How to adjust your presentation to different audiences so it lands? This is a very common question and a challange that speakers face. If you want to find a way to craft your message, use the EVEWA model ©PublicSpeakingWizard.
EVEWA model includes 5 elements:
1. Expertise
2. Vocabulary level
3. Education
4. Why
5. Age
1. Expertise in the topic
Before you dive into designing a presentation, check the audience’s level of expertise in this topic. A good practice is to contact the organizer in advance and check who will most likely be your listeners. Conference organizers, due to their experience, can guide you on who is usually buying the tickets.
At work, you probably know that. If you don’t, check the company org chart, job positions, and departments of your colleagues. You can craft your speech differently, depending on whether you present in front of your colleagues from the same team or C-level managers who are not into details.
Ask these questions:
- What do they know?
- Are they experts waiting for tasty bites of the newest research and discoveries,
- or are they specialists in other areas, but have limited knowledge of your area of expertise?
2. Vocabulary level
A native speaker has a broader vocabulary or can quickly find a connection or categorize an unknown word. If you present in a language that is a second language for your audience, the starting point is totally different. In high school, we dig deeper into specific terms, but when you learn a language, you don’t have this specific vocabulary from the area of science.
Another point is that as an expert in your field, it might feel obvious that other people should know the same terms. However, as you stay in your own expertise bubble, you might not be aware that what is bread and butter for you, for someone else it’s a riddle.
Check before you start designing your slides:
- Are they familiar with commonly used terms?
- Is your presentation language their native language?
If not, simplify your message even more.
3. Education
You can expect different levels of experience and knowledge depending on the field of education. Even if you present in front of engineers, but they are from a different field, for example, electrical vs. chemical, they might not have in-depth knowledge of this topic.
Once you determine their education field and level, you can predict how deep you can go with your topic.
Adjust the level to them by asking these questions:
- Are they educated in this field, or in a similar area?
- Are they primary school or high school students, master’s or PhDs?
4. Why
Everyone has their own agenda. When they join a meeting or a conference, they listen to your presentation with a purpose. Don’t assume that everyone is listening for the same reason. Some of them might join your speech because afterward they need to create a note for colleagues, summarizing the knowledge that you share. Some of them might want to broaden their horizons and get the newest insights from the field. Or they want to get inspired to take action.
Think about these two questions:
- Why did they come to listen?
- Do they want to learn something new, get inspired, be motivated, or refresh their knowledge?
5. Age
Adjust the examples to their age and what is familiar to them. For example, a floppy disk or a phone book might be a good example for your grandma, but the cloud and iPhone are better for younger audiences.
You can also adjust the tone, level of directness and seriousness, and language to their age.
What to do when the audience is mixed?
This is one of the most challenging setups: when you have as an audience together students and C-level managers; experts and laymen; native speakers and non-native speakers. But don’t worry, there is a solution.
In this case, there is NO option to design the content so everyone will be content. There will be people who will not get it, and some for whom it will be basic or even boring. It happens. It’s normal with a bigger audience.
Try to find a good balance and adjust it for the majority of your listeners. If 85% of them are experts, you can go deeper, use abbreviations, and complicated terms. But if 85% have never heard of your topic, then use simple words, explain the main problems, and simplify it.
Conclusion
The way to connect with your listeners is to show that you can relate to their problems, that you understand them, and that you speak their language.
But if you want to do so, first you have homework to define your audience. With empathy, find what might be important to them and adjust your presentation.
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Author:
Hi, I’m Magda Kern. I’m a psychologist, the top 11 public speaking coach worldwide, a lecturer, working for companies from the Fortune 500 list, a business trainer with 12 years of experience, a TEDx coach, and an ex-vocalist based in Switzerland. I help people prepare and deliver unforgettable presentations and deal with stress.