Target group is actually a misleading concept. Everyone is really listening only for himself. Every speaker immediately realizes that if he focuses on the specialists, the amateurs will be ignored. And if he focuses on the amateurs, the specialists won't learn anything.
And, this is where most speakers make their big mistake – they try to place themselves somewhere in the middle. But then the presentation will be too complicated for the amateurs and too simple for the specialists! Talk about missing the target!
Unfortunately, the problem is just as big as it seems to be. You have to be interesting to both groups, simultaneously.
Your likelihood of success will become obvious during your preparations._______When you write down your questions, you will see whether any of them are the same for both groups. If the two groups have nothing in common, be forewarned – a single presentation is probably not a good idea. Maybe each group should receive a separate presentation; possibly two different people should make the presentation.
In reality, whenever we give a presentation, we find ourselves facing a more or less mixed target group.
This compels us to use Headlining at the micro-level, i.e., even with single sentences and explanations. Start with a rough and general explanation, followed by more detail for the specialists. By doing things the other way around and starting with the "unintelligible" part, you risk losing the attention of the amateurs, who will begin to wonder what different specialized terms mean – or will just begin to think that the subject is beyond their comprehension.
Here are some examples:For difficult words, "forewarn, repeat and follow-up":
- - This equipment will not meet your requirements, the memory capacity is not sufficient. For those of you who are computer specialists, I can add that at least 10 gigabytes would be needed, as opposed to the 800 megabytes available...
- - This will require a medicine to reduce swelling. Naprosyn, for example,...
- - Our financial situation is precarious with only small cash reserves and larger loans than are wise – our debt-equity ratio is 18 to 1 ....
- An Israeli author with the unusual name Schadkan
- (spelled S-C-H-A-D-K-A-N),
- - which in Hebrew means marriage broker or matchmaker...
- This produces what in nuclear physics is called fusion.
- Fusion, with an "u", is not to be confused with fission, which instead refers to ..
.
A wise person once commented upon the problem of facing a mixed audience: Never overestimate your listeners' level of knowledge, but never underestimate their intelligence!
For deeper studies read
my book "Bottom Line on Top" (ISBN 91-971735-4-1)
Back to my Home Page