Public Speaking Tips: Know the Audience

Video Transcript

"OK, getting ready to deliver the great speech. One of the important things that you have to do is know your audience. We've talked about this before, and you probably have a really good sense of your audience, that's how you picked your topic and that's how you wrote your speech based on that audience. Well, the reason the audience is so important for delivery, is is it formal? Is it informal? What is the group like? What is the situation like? What is the speech like? Because you want to present yourself in the certain manner in which your audience is expecting you to present yourself. If it's a very laid back crowd, and a very laid back situation, you don't want to present yourself very formally. Or they won't respond to you. Yet, if it is a very formal setting, with a very formal audience, you don't want to present yourself too laid back. Because then they might find it, I don't know, disrespectful, or they'll have a harder time making the connection. So the first thing you have to establish in what is your style of presenting. And everybody has their own style, but that style needs to change a little bit with each speech depending on your audience. So establish what is your style going to be for this particular speech."