Just as breakfast is often considered the most important meal of the day, analyzing who is listening to us speak is one of the most important parts of speech preparation. Unfortunately, as with breakfast, analyzing who is listening to them is a step speakers often skip.
Generally, when an executive is asked to be on a panel, give a keynote, appear on a podcast, or even present to a board of directors, they go straight to content. While this is not incorrect, if you do so without considering the listener’s needs, your impact will not be as strong.
You may be asking, “So, how do I make sure I get this right?” Here are some simple tips for understanding your listener.
Think about the listener, not yourself.
Much like grabbing a coffee on the go seems like a good breakfast replacement, it’s easy to fall into a trap of obsessing over the content you believe you need to cover. The time that it takes can cover as much as doomscrolling on social media.
Aristotle gave some great advice: Focus on the people you’re addressing.
Ask yourself: Who are my listeners? What is their demographic *age, race, gender, orientation, education, etc. How many will be listening? What is their prior knowledge of my topic? Why should they listen to you? What’s in it for them? How will what you are speaking about help them?
Before you begin preparing, consider your overall goal. Do you want to inspire? teach? inform? persuade?
Taking all of this into consideration before you write will help you focus on the listener rather than yourself.
They connect with their listeners’ emotions.
That coffee on the go may bring you happiness, but how does it impact those around you? When preparing for a presentation, in your mind, the subject of your talk may be quarterly sales, company policy, or your amazing invention. Your audience, however, is focused on an entirely different topic; why does all this matter to them?
Aristotle identifies pathos as one of the three essential modes of proof by his statement that “to understand the emotions”.
To be a successful speaker, you need to add the persuasive element of Pathos into your presentation, rather than rambling about what you feel is important. Talk with your listener. Bring them into the subject. Make them feel the benefit you’re giving them through your presentation. Make an emotional connection with them.
Using emotional connection through your word choice will give you a greater impact on your listener.
They speak in their listeners’ language.
Whether you order an Espresso, a latte, or an Americano, there’s no arguing that it is created from coffee beans. Getting your audience to accept your words and ideas depends on how credible they find you.
“When speakers behave inappropriately,” wrote Aristotle, “their credibility is questioned even when they speak the truth.”
Credibility not only comes from status and source citations, but also from word choice and physical presence while presenting.
If your listener thinks in kilometers, don’t explain something in miles. If they work in spreadsheets, don’t speak in metaphors alone. If they’re parents, show them how it affects families. If they’re scientists, show them the data.
It’s less about changing your message and more about translating it.
In the end, great speaking isn’t about having the most slides, the smartest data, or the sharpest soundbite. It’s about resonance. As Aristotle understood centuries ago, persuasion lives at the intersection of logic, credibility, and emotion, but all three only matter if they land with the listener.
A balanced breakfast fuels you. A listener-centered message fuels impact.
