to consider the make-up of your audience? There are a few dimensions that you can explore if you’d like your message to really have great influence.
At a Glance Investigation
Size - Are you speaking to five of your co-workers or a grand team of 100 employees? Do you have a single listener or an auditorium filled to the brim? These questions will help you determine how to deliver your information. They will help you determine everything in your delivery from how much eye-contact you can achieve to how long your dramatic pauses last. Can you imagine if Martin Luther King Jr. had shared his iconic “I Have a Dream” speech with a small room of his peers? His tone would have been softer, and perhaps his volume lower. He may have been able to gaze into the eyes of each person, instead of giving sweeping glances over the crowd. It may seem like a natural consideration, but really think of what kind of delivery techniques you can leverage to connect with your audience based on how many people you are talking to.
Mood - This is purely an on-the-spot consideration, but determining your audience’s mood can help you figure out the right tone, speed, volume, and delivery style to achieve maximum impact. Consider the surroundings when you give your speech, are you cooped up in a conference room, or in an airy auditorium? What time of day is it? Are they listening to you in the bright morning hours or in the hush of the early evening? Have they just returned from lunch and fighting the post-meal torpor? These are all considerations when determining how you should approach your delivery. Also, for a quick judgment, look at their facial expressions and body language if you can. Are they tense or relaxed? Are they excited or bored? Remember, the mood of a crowd at a funeral is vastly different from that of a financial year kick-off. Try to work with the mood you detect from the audience. Being sensitive to this dimension can give you a quick pay-off, especially when because it doesn’t require major adjustments in content, but sensitivity in your delivery.
In-Depth Investigation
Background - Think about what they do for work. It is the activity that takes up most of their waking hours, so it would influence how they receive information. Also, think about the possibility of other interests outside of the workplace. Do they look sporty or creative, are they academically inclined? Maybe they are excellently dressed-- perhaps they are into fashion. Think about what will excite them! But most of all, think about why they are listening to you. Did they come to listen to you through their own free will, have they been asked to listen to you or is it a mandatory meeting. All of these things will affect the tone you use when addressing your audience, as well as your word choice.
Experience - It is hard to judge a person’s experience based on looks or first meetings, but if you have time to research your audience, you should think about what they have been through in their lives. A room full of newly graduated college students will react differently to your chosen words compared to a room full of retirees. You should also think about the significant experiences that have shaped their lives. If you are giving a speech to a group of parents at a PTA meeting, then it will shape the way you talk, as opposed to a group of people at your high-school reunion where your language may be more familiar because they are your peers that have shared good times and bad times growing up with you. Think about what brought these people together as a group to listen to you and let it guide the language you use.
Culture - If you break it down to its simplest form culture is a shared set of beliefs and values amongst a group of people. One of the easiest ways to determine someone’s culture is to figure out where they are from. This can be discovered by learning their country of origin, but it goes further than that. You can appeal to someone's culture if you know the city or town that they currently live in, what company they work for, or what institutions/organizations they belong to. Culture will affect the way they receive information. Imagine a Rakugo artist who has to tell jokes to an Australian audience. Maybe some of the wordplay will connect, but the comedian will have to work some jokes into their repertoire that appeal to the Aussie sense of humor or they may have an unsuccessful set. People can belong to several different cultures, so figure out what culture your audience shares and you can tailor your message with words that have wide appeal.
Knowledge - This one is not always apparent, but there are ways to gauge what your audience has in their heads, especially after pinpointing culture and experience. Think about what your audience may know. If you are giving a speech at a molecular biology conference, you probably won’t have to take the time to explain the parts of a cell. This may seem really simple, but when you are composing your speech, ask yourself: What do they know? What would you like them to know? How do you fill the gap? If you use these questions you will be able to sift through your words and deliver the information that your audience will find illuminating rather than something they may have heard a thousand times before.
Some quick-and-dirty detective work will go a long way in getting you prepared to speak to your listeners. But, if you can really go full Private Investigator, a little bit of research will help you out before you even get to crafting your message. After all, chances are they have researched a little bit about you, the speaker. Knowing something about your audience may level the playing field in your favor at a time when you need it the most-- in the glare of the spotlight.
Written by Zia Holder
Zia is a Trainer and Marketing Strategist at SparkDojo. As a trainer, she works with business leaders in professional firms and many C-level executives at global startups from various industries on a range of communication skills such as presentations, leadership, social media writing, and self-branding.
