I was asked to coach the CFO for a company in downtown Houston. I asked her more about why we were meeting. She said, “I told them (her audience) they complain too much and they should like this new HR plan. Later my boss (CEO) said I came across harsh and abrasive.” Wow… you think so? As she shared more about how she spoke to her organization, I had a flashback to when I broke one of Grandma’s favorite china pieces and now I was getting a tongue lashing before being sent to my room to “think about what I’ve done.”

Here is what I’ve learned. This is a poor way for a leader to inspire a group to action. I’ve seen this type of approach before and even if it does move the audience to action, they almost always do it out of compliance, not commitment. That means they do it with negative feelings, not positive.

So if you want to get the job done at the expense of how they feel about you or the company, go ahead. Just remember, you can only go back to this well so many times before the crew starts a mutiny.

The Problem

Over the years I’ve coached a lot of speakers and I still consistently see a shallow approach to preparation. The entire focus of developing and delivering a message is on what the speaker wants to accomplish with the talk. In other words, what is the speaker’s goal for the speech? What is the desired outcome?

In business, people are used to setting goals for every project. This is nothing new to them. Set a goal, then achieve that goal! So it doesn’t really surprise me when I see business professionals approach public speaking and presentations the same way.

You’re probably thinking right now, “What’s so wrong with setting a goal? That sounds like a good thing to do!” And to answer your question, NOTHING is wrong with setting a goal. It is a great thing to do! BUT… it’s only half the equation. Most of these same presenters who set a goal for speaking stop right there. They’re always very clear about their goal for speaking. But, they almost never define the current location of their audience. What does the audience want?

“ If you don’t know where you’re going, you might end up someplace else. —YOGI BERRA

The Solution

You’ve got to answer the question, “Where is my audience at today?” I was born and raised in Austin, Texas, but we currently live about 30 miles outside of town. Let’s imagine my wife calls me from Austin one day because she’s lost and all gps is not functioning on her devices. She says to me, “Russ, I’m in Austin and I’m lost. I need you to give me directions so I can get home.” What is my first question to her? Exactly… “Where are you?”

Now, grant it, she is lost so she may not be able to answer me exactly, but she could still look around to give me some hints on her current location. This is a logical question to ask when you want to give someone directions. Where are you right now? In fact, if you start giving directions without asking this question, you may end up directing them to the wrong destination!

This same logic applies to anyone wanting to move their audience to a new location. You can set a goal for where you want to take the audience, but if you start giving them directions to that new location without knowing where they are today, your audience may end up someplace else by the time you’re done.

“ The audience knows when you’re speaking to yesterday’s audience. —RUSS PETERSON JR.

The Approach

We teach a method for preparation using the analogy of a bridge over a canyon. The other side of the canyon is the destination, or the goal. The audience is currently on one side of the canyon, opposite of the goal, and there is no bridge to get across. The audience not only needs a bridge, they also need the motivation or inspiration to make the trip across. This is the job of the speaker.

You can define the current location of your audience by answering just 3 questions:

• WHO is your audience?
  Are they salespeople? Accountants? Your team? Executives? A customer? A vendor? A group of new hires? Do your best to define what they have in common and how they may differ. Overall, you want a good understanding of the areas you can appeal to for inspiration. Look for commonalities.
• How much do they currently KNOW?
  What does your audience know and understand about the topic you are presenting to them? Are they subject matter experts? Do they know more than you? Do they even know what you’re talking about today? Have they heard of the project initiative but they don’t know their role yet? Do they think they know everything but they really don’t? What is their level of understanding?
• How much do they really CARE?
  Is this topic something they are interested in? If so, why? Do they care about this project? Do they care about the outcomes? Do they care about you? Do they feel like they are part of a team? Do they feel encouraged by you? Threatened by you? Do they feel like they have a voice? Do they feel like you care about them? If the audience understands the why behind the message and the direction, they are more likely to care deeply. Do your best to figure out how much they care today and use this to meet the audience where they are today.

“ If you’re going to connect, people need to know that you understand them. —JOHN C. MAXWELL

Meet them where they are today

Once you’ve defined the current state of your audience, you’re not done. Even after completing these questions, I still see speakers construct a message that places themselves (the speaker) on the destination side of the canyon (the goal) when the message begins. Picture this, you (the speaker) are standing on the other side of a royal gorge and you’re shouting to the audience to make changes, build a bridge and then cross the bridge to join you.

That sounds like a lot of hard work… and it is! The best speakers meet their audience where they are today. The best speakers come alongside the audience to explain how they too were once at this same starting point. The best speakers connect with the audience’s feelings as they stand on one side of the canyon, gazing across at the other side.

Then, after pointing out the far side of the canyon (the goal), the speaker shows why it’s so important for the team to get to the other side. Finally, the speaker explains how the bridge can be built. At this point, something amazing happens… the speaker can be trusted, the goal is seen as a worthy goal making the audience part of a story bigger than themselves, and the plan for getting there doesn’t seem so daunting.

Now… the audience will not only comply with the plan, they will be committed to the plan!

Try this preparation for your next presentation or speaking engagement. Let me know how it goes!

Best,