Find and Cater to Your Audience

Kind of crazy, but I have been presenting on leadership and career development for over a decade now. I was taking a walk down memory lane and stumbled across one of my earliest slide decks. I actually thought it was great. Many of the ideas and style carry through to today.

The problem was that my audience reacted with blank stares and silence throughout. I have attached pictures from some of the slides for your entertainment.

So, what went wrong? Well, primarily, my audience was not interested in leadership development, the main topic of the presentation. Obviously, that makes things more difficult. But I could have made things better by meeting my audience where they were and grounding the conversation closer to their needs and comfort.

Landing this dud presentation infused with my personal inspiration on a topic I am deeply passionate about set me back a bit. But I didn’t give up. You have to search out your people. I have strong feelings and opinions, but I have learned to tailor them to my audience. You can and should be original, but remember that the ultimate goal is to land your message. It isn’t only on your terms; it is also on your audience’s terms.