Know Your Audience or They Won’t Know You
By EDGE Women Speaker Colonel Jill Morgenthaler
As a former Army US military intelligence officer, I prided myself on the ability to research groups so that I could develop relationships and provide what was needed. As I analyzed both friendly and foe, I learned to take the time to understand who they were, what their situation was, what their needs were and what problems they faced. I found this skill valuable as a professional speaker. Anyone who needs to connect and persuade a group can benefit from knowing their audience better.
However, you don’t have to have a background in espionage to understand your audience and to give them what they want. I recently spoke to two very different groups. One was an organization of brilliant people of diverse backgrounds and experience, and the other was comprised of Texans in the financial field. Both organizers who hired me wanted a leadership program. I was able to tailor two different presentations because I had taken the time to learn about the audience. The brainy group was 80% introverts, ranging in age from the early 20s to 70 years old, who came together from across the nation to improve leadership skills and play board games. The Texas organization consisted of 95% women, mostly Millennials and Generation Y, who were facing a very male-dominated field.
For the intellectually brilliant introverts, I created a segment on how to go from good to great as an introverted leader. For the women financial experts, I focused on things that men do to get ahead that they can do too without changing who they are. Both programs were a success.
Knowing your audience boils down to showing respect for them. No cookie-cutter solutions, no tired pitches, just a real interest in who they are and what they need. It is about them, not about you.
If you don’t take the time to get to know your audience, you waste time, yours and theirs, and lose sales, diminish your reputation, and spoil your brand.
One way to learn about your audience/customers is through a survey. I believe in surveying, but I found too many professional speakers have pages of questions for the meeting planner. The survey is too time-consuming and the individual facing the task may be careless in answering or not answering at all. The survey should be succinct and something you can quickly do over the phone or in a short online questionnaire or email.
Here are the components I recommend:
Personnel background: Demographics should include the approximate number of people, percentage of genders, race, age, experience level and positions in the organization. I recommend staying away from politics and religion unless those are your markets.
Business context: Is the organization growing? Is there stiff competition? Is the competition local, national, or international? Is there a need for rapid change in technology?
Current status: What is the theme for the event? Are there topics that are off-limits? Are there specific objectives the organization would like emphasized or covered deeply? Is there a shared concern with the audience? What is the greatest challenge the audience is facing? Has there been turnover? Layoffs? How is morale?
If the survey is done over the phone, remember to listen carefully. Don’t pitch anything until you understand the personnel, business, and current components.
Knowing your audience allows you to demonstrate your understanding and respect for them. And, in the end, respect is the most effective way to sell, connect and persuade.
Our founding member, Colonel Jill Morgenthaler, wrote this blog shortly before she passed away unexpectedly. We post it here with tremendous gratitude for all that she contributed to the EDGE organization and to each of us as individuals.