Some Dos And Don’ts
Do:
Make it personal.
Be empathetic.
Be responsive to the needs of the audience.
Be sincere.
Use stories of human interest.
Show the real you.
Make it interactive.
Be friendly.
Have a ‘chatty’ conversational style.
Talk feelings.
Don’t:
Put your audience down.
Talk at the audience.
Pick on an individual.
Be in their face.
Argue.
Be sarcastic.
Be cynical.
Analytical (Susanne)
These people are analytical, logical, rational, principled and are driven to get things right. They strive for perfection and like order, structure and procedures. They think before they speak and are conservative by nature. They speak in a deliberate, controlled way with little inflection or expression to the voice. They tend to be formal and distant with few facial expressions.
As presenters, they like to deal with facts rather than opinions or human-interest stories. Their energy is low and they are inclined to present lots of information, which has been thoroughly researched. They may even overrun on time to ensure the audience has all the relevant data. They will appreciate detailed handouts to read at their leisure after the presentation.
Your credibility is linked to how you demonstrate your knowledge of your subject and to presenting this in a logical, structured way. You are likely to be taken more seriously if you mention the problems up front and deal with them as part of your presentation.
Analytical are often found in audiences where there are accountants, engineers, systems analysts and computer programmers.
Some Dos And Don’ts
Do:
Be structured.
Provide an overview and stick to it.
Make your case in a logical, ordered way.
Provide proof and data.
Give lots of supportive evidence.
Cover all the aspects.
Notice problems and difficulties.
Keep your energy low.
Be serious.
Provide lots of statistics.
Provide detailed handouts.
Deal with facts rather than opinions.
Be accurate.
Be unemotional.
Don’t:
Talk feelings.
Be interactive.
Exaggerate or overstate.
Use superlatives.
Jump from idea to idea.
Plead or use emotional blackmail.
Show a slide with even the smallest mistake.
Socialisers (Leroy)
These are fairly easy-going, open-minded people who like to experiment and to try new ways of doing things. They like variety and there can be surprises when they present.
They are inclined to communicate in an enthusiastic, dramatic way with lots of inflection in the voice. They share
feelings and stories and they like to hear the opinions of others. They are inclined to use superlatives. They bore easily and like variety. Generally they want an easy-going, fun relationship with the speaker and want the presentation to be entertaining as well as informative.
Socialisers are often found in audiences of people who have glamorous, high-profile jobs: entertainers, public relations and TV people.
Some Dos And Don’ts
Do:
Don’t:
In your audience you are likely to have a mix of these personality types. With select groups you are likely to have a dominant type (e.g. the majority of salespeople are likely to be go-getters). You could expect most accountants to be analyticals and nurses to be mainly carers.
Your success as a presenter comes from noticing the dominant type of your audience and matching your presentation style to this, even if it is uncomfortable for you. Because something is uncomfortable does not mean it is wrong, it just means you haven’t been doing it regularly. Successful people do the uncomfortable. This is one of the reasons why they are successful. Stay within your comfort zone and you limit your success. Experiencing discomfort could be a sign you are taking yourself to the next level.
Summary
Your audience will be made up of different personality types.
Go-getters will want you to be short, snappy and to the point.
Carers will want to ‘connect’ with you.
Analyticals will want you to be detailed, structured and precise.
Socialisers will want you to be entertaining and enthusiastic.
Take your presenting to the next level by matching your
style to the needs of your audience.