Crafting a decent presentation requires a lot of effort.
There’s content that needs to be perfect with well-researched, relevant information and on-point design principles.
Next comes the delivery with everything under scanner – from how you dress up, tone, pitch, volume, and body language to how effectively you get your message across and post-presentation follow-ups.
In the intimidating mix, there are a few things that, if in favor, can help ease off the pressure a bit, like presenting to a familiar audience. At least you know who you will be catering to, their skill set, knowledge level, and expectations from you. You can draft the content accordingly and form an easy and quick connection.
But what if you are made to stand in front of people completely unknown and unfamiliar? For a presenter, it’s something more likely to happen than not.
Presenting to an unfamiliar audience could be anything like speaking at a conference or presenting to a company you have no experience with. This article is a quick guide to help you prepare for situations like that. Read on to know how.
Tips to Establish Credibility and Connection With Unfamiliar Audiences
Luckily, in the times we live in, you can (with research) learn a lot about the people and environment without having to leave your space.
One thing you should never do is craft a generic presentation and hope that it will work in every scenario.
The following tips will help you tread uncharted territory with grace and ease.
1. Make Contact With the Point of Contact
When you have no idea who your people are, the first logical step would be to contact someone who does. Contact the organizer or the person who hired you for the event.
They might be able to give you a little idea about the audience and what they will be receptive towards.
You can enquire about the following things –
- Awareness of the audience regarding your topic.
- If they do know a little, how have they perceived that?
- Demographics
- What is the source of their information about this topic?
- Style of presentation/information they are receptive towards.
- Other presentations on the same topic. If yes, how did that go?
- Attendees’ list.
- Any other information you should have to make a positive impact.
2. Do Preliminary Research
Once you get hold of the attendee list, deep dive into research to get an idea about the audience. It will help you tailor your content to people’s knowledge levels, needs, and interests, avoiding mistakes and errors or including information that could harm your credibility.
Try covering the following areas of information –
- How Well They Understand the Topic
The person in charge will have given some information about this, but it would be wise on your part to drill down further. Knowing this will help you draft the content accordingly – complexity of the information, jargon, etc.
While it’s a task to look into each individual, what you can do is find information on their company.
Go through the web pages, socials, and other marketing/advertising material to learn their standing on the topic.
Note – Depending on the size of the crowd, try to cover random people to cover a good chunk (since it’s not possible to cover all). Based on that, you can get a relative idea of the entire set.
- Take Help of Social
Google search their personal or company’s social accounts, articles/papers they have written, or any other information. It will let you know their characteristics and interests.
It will also give you an idea about how formal/casual the company/group is by looking at the pictures they post or the information they share.
If the setting is casual, you don’t want to appear too stuffy or unrelatable by being formal. Similarly, you might appear disrespectful and lose credibility in the vice-versa situation.
Also, be ready to adapt according to the mood and culture in your actual interaction during the presentation.
- Industry News
Look for important information or breaking news about the industry your audience is part of. You might be an expert in your field but not necessarily in theirs.
It will let them know that you have done your homework and took time to learn about their challenges and needs, which will help build a bond.
3. Find Out Things They Take Pride in
Get an idea regarding this based on what they feature the most. Look at what’s at the forefront of their marketing/media campaigns, web pages, etc.
Is it their range of services and products? Their vision for the future? How do they desire to contribute to the world? What is their mission?
Once you have established what your audience is proud of – include that in your speech. Specific, well-intentioned, and authentic praise fosters an instant bonding with the audience.
For instance, if the company is pushing hard for inclusivity in the workplace, you can praise them by saying that you saw it on the website and praise them for providing equal opportunities. It will motivate people to do the good work and open them up to you.
4. Imitate Their Language
Every group or organization has some core words that they really relate to. Look in their marketing and media campaigns for phrases/words that illuminate their core value- big, bold, or repetitive words.
Have you ever noticed that people who work in close proximity sound alike? It’s because one of the ways the brain builds connection is through emulation.
You can use the communication tactic called mirroring to speak the same language and instill some familiarity.
Research studies indicate that when someone mirrors your words and behavior, the areas that get activated are those of reward and end up making you feel good.
Therefore, it’s literally rewarding for people to hear you refer to their value words in your speech. Also, let them know how you and your concept align with their core values.
5. Introduce Yourself and the Topic
Give a brief introduction about yourself. The information to include is your name, credentials, previous roles/activities, current research, affiliation, and passion and qualification concerning the presentation topic.
