With professionals checking their phone 144 times a day, it’s more important than ever that your communication and presentation skills capture, keep, and engage your audience’s attention. Yet, all too often, individuals overlook this crucial aspect of their professional toolkit.

Instead, they “wing it” when faced with the prospect of delivering a presentation. However, “winging it” has significant consequences, both for you and the organization or brand you represent.

There’s also more to presenting than confident body language, compelling storytelling, and engaging visual aids. While mastering these skills are critical and can foster credibility in the eyes of colleagues, clients, and stakeholders, there is a key to presenting that nobody talks about: the process of presenting.

Whether you are pitching a new idea to investors, presenting a project update, or representing the company at a conference, steps leading into, during, and after your presentation each have a purpose. In our Speaker Lab’s 3-Step Presentation Framework, the first step isn’t about you as the presenter.

The first step is focused on your audience. Most presenters spend a lot of pre-work focused on what they are going to say, when they are going to say it, and how they are going to say it. When they have completed their presentation, they wonder why they didn’t get the results even though they delivered a flawless presentation.

Focusing on your audience and understanding what they want to achieve from your speaking engagement offers numerous advantages:

1. Enhanced Engagement:

When you tailor your message to meet the specific needs, interests, and goals of your audience, you capture their attention more effectively. By addressing topics that resonate with them and offering solutions to their challenges or concerns, you create a more engaging and meaningful experience for your listeners.

2. Increased Relevance:

By aligning your branded content with the priorities and objectives of your audience, your message becomes more relatable and applicable to their lives, making it more likely to resonate and leave a lasting impression.

3. Effective Communication:

Understanding your audience allows you to use language, examples, and analogies that resonate with their background and experiences.

4. Greater Impact:

By addressing the specific goals and aspirations of your audience, you can inspire and motivate them to take action. Whether it’s encouraging them to adopt new ideas, change behaviors, or pursue opportunities, focusing on their objectives increases the likelihood of achieving meaningful impact.

5. Better Feedback:

When you focus on your audience’s needs and objectives, you create opportunities for valuable feedback and interaction. By encouraging questions, comments, and dialogue, you gain insights into their concerns and preferences, allowing you to refine your message and delivery for future engagements.

Focusing on your audience and what they want to achieve from your speaking engagement not only enhances the effectiveness of your communication but also strengthens your connection with your listeners. By demonstrating relevance and delivering your presentation authentically, you create a more engaging and impactful experience that resonates with your audience long after your presentation is over.

If you’re inspired to learn an effective process of speaking, ways to authentically connect with your audience, and develop a strategy to produce outcomes from each and every presentation, register today for the Speaker Lab on June 26 with online feedback sessions on July 10 and 24 at: https://www.excellerateassociates.com/speaker-lab