Structuring a Presentation for Different Audiences

You might be making a huge mistake in your presentations— And it has nothing to do with your slides or delivery. Sure, those things matter… …but there’s a crucial step most people miss: 🎯 Knowing your audience Think about it— If you were writing a letter to someone you love… …would you start with “To whom it may concern?” Of course not. You’d think about: → Who they are → What they care about → How you want to make them feel The same goes for presentations— If you don't consider your audience, you might as well be talking to an empty room. So, how do you tailor your message? ↴ 1️⃣ Know their pain points → What keeps your audience up at night? → What challenges are they facing? Address those concerns head-on and show how your ideas can help. 2️⃣ Speak their language Skip the jargon and use words that resonate. Presenting to executives? → Discuss bottom-line impact Marketers? → Talk about engagement and ROI Developers? → Get technical with specs and features The key here is to frame your message in terms that matter most to your audience— Show them you understand their world and priorities. 3️⃣ Tell a compelling story People remember stories, not statistics. Use anecdotes, examples, and analogies to make your points stick. Suppose you’re presenting to a group of execs about a new software solution. Instead of diving into technical details… → Share a story about how one of their competitors struggled with manual data entry errors that cost them a major client Then, show how your software could’ve prevented that from happening. When you make your *story* relevant and relatable… ↳ You grab their attention and make your *point* memorable So, next time you're getting ready to present, remember: A great presentation isn’t about you—it’s about your audience. Know them. Speak to them. …and watch your ideas take flight.

Here’s how I turn one keynote talk into infinite customized talks. It all starts with this: I built my talk modularly. For context: I speak to many different audiences, who have many different needs. Making a new talk for everyone is impossible — but I want to serve every client uniquely. A modular structure fixes that. The intro and outro are the same (and I improvise personalization for each audience). Then the meat of the talk is built on modules. Each module is about 7-12 minutes long. I start each with a big idea, then tell a compelling story to illustrate it, then offer a takeaway and exercise. Over time, I add, refine, and retire modules. I have five active ones now, and maybe 10 that I've retired. When I’m hired to speak, I do an intro call with the client to learn about the audience, their needs, and their interests. Based on that, as well as how much time I have on stage (30 minutes? 45? 60?), I assemble the talk. Maybe I’ll use the intro, plus modules 1, 2, 4, and 5, and then the outro — and no Q&A. Maybe I’ll use the intro, plus modules 2, 3, and 4, and then the outro — and 15 min of Q&A. Or whatever. A talk easily snaps into place. In my notes, I also give myself suggestions of how each module connects to a certain audience need. For example: If they’re going through X, then I can relate that to a point I make in Module 2. As a result, I have one talk that can be used and delivered in infinite ways — giving me more opportunities to work with clients, but with a lot less work. Want to be more strategic about YOUR work? My newsletter can help — subscribe for free at jasonfeifer.com/newsletter (Or want to explore my speaking at your event? Info at jasonfeifer.com/speaking)

🎯"𝑰𝒕 𝒅𝒐𝒆𝒔𝒏'𝒕 𝒎𝒂𝒕𝒕𝒆𝒓, 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒚𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒏𝒆𝒆𝒅𝒔 𝒕𝒐 𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒓 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒎𝒆𝒔𝒔𝒂𝒈𝒆." I hear this from executives all the time, and it makes me cringe. Here's why:   Recently, I worked with a senior executive preparing to speak at two events. She had one powerful message about innovation and digital transformation. But here's the catch – her audiences couldn't have been more different:   🎤 Event 1: Industry leaders at a major conference 🎤 Event 2: Small business owners at a local entrepreneurship summit   Same message. Different rooms. Different needs.   Initially, she resisted adapting her content. But here's what happened when she did: The entrepreneurs gave such positive feedback, they invited her back as a keynote speaker. Why? Because she stopped presenting AT them and started speaking TO them. Here's the truth: Your brilliant content means nothing if your audience can't connect with it. Whether you're in a 1:1 sales meeting or speaking to 30,000 people, success hinges on one question:   "WIIFY" - What's In It For You? (From their perspective, not yours)   Before your next presentation, ask yourself: 💡 What keeps my audience up at night? 💡 How can I solve their specific problems? 💡 What might make them resist my message? 💡 What action do I want them to take?   Remember: Your audience isn't there to hear you speak. They're there to discover how you can help them succeed. 🔑 𝑲𝒆𝒚 𝑻𝒂𝒌𝒆𝒂𝒘𝒂𝒚: 𝑺𝒕𝒐𝒑 𝒄𝒓𝒂𝒇𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒎𝒆𝒔𝒔𝒂𝒈𝒆𝒔 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒘𝒂𝒏𝒕 𝒕𝒐 𝒅𝒆𝒍𝒊𝒗𝒆𝒓. 𝑺𝒕𝒂𝒓𝒕 𝒄𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒎𝒆𝒔𝒔𝒂𝒈𝒆𝒔 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒂𝒖𝒅𝒊𝒆𝒏𝒄𝒆 𝒏𝒆𝒆𝒅𝒔 𝒕𝒐 𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒓. Has adapting your message for different audiences ever led to unexpected success? Share your experience below! 👇   #PublicSpeaking #Leadership #OwnYourStage #AudienceEngagement