Ever had s
omething seemingly important to say to a group and wondered if they were paying attention? All those faces in a sea of possibility. An audience consisting of such a diversity of different personalities, communication preferences, and learning styles.
What are they really like? Well, what about these audience types? (By the way, these names are made up, have no connection with specific people and the mannerisms are overtly generalized for the benefit of creating a context)
Angry Al What about when someone wants to argue every point? Maybe the root is they feel threatened or challenged they may not know what they don’t know. Maybe they are defensive due to something else going on or you simply represent change and that may trigger fear.
Bettie Blank Face Ever have someone give you…nothing, no expression, no feedback, no body language whatsoever? Are you going too fast? Did she misunderstand something? Has it been too long since you’ve had a break? Is she happy, sad, overwhelmed or completely bought in? No clue.
Dave Doodler This can be complicated. Sometimes this is a sign of boredom or distraction. Other times this is precisely what a learner needs to do to facilitate the listening to learning process. Is this a respect thing or a way to actively listen?
Henry the Heckler This can be a touch of insecurity and self-deprecation mixed a smidgen of humor and honesty. For some, a skill which has evolved into an art form. For others, not so much. He waits, stalks the moment and unleashes his need or goal to be “funny”…to be a centerpiece of conversation.
Larry the Leader Larry is in charge of your audience. It is conceivable the learners may not fully contribute or be fully open because of a possible backlash. Is he only there for show and may very well skip out or is the intention to be accessible and contribute?
Irina the Involved She has totally shown up and typically has a comment for everything you do. She is your biggest fan. She is fully engaged. At times, she ends up finishing what you say and constantly nods “yes or no”. And you can count on her sufficiently raising her hand as much as you let her.
Nicole Needs Understanding The “Nicole’s of the world” respectfully challenge you during a presentation. It’s not a desire to be disruptive or really with any intention other than she needs time to fully understand what is going on. She questions, asks for clarification and needs further time for explanation.
Prove it Pete Pete is paying very close attention. He is scrutinizing it all and wants to know the ins and outs of everything you’re saying. He is more apt to noticeably challenge the knowledge and how it applies to the “real world” than keep it to himself. Maybe it’s validation. Maybe an astute ability for clarification.
Shay the Shy One You work the entire presentation to get her to open up only to realize she doesn’t like these types of meetings at all. You can physically see her fear of being called on or, oh my, being asked to be part of a role-play. The thought of being put on the spot and potentially judged is more catastrophic than failing at a task.
Tania the Telecom Titan “Seriously, do I need to take that thing away from you?” Tania is driven by some insatiable desire to connect during your presentation. And the reason can run the gambit. It can be a real need to get an update or a means to test control or maybe an unconscious habitual “gotta-do” thing.
If they are this or like that, then what? Bottom line, you just don’t know…not for sure what is driving these behaviors. If you do a lot of training sessions, you may very well pick up the signs and see certain patterns that lead you to distinct conclusions. Regardless, they all get to see your best. Especially these four things.
Be present. Not just physical presence, you must be and act beyond or outside your message. You must see everyone’s face and not worry about the content. Let the audience experience you first, message second.
Everyone gets to sit at the table. Nobody is perfect, you included. Do not let expectations about what a “good” audience should look like cloud the possibility of a connected audience. Wherever they may be, they get a place.
Establish the objective and do what it takes to get there. The goal always stays the same. The means to achieve it almost always changes. Focus on improvising or adapting with your audience to achieve the desired outcome.
Let your “A-Game” live out loud. Is this your first delivery or ten thousandth? Does it matter? It may very possibly be an audience’s first. They all deserve it.
I recently heard something very true…Clarity comes from engagement, not thought. So I will stop guessing about my audience and just be with them.
I also heard…I could agree with you, but then we would both be wrong. Probably not a good way to connect.