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BY TJ Walker

How do I know what messages and topics will be most interesting to my audience?

The following comes from TJ Walker’s upcoming book “The Wisdom of Your Audience”. Consistently, the worst advice speakers and presenters get, comes from everyone who is NOT your audience. The following gives examples of some of the WORST advice people are often given. It is followed by the advice of your audience. Listen to them. They are your true judge and jury.

How do I know what messages and topics will be most interesting to my audience?

BAD ADVICE:

Director of Marketing Research: “We will conduct a market survey and get back to you in three weeks.”

Director of Public Relations: “Let’s give a brief history of our organization, outline our core strengths, and then cover all of our major accomplishments from the last 6-12 months.”

You: “I want to cover all my bases. I’d rather err on the side of being too thorough. That way, no one can criticize me for leaving anything out. I’ll cover every major accomplishment I can think of from the last 2 years.”

***

GOOD ADVICE:

Your Audience: “Why don’t you just ask us? Pick up the phone and call a few of us a week or two before the speech. Tell us your topic and then ask us what we’d like to hear if we could have a one-on-one conversation with you for an hour. Ask us what questions we would toss your way. Throw out a dozen ideas and see which ones we like. After about 10 minutes, we will help you come up with literally a handful (that means 5) ideas and messages you should cover in your speech.”

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Managing Editor: Jess Todtfeld
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