March 2009

Delivering a good talk on behalf of your business or community group is a wonderful opportunity to enhance the reputation of your organisation.

Whether you are speaking on behalf of your organisation at a meeting, pitching for work or delivering training sessions, you want your message to be clear, on point and well received by your audience.

Key points to consider for tailoring your talk to suit an audience include:

• the profile of the group you are speaking to, such as small to medium business owners or experienced team leaders from company x.
• why the audience is coming along to hear your talk
• expectations of the audience, such as whether they are enthusiastic to hear the points being made
• the knowledge and experience of your audience on your speaking topic
• the overall theme of the speaking event, such as the conference theme
• the expectations of the event organisers, particularly length of speaking time
• key messages you want the audience to take away
• what you want to achieve from delivering the talk to the audience.

Considering what your audience wants to hear, what your event organiser expects and what you want to achieve from your talk helps you to direct your efforts to an outcome that will suit all parties.

Ideally, your talk will be an opportunity to share your insight and experience, and to make a favourable impression with your audience.