Checkliste 1: Lernen Sie Ihr Publikum kennen

Checklist 1: Get to know your audience

|Tom Schweitzer
Find out as much as you can about your target audience. The more you know about your listeners, the better you can address them in your presentation and tailor the presentation environment to their needs. Remember why you're on stage: everything you have to say could just as easily be speaking to a wall – if it weren't for the audience. Ultimately, you want to convey a message. Therefore, address the needs and requirements of your audience. Only an interested and satisfied audience makes for a good presentation!
What you should know about your audience:
  • Are they colleagues, experts, or laypersons?
  • How many participants are there?
  • Are important figures, press, or other media present?
  • Are there any foreign-language speakers in your audience to whom you might need to adapt your presentation language?
  • What prior knowledge might your listeners/participants have about your topic?
  • Are there any guests who require special attention and a seat reservation, or is a separate announcement necessary?
  • Are any physically or mentally disabled people attending the event, and does the use of media need to be adapted to these guests?
Giving presentations abroad can be a challenge:
  • Is it possible to give the presentation in the local language?
  • Are there any country-specific characteristics that should be taken into account?
  • What is an appropriately polite, but not overly formal, greeting?
  • Is an interpreter necessary or available?
Consider the presence of press and media:
  • Is attendance desired or even necessary?
  • The issue of foreign language skills should also be taken into account here.
  • Should/must company-internal media/magazines be included?
By paying attention to these points, you will offer your listeners an experience that is optimally tailored to them. You can download the checklist as a PDF file here: Checklist 1_Get to know your audience In the following article , you will learn how to ensure that nothing goes wrong with your presentation materials and what you should pay attention to during the presentation.