Self-Study Workbooks - Prepare a Presentation | Page 7

Prepare a Presentation
Profile Your Audience
Presenting is an audience-centred sport, so it is important to consider their needs and expectations at the
very start of the process. Taking time to find out who your audience will be, and what they are likely

to want from the presentation is always worthwhile.
Of all the preparation that you can do, this is perhaps the most important to guarantee success.
You can profile your audience on a number of points including:

High level of
knowledge

No knowledge

Chose to attend interested

Made to
attend uninterested

Friendly

Hostile

‘Like’ people

Mixed
audience

Focussed

Distracted

Small group

Large group

The audience may fall at one side of the continuum or the other, or be somewhere in the middle.
The more that the audience falls towards to the left on the continuum, the easier the
presentation will be to prepare and deliver.
For example...
High level of
knowledge

You can give more detail, assume a certain level of understanding and use
jargon.

Low level of
knowledge

Assume no prior knowledge, explain facts in a meaningful way (what that
means is…), use simple language and do not use jargon.

Interested

Share your enthusiasm, can give more detail (‘like to know’ as well as ‘must
know’), be animated.

Uninterested

Be more factual, focus on the ‘must know’, explain the benefits of taking the
action you suggest or the consequences of not doing it.

Friendly

Use your personality, take a more relaxed approach, interact with the
audience, use humour and associated stories with confidence, take questions
as you go along.

Power Hour – Prepare a Presentation
www.power-hour.co.uk

Self Study Workbook

Page 7
Copyright Power-Hour 2012