Adapting to Audience Needs

Earlier this year, I was invited to speak on the topic of public speaking to some newcomers to Saint John. The event was scheduled to last two hours, and the topic would be public speaking and communication. Therefore, I drafted a rough plan based on what I thought the event might entail.

I assumed that with a two-hour event, there would be some networking time allocated, allowing people to come and go as they pleased. My plan was to deliver a 10-15 minute speech, covering various tips, techniques, and the three essential elements needed to become an effective public speaker. Then, I intended to facilitate a Q&A session.

However, upon arriving at the event, I discovered that the newcomers were from diverse countries and cultures, each with varying levels of understanding of Canadian culture, as evident from our brief conversations. I realized that I needed to adjust my plan to make the session more engaging and meaningful.

My Adaptation

I’ve performed enough of these types of speeches that I enjoy some last-minute changes and adapting to the audience and organizer needs.

To begin, I invited comments from the attendees on how they hoped to benefit from the session, why they had decided to attend on a Thursday evening. There weren’t really any surprises, but there is benefit to having some of the attendees express their goals. For most people, speaking up at a long table is indeed public speaking and is indeed a little nerve racking. 

As they spoke, I made notes about what they offered.  The two most popular were managing nervousness, and managing interview questions. I had planned to speak to these items regardless, but varied my plan to get to them quickly.

Managing Nerves

To manage nerves, I asked the audience if they’ve ever seen a speaker struggling badly.  Everyone had. I then asked them how they felt as the speaker fumbled, and they responded that they felt awful and were rooting for the speaker to get things together. So, I reminded them that virtually every audience wants you to do well.  It’s not often that an audience wants you to do badly. To understand that an audience wants you to do well, to learn something, or be entertained, should be an empowering thought for any speaker.

Further to manage nerves I encourage them to know precisely what they plan to talk about, and not to worry about precisely what they will say.  With this approach, speakers will avoid memorizing stories and sentences, and simply talk about each element in their plan.

And finally, to manage nerves, I encouraged them when speaking to arrive early, check out any stage and microphone setup, chat with some attendees, find some friendly faces, so they’re not suddenly thrust upon a stage as a speaker in front of absolute strangers.

Managing Interview Questions

To assist in managing interview questions I took them through my fall-back method of past-present-future.  I wrote about that structure here https://gycz.blogspot.com/2024/04/a-helpful-structure-for-difficult.html

 

Conclusion

Speakers need to be adaptable. If you thought your audience was very unfamiliar with your topic but you learn that’s not the case, you need to pivot. If there are specific expectations or desires, it’s best to work to accommodate those.  

Audiences appreciate when you understand their needs and when you can deliver on those needs, although sometimes that’s not possible as sometimes the expectations are unrealistic.

Speakers need to be adaptable.