The recent Don Imus controversy brings up some important points for all public speakers to be aware of. First, if you’re speaking publicly in any environment, you must be sensitive to the needs of your audience. Given that your audience may be quite diverse, that means watching your step in every regard. Never use racially or sexually charged language, and above all, insulting anyone in your speech just isn’t a good idea. Think about whether or not it would be appropriate for a small child to listen to your speech. That will help you create a gauge for your language that you put in the speech.
Being sensitive to the needs of your audience doesn’t just mean watching the kinds of words you use, though. Be aware that your audience may have different levels of knowledge concerning your topic area, which means that you should cater to them with regard to jargon and technical aspects of your presentation. For example, if you’re an IT specialist trying to sell your services to a non-IT crowd, you’ll need to avoid industry specific jargon, even if you think most of your audience will be familiar with the terms. If you must use jargon, be sure to explain it to audience members.
Public speakers are representatives of certain groups of people, so whether you’re just making a presentation to the boss from your team at work or you’re speaking to a group of individuals about to graduate from college, being aware of the needs of your audience and meeting those needs with respect is essential to your presentation.
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You are right about that. Different groups of people have different taste. One group might consider your joke as offensive, while another may be satisfied. What’s important is that speakers should have a knowledge about the people they are going to talk to
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I agree with that. It’s simply a risk if speakers don’t consider the audience’s preferences and needs. Knowledge and references about the audience is necessary for speakers before making a speech.
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Great tips – and you can also get to know your audience one to one before your speaking event. Ask them why they came, talk about the weather, offer to make a drink while you are making yours…
And a foolproof way of understanding someone is to ask them about themself!
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