Presenting isn't about you ... it's about the audience.
We are organised, confident, we look pretty good, ego is in check and ready to roll out our presentation. But ... something has been forgotten. What is it?
THE AUDIENCE
Yep, the audience. Whether it's the team of eight people you lead or 200 folks in a hall; the most important aspect of your presentation is the audience.
Yes, we can understand their interest levels, how busy they are and have researched their company if it's a pitch however if we don't focus on the audience we may as well not present. It's time to lock away your ego.
Today's learning (Part Four) is around how the audience switches on and off in your presentation. It's how they absorb and learn at your presentation.
The three primary ways an audience will learns are:
Auditory learners - they want you to tell them the information and they remember by talking out loud, they like to have things explained orally and may have trouble with written instructions. Auditory learners may talk to themselves when learning something new. (They’re not crazy!)
Visual learners – they want you to show them the information – they easily remember visual details and prefer to see what they are learning. They also prefer to write down the information. Give these folks a copy of your presentation beforehand – you’ll be appreciated for life.
Kinaesthetic learners - they prefer activities and want to actually do what they are telling them about. These learners like to touch things in order to learn about them and like to move around when talking or listening. If you talk for longer than 10 minutes without involving them, you’ve lost them!
There are many other learning styles and these differ dependent on how much information the person knows about the detail you are sharing. Matt Church has authored a book, Thought Leaders which models a modern take on the Learning styles. It's worth a read if you're looking for more detail to truly cater for people sitting/standing in your presentation.