You're preparing to speak at an event. How can you ensure your topics resonate with the audience's needs?

Don't bomb your next speech! Here's how to captivate the crowd with topics that hit home: Audience Audit: Research their pain points, desires, and industry trends. Speak to their world, not yours. Become a Mind Reader (Almost): Anticipate their questions. Address them head-on, become their problem-solving superhero. Real-Life Examples: Stories and relatable anecdotes make your message stick. Be the motivational translator, turning complex ideas into clear takeaways. Interactive Icebreakers: Polls, Q&A sessions - get them involved! A captivated audience is a remembering audience. Remember, know your audience, speak their language, and ignite their curiosity. You'll leave them wanting more, like a rockstar with a killer encore.

When crafting content it all to easy to fall into the trap of finding comfort in large volumes of information. The audience can't keep up. Consider 3 points that you want to share and architect the content around them. They are your anchors. You want to ensure you stand out, less is often more when creating and being impactful. Your goal should be making the content as engaging and punchy as you can. Factor in, do you want the audience reading content or listening to you. They can't do both. Be aware your session is likely one of many, often you are competing with the monotony of the circuit. You want to captivate and aim to ensure people leave knowing more than when they arrive.

I research issues that have been publicized within the audience's demographic. Then, I review the conference or event's goals and connect my background to their needs. This can also mean reaching out to attendees early and/or other presenters to gain insight especially if they have presented with this group before.

Often event organisers prescribe how you can deliver your content. Ideally you don't want to be seated or static at a lectern. Where possible look to be able to move around allowing you to engage with the audience and maintain their attention. Use this to gauge the mood of the room and adapt where needed. Make it interactive, if people are disagreeing with the points you are making, welcome the feedback and insight. Now you're not taking at the audience, but drawing them into a debate. Accepting varied opinions is crucial to engaging with audience and acknowledging that there are other differing perspectives. If it is a static event use positive body language, most importantly enjoy the experience. If you are, likely the audience is too.