Goal:  To be perceived by the audience as credible and qualified to speak about your topic, while adapting to audience conditions.

• Questions to Consider Regarding Your 'Target Audience'
   
  • What is the appropriate channel and medium geared to the size of the particular audience?
   
  • Does the speech appeal to the audiences common interests?
    -What particular aspects of the topic will be most relevant? 
    -How can I best gain and hold their interest and attention? 
     
  • Did you identify 'key' members of the audience?
    -What do I share with my listeners? 
    -How can I build on any common grounds of identification? 
     
  • Have you anticipated audience reaction?
    -What will listeners already know about my topic? 
    -What will they want to know, and what do they need to know? 
     
  • Is the information geared towards the audiences level of language?
    -Is the language appropriate for the audience, is it technical? 
    -Explain the language if you use unfamiliar terms, or a particular term in an unfamiliar way. 
    -You must explain 'acronyms.'
   
  • What is the occasion of the speech?
     
  • Where is the speech taking place?
    -Are the room arrangements adequate? 
    -Will you have all of the equipment that you need at your disposal?
     
  • How long should the speech be? Time constraints are a great consideration.
    -Speech in the morning? 
    • Listeners may be fatigued and need some lively or startling examples to awaken them.
    -Speech on Monday? 
    • People need more light to focus on the new week.
    -Speech on Friday? 
    • Be more direct and to the point to keep listeners' minds from drifting to the weekend ahead.
     
   
• Demographics: statistical information about groups of people. This data tells you about group characteristics, not individuals. Some researchers contend that groups or audiences can be further subdivided into subgroups by combining personality characteristics with demographics. The resulting "psychographics" are heavily used in marketing research but their measurement and validity may be questioned on a variety of fronts.

   

  • age 
  • occupation 
  • religion 
  • ethnic or cultural background 
  • social - economic status 
  • gender 
  • educational background 
  • political background

• Motivation:  Audience needs, wants, and wishes constitute motivation, the force that impels them to act and directs their behavior 
        toward specific goals. 
   
  • Consider the following:
     
    -Comfort 
    -Safety 
    -Friendship 
    -Recognition 
    -Variety 
    -Control 
    -Independence 
    -Curiosity 
    -Tradition 
    -Success 
    -Nurturance 
    -Enjoyment
   
• Composing Messages Suited for the Audience:
   
  • Short sentences 15-20 words to achieve your complete thought.
   
  • Have background in current events:
    • Buy a newspaper or magazine in the region that you are speaking in.
    • Watch the local news for current or upcoming events.
    • Research the group in which you plan to speak.
   
  • For a receptive audience:
    • Focus on conclusions and recommendations.
   
  • For skeptical audience:  Focus on logical arguments.
   
  1.  2+2=4 approach: 
   
  • Introduction
  • Reason #1 (for support)
  • Reason #2 (for support)
  • Recommendations, and how it will be implemented
  • Summary
   
  2. Scientific Method: A logical step by step set of procedures. 

  3. Yardstick approach: Based on criteria

   

From the Virtual Presentation Assistant