Permission is given to reprint the following articles, provided that the following contact information is provided in its entirety. 

© by Bonnie Budzowski, President of InCredible Messages, LP. 
Visit  www.IncredibleMessages.com or contact Bonnie at info@IncredibleMessages.com. 

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Facing an Audience?
Perform a Background Check—On Yourself!

By Bonnie Budzowski
President, InCredible Messages, LP

An accomplished medical researcher told me about a presentation she had recently made. “I gave too much background and had to rush when explaining the clinical implications.” “Who was the audience?” I asked. The answer: “A group of clinicians.”

It’s natural for a researcher, project manager, or technical specialist to structure a presentation chronologically. It’s natural to expect the background information to lend weight to the finale—the conclusion or recommendation. It’s natural, that is, if you’re thinking from a speaker’s perspective.

From an audience’s perspective, this “natural” approach can be boring and unproductive. Chances are you’ve had the experience—as an audience member—of feeling your eyes glaze over when a presenter droned on about background or technical details that seemed irrelevant to you.

The audience comes for the finale. They are interested in background details only to the point that the details clarify or support the recommendation or results. Provide a taste of the finale at the start, even give the punch line, and you grab the audience’s attention and provide a framework to put the details that follow into perspective.

Next time you face an audience, remember that it’s your job to think like the audience and to structure your presentation accordingly. Perform a background check—on yourself.
 

Permission is granted to reprint this article when the following contact information is included: © 2011 by Bonnie Budzowski, President of InCredible Messages, LP. For more free articles, go to www.IncredibleMessages.com or contact Bonnie at info@IncredibleMessages.com.

When it’s time to create “killer content” in a book or speech that establishes credibility and boosts your revenue, Bonnie Budzowski is the perfect resource.  An expert in communication, Bonnie specializes in coaching authors and speakers to organize & express thoughts in ways that capture attention, sell their ideas, and move people to action.  Bonnie helps her clients build content with less time and angst than they dream possible. 

Bonnie Budzowski is Founder of inCredible Messages, Past President of the National Speakers Association, Pittsburgh Chapter, and Past Managing Editor of Speaker Magazine.

If you’d like to sell your ideas, boost your influence, or advance your career through a book or presentation, call Bonnie at 412-828-1629, bonnie@inCredibleMessages.com or visit her website at www.inCredibleMessages.com. 

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