Who is your audience?

At the outset of any specific communications activity, it is critical to determine who your audience is, and then tailor your message to that audience.

If you are preparing for a media interview, what is the media outlet? Is it print, radio, TV or online? Is it a general interest, mainstream outlet that informs a broad audience or is it a publication geared to a specific segment of the population?

If you’ve been invited to speak at an event, who will be in attendance? Are they members of the organization or is the event open to the general public? Have they paid to attend or is it presented free of charge? How has the event been marketed to attendees, and what are their expectations? What level of understanding of your subject area does the audience have? Will they understand technical jargon and acronyms or should you take a bit of time to explain your industry’s terminology?

Your duty as a communicator is to inform, and usually, to persuade. Taking the time to do a bit of research and learn about your audience will allow you to accomplish both goals with ease.

If you’ve got a big media interview or speech coming up, I can help you to prepare. Let’s discuss how you can effectively inform and persuade your audience at your next event!