Knowing Your Audience: A Guide for ESL Students

The room is quiet, and you have the projector and computer ready with your Power Point. All eyes in the room are on you. You've practiced your presentation; you're knowledgeable about your material; you're ready for any question the audience can throw at you; you're dressed for the occasion. . .You've made every possible preparation of which you could think. Or did you?

Did you consider the most vital of all preparations? Did you think about who your audience is? Did you think of the individuals in the audience and of the group as a whole? Who are they?

As you give your presentations in English, knowing who your audience is can help cut down on the nervousness you may feel before you give your speech. It can help you prepare for any questions they may have, and it can help you determine what kind of language you want to use in your presentation. For example, do you want to use formal or informal words?

Consider these questions when preparing your presentation in English:

1.) Who, exactly, is the audience? Think about demographics: age, gender, socio-economic status, etc. Also think about the roles that the audience members may fill in society. Are they managers, city councilpersons, neighborhood leaders, business colleagues, fellow ESL students? Once you know something about who is coming to your presentation, do some research about the different groups of which they are part. Doing so can give you clues as to what kind of mood the people will be in when they come to your presentation, what they are interested in hearing especially from your speech, and something in general about their backgrounds.

2.) What does the audience want to hear? You can tell what the audience wants to hear in several ways. Before your presentation, think about coming to your presentation as if you were a member of your audience. Do you really care about last year's sales goals if you are a manager whose latest project involves cutting costs? Probably not. Thinking about your presentation through your audience members' eyes can give you insight into which parts of your presentation you might want to spend more time on and those that you may not.

Will your audience members be likely to ask questions? Are they naturally curious people? Do you think they'll respond to your presentation in such a way that they will want to know more? If so, you should be prepared to answer the different kinds of questions you think they may come up with for you. A teenager is not as likely to ask the same kinds of questions about your topic as a senior engineer at your company.

3.) What clues does the audience give during the presentation? Pay close attention to the cues your audience gives you during your presentation. Are people yawning? Are they looking everywhere in the room but at you? Or are they genuinely focused on what you are saying? Do they have confused looks on their faces? If people look confused, it might be a good time to stop your presentation and make sure that everyone is following what you are saying. Are you speaking clearly and loudly enough?

Paying close attention to who is in your audience. Try to make some jokes at the beginning of the speech. See how the audience responds. If people are laughing, keep your tone more light-hearted during your presentation. If not, cut to the chase (Say only the important things in your presentation.), and keep things more solemn and serious. Leave time for questions if you can. Thinking through these questions can help your presentation in English go more smoothly and successfully.

Resources:

A site about giving presentations.

A site about knowing your audience.

A site about giving speeches and presentations specifically for ESL students.