Delivering audience focused presentations

Tips on building audience-focusedpresentations

Building a great presentation starts with studying the anticipated audience.

Capturing and holding audience attention is a huge challenge for every presenter. For

one thing, a presenter has to compete with Facebook, Whatsapp, Twitter, Candycrush

and all the other features a smartphone has to offer.

At SOAP we have a saying: just as a traveler has to be well prepared for the trip, a

presenter needs to be well prepared to reach the destination. Really, have you ever

traveled without knowing where you were going? Without knowing if it would be cold or

warm there?

So then to sum up: To create a presentation you need to be prepared, and you will be

prepared only if you know how to speak with the audience and who that audience will be.

To get you there, we’re giving you some key questions that should be answered even

before you start creating a presentation, to help you know your audience.

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Knowing the purpose of a presentation

means analyzing in depth what actions

you expect of an audience once you’ve

finished. This means you have to decide

on the desired impact. What do you

want your audience to do after the

presentation?

(For example, a goal could be to

schedule a second meeting to delve into

details and close a deal.)

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This is the information that can guide the

tone of the presentation. Would it make sense to use slang with a crowd of very formal people? You get the idea….


Figure out what your audience already

knows about the subject.

Do not underestimate the intelligence of

an audience. Repeating information the

listeners already know is the fastest way to

lose their attention and their focus on you.


Remember: the audience isn’t interested in what you do. They’re interested in how

you can help them.

Talking about what you do, how you do it and why you do it isn’t something

audiences value. So focus your main message on how all of what you’re saying

can benefit them.

Bottom-line, be relevant to your audience.


Try to determine how long you’ll need to explain each key item, and how much time it will take for the entire presentation.

That thing people say, that each slide equals 1 minute? It’s a myth!

A slide can be on the screen much more or much less than a minute. It all depends on your objective and how you organize the slide content.

Also, a presentation should ideally take up to 40% of meeting time; the other 20% should be used for discussion and Q&A.

It’s also worth noting that if there are going to be important people in the audience, people who have little time to waste, you should try to be able to summarize the presentation, omitting whatever details you have to, so as to finish your speech while they’re still in the audience.


Lectures forfew people

Meetings with just a few people

In the third case it’s important to follow the main

theme of the event, adapting everything to it, so

the audience won’t feel lost.

Presentations at eventsfor a lot of people


Always remember: some presentations can be visually appealing, with little text per slide, while a self-explanatory presentation has to convey the whole message and so requires more text on-screen.

(If there is a possibility of using both scenarios, you’ll need two different presentation files.)


It’s not uncommon to find some audience members who leave you confused or even embarrassed during a presentation. Here are some audience profile types we’ve identified over the years.

the person who thinks that what you're saying doesn’t apply to his/her reality and that nothing you’re saying will ever work.

What to do? Try to explain that with a pessimistic view a listener will never leave his/her comfort zone and experience new solutions to old problems. Even if we know that something won’t work, it’s still important to try it.


you can tell the funniest joke in the universe,

but this person won’t laugh, won’t have any

reaction at all, in fact.

What to do? Do not crack. Sometimes this is an

individual actually enjoying 100 %

of the presentation.


What to do?People do this to draw attention to themselves.

So use their interruptions. Use the person as an

example and ask questions like: Do you agree

with this, and why? Flatter that ego and put that

wonk in the spotlight.

you’re being tested the whole time. The wonk

disagrees with almost everything you say and

likes to interrupt, to challenge.


often, this person just wants to show the boss

that the job is being done. And so he/she ends

up asking countless questions at

inappropriate moments.

What to do?Questions are always welcome, but in

moderation. The time that people are dedicating

to your presentation is valuable to them, so be as

objective as possible in your answers or you may

end up disregarding everybody else’s time.


this person is always talking to others,

disrupting their concentration and yours as well.

What to do?Draw the talker into the mood of the lecture, try

to address him/her more than once, and say

his/her name out loud. Make it clear why you’re

there in the first place, then move on.


is the person who hired you to make the

presentation. The mentor is deathly afraid that

something will go wrong and never stops

telling you what to do.

What to do?Calm him/her down. Say that you understand

the individual’s concern but you know what

you’re doing. Say that you’ve done your job.

(For example, you’ve researched the company,

and everything you have to say is in accord with

that company’s profile and what is expected.)


What to do?Whenever possible, call the person by name,

as in: "Isn’t that right, Andrew?" Or, when

you move, stand directly in front of the

person, so he/she won’t have the nerve to

keep ignoring you.

a most typical type: always texting, playing

games, interacting on social networks.


What to do?You can apply the same solution as that

for the constant texter, but be more

sensitive here. There’s always a possibility

that the sleeper is having a personal or

health problem.

another typical type! When you least expect

it, somebody falls asleep and takes all your

concentration along with him/her.


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Delivering audience focused presentations