One important aspect of your presentation that you are probably not thinking about
In this article, I will share with you one very important aspect of a presentation that most speakers neglect even though it can make or break their success. No time to waste - let us begin.
Motivations
Have you ever done something that took up a lot of time or effort only to wonder later why the heck you did it? We all have at some point. What it reduces to is a question of motivation – and it is easy to overlook. As a presenter, it is easy to skip the step of clarifying motivations – yours and your audience’s. Easy, but a mistake. Here’s why.
When motivations diverge
Your motivations and that of your audience may not sync up as much as you might like to assume. And approaching your presentation ignorant of this can spell disaster. Or, at best, mild embarrassment. “We must do all that we can to end terrorism and ensure women’s suffrage worldwide!” “Sit down Margot, this is a PTA meeting”. You may be motivated to change your audience’s lives forever. But they may be there because the boss said so. You may be trying to raise money to help sick and poor children in some part of the world. And your audience might be out trying to have an enjoyable time at the gala. In both these instances, you are still able to meet your goal – but not without a deep consideration of your approach based on your audience’s motivations. In short, you must find a way to meet both yours and their motivations for attending your presentation. How you do this will differ based on many factors. In the first scenario, for example, you might add a few phrases near the start of your presentation. “Raise your hand if you are here because you have to be (smile)… thank you so much for coming out (laugh). I ask that you pay attention though – it is amazing how we often stumble upon powerful realizations that change our lives when we least expect it (pause)” If you were in that audience, would you sit up a little straighter- even if you were there because your boss made you go? Would you lean in a little? Or, like our fund-raising gala dinner speaker, it might mean changing the tone of your message from a solemn one to a hopeful one in your bid to raise funds for poor Jandita in the slums of South-East Asia.
Clarify motivations
Clarity in your motivations for a speech is important for you. So is clarifying (or at least pondering) the possible motivations of your audience. But perhaps most importantly, you need to compare the two and see where they diverge. It is ok to have some minor differences - of course, you will use good judgement in deciding what counts as minor on a case-by-case basis - but where you find major differences, consider how you can bend without breaking your core. It can be as simple as adding a few key phrases at certain points. Or as involved as finetuning the entire emotional tone of your message. Whatever the case, remember that, when there is a conflict between your motivation and the audience’s, it is you who are responsible for reconciliation – not the audience. Till the next article, speak with skill.
