Qualifying the venue
Why me? Why now? Why there? These questions should blink like a neon marquee every time anyone is asked, or asks their principal, to appear publicly. They most certainly will be top-of-mind with the audience.
Audiences are discriminating. They do want to hear your take on the state of the art. But above that, they want to know why they should care.
An audience is not simply a banquet room full of employees or customers or investors. They are also parents, citizens, people who share your concerns and aspirations.
At least, that had better be the case. It's an interesting quirk of psychology that unless people are predisposed to learn something from a source they trust, it is virtually impossible to teach them.
That's why qualifying the venue and establishing common ground is job one.
- Exactly when and where are you asked to appear? And again, why?
- What is the occasion's theme and full agenda?
- What are the audience demographics, biases, hot buttons?
- How much do they know about you or your organization?
- How closely are their interests aligned with yours?
- What call to action can they realistically take up?
DO NOT put pen to paper until you know precisely who your listeners are, what they expect of you and what you can expect of them.
Speaker’s Notebook: A Guide to Savvy Speechwriting