Sacred Cow #9: The Audience Cares
We’ve all heard it before. “They want to hear what you have to say.” So often, little effort is put into preparing a presentation because it’s just assumed that because the audience is there, they’ll be hanging on every last word you have to say. In many instances, that’s a dangerous assumption to make. If you’re speaking at a seminar or conference where the attendees paid to be there, then it’s probably a safe assumption that the audience does care about what you have to say. However, if it’s a meeting at your place of employment, be it a committee meeting or a status meeting, chances are, it’s safe to assume the attendees would rather be somewhere else.
Unfortunately, this often isn’t considered. Whether it’s organizational narcisism or general lack of empathy for the audience, presentations are often developed as simple rote regurgitation of facts. There’s no attempt to engage with the audience or make it meaningful for them. The message, inadvertent or not, is that the speaker does not value them or their time.
If the audience is there against their own free will, then that’s already one strike against you. If you fail to gain their attention, that’s strike two. Send a message that you don’t care and it’s strike three.
Show empathy. Understand why they’re there. You may be a member of the committee. Thus, it’s probably quite obvious to you why they’re there. However, consciously remind yourself of this when you’re preparing your presentation. Having a genuine understanding of where your audience is coming from and how they value their time in this meeting is crucial for establishing true empathy for them.
Give your message real meaning. Why does what you have to say even matter? Why should your audience even bother listening to what you have to say for the next fifteen minutes? Give them a reason to not sit there and mindlessly doodle while they wait for you to shut your trap.
Offer real value. If, at the end of your fifteen minutes, they don’t have something of value to take away with them, then you have just wasted their time. The value can be in the form of a call to action for them or the group to follow through with. It can be in the form of a message they can apply to their lives, projects, etc.
If your audience isn’t there because they chose to be there, then don’t make the assumption that just because you care about what you will be talking about, they will too.
Top Image credit: Jeremy et al, used under a Creative Commons license.