The first few minutes are critical to establish credibility and build a strong impression. So, start strong to capture your audience’s attention and keep them curious.
Also, let them know how your information will help their business. By listing some advantages and benefits in the beginning, you will surely secure their attention for the length of the presentation.
6. Honesty and Transparency Go a Long Way
One of the quickest and sure-shot ways to establish credibility and form a connection with people is by being transparent and honest.
Don’t try to distort, exaggerate, hide information, or promise something you can’t deliver. Also, be honest about your shortcomings, i.e., if there are any flaws in the presentation, like gaps in the reasoning, research, etc.
Acknowledging it would show people that you are trustworthy and accountable. It will also exhibit confidence and humility on your part. All these traits are essential to build a connection and will get you off to a confident start.
7. Engage People
A presentation is crafted for the audience – to inspire, educate, inform, entertain, or train them. For that to happen, you must capture people’s attention and maintain that throughout the presentation.
If you keep people engaged, they will be more focused on your words, and you will have better chances to demonstrate the significance of your topic to them.
- Physical Engagement
The brain follows the body. Anything you do for physical engagement will automatically make people attentive towards you.
Include physical engagement through activities like having them read something, click on a link, raise hands, or virtual reactions (in case of an online meeting).
These things will ensure that the audience is participative in your communication and not just there as an observer.
- Mental Engagement
The audience tends to zone out after a flush of information or start multitasking due to a short attention span.
To counter that, try fostering cognitive engagement in people. You can use techniques like posing thought-provoking questions, incorporating catchy data and stats in your content, and introducing smart analogies.
- Linguistic Engagement
Try using inclusive words and phrases or referring to shared experiences and perspectives to engage people linguistically.
Referring to people by their name is one of the highest forms of engagement for anyone.
You can also make people imagine a future (what if you could/imagine) or take them to the past (remember when) to engage them.
Shared experiences and beliefs will create a common ground for you and the audience to build forward from, for instance, how your goals align.
- Visual Engagement
Visual engagement means including infographics, videos, images, and other visual elements in your presentation to grab and sustain the audience’s attention. Visuals also add interactivity, create emotional connection, and convey complex information with simplicity.
To ensure visual coherence, you can consider using high-quality presentation templates that can be easily customized according to your needs.
8. Work on Creating Catchy and Powerful Content
Let’s look at this a little differently. If you deliver a strong presentation with appropriate content, people won’t care much about whether they know anything about you or not.
Great orators, all the time, face an unknown crowd, and it’s actually their work that makes people connect to them. So, instead of stressing about other things unnecessarily, put all your energy and effort into creating a powerful and engaging presentation.
It’s your work that will speak to people and keep them hooked, and that’s all the introduction your audience will need.
Note – One trick you can follow is – think of all the questions people can ask related to your content and draft the structure accordingly. It will help you cover only the important and relevant parts while keeping the presentation comprehensive.
9. Share Anecdotes, Stories, and Examples
Struggles and frailties have a way of connecting people, for it’s something everyone goes through in their lives.
Communicating your journey, failures, and success stories can help them form a strong bond and unify with you against uncomfortable past scenarios.
Sharing personal stories in an honest space will enable people to lower their resistance, accept new ideas, see through you, and trust you better.
When people start relating to you this way, you will immediately tread through the barrier of an alien crowd.
Incorporate 2 to 3 stories in a single speech. Communicate it in bits and connect them (in the end) to show the complete picture and how you overcame your troubles.
10. Cite Your Sources
Substantiating your claims with credible sources is another way to establish trust and credibility in an unfamiliar scenario.
It will let people know that you have been thorough with your research and preparation, are not plagiarizing (credibility), and give due credit to other people for their work (integrity).
For clarity, you can cite the sources both verbally and on the slides. Mention the author’s name, title, date, and a reference list with the information.
Remember to use only credible websites, academic journals, and other sources for gathering information. Refrain from including sources that are unreliable, biased, and outdated.
11. Be Confident
Just remember that every orator, at some point, has to start dealing with uncharted waters.
Prepare and practice your content well, be ready to improvise wherever needed, reach the venue early, work on positive and clear verbal/non-verbal communication, and do meditation and other practices to calm your nerves – all of this will give you the necessary confidence to speak freely and not be deterred by the unfamiliarity of it all.
Final Thoughts
Good research, some effort, and a little bit of ingenuity will help you not go blind into an unfamiliar situation.
Find specific areas you can focus on (regarding your audience and presentation setting) and build on that to connect with people.
Follow the guidelines, and you are good to go!
