Presentations (HBR 20-Minute Manager Series)

Know Your Audience

The better you understand your audience’s goals and concerns, the more likely you are to achieve your objective and your desired outcomes. And the better able you will be to measure those successes.

The audience, not the presenter, is the heart of any presentation. To figure out what makes it tick, answer these questions:

1.  How big will the group be? Who will be absent? Are you expecting 5, 15, or 50 people? The size of the audience affects the type of presentation you’ll give and the resources you’ll need (see “Identify Your Resources” later in this book). Keep track of which people can’t attend. Absent stakeholders are stake holders nonetheless; you’ll want to follow up with them afterward.

2.  What roles do your audience ...