How do you connect with your audience when you’re giving a presentation?
Remember that you’ll likely have a variety of different personalities in your audience, all with different preferences and priorities.
Here’s an easy-to-remember guide to use when you’re planning your presentation to make sure you are building in aspects which will help you engage as many of your audience as possible.
Think ‘A,B,C,D,E’....
A- stands for ‘All’ - We all have the ability to change our priorities and preferences, so it’s important to keep an open mind as regards your audience, and to realize that they could respond differently than expected from time to time.
The B, C, D, and E stand for the FOUR common human behaviour types that you will likely encounter in your audiences:
B - stands for ‘Being’ - People who display ‘being’ behaviour will tend to be more relaxed and easy listeners. They will respond to a warm and harmonious tone in your presentation.
C - stands for ‘Checking’ - People who display ‘checking’ behaviour will focus on the details and your getting things ‘right’. To better engage these types, ensure you are well-organised and have your facts and figures correct.
D- stands for ‘Doing’ - People who are ‘doers’ want you to make your point sharply and quickly, so best for you to get to your point directly and assertively to engage these people.
E- stands for ‘Expressing’ - People who are expressive love to interact and have fun.
Include plenty of action and interaction for these people, make them the centre of attention through focusing on making them feel noticed.
It’s important when crafting a presentation to research your audience beforehand if you can. The more you understand who they are and what’s important to them the better your connection will be. If you are not familiar with the audience, your preparation can be a little trickier. Thats when it is useful to apply the A B C D E technique and to build in aspects to address each of these different kinds of people.
So remember your A, B, C, D, E’s if you want to improve your ability to engage an audience. Enjoy practicing with the abundant opportunities you’ll encounter in Life as you engage with a variety of different personalities.
Over time, notice how you become more sensitive to the needs of others and how
that improves your relationships and the outcomes of all your interactions and presentations.
Sally Mabelle, ‘The Voice of Leadership’ Specialist. www.sallymabelle.com - Inspiring clear, confident, and connected communication for personal and cultural transformation.