As customer experience leaders we’re often called upon to make presentations to help our colleagues better understand and serve our customers. These often involve the presentation of survey data, social media commentary, customer service feedback, and other forms of customer intelligence that provide important guidance. And as a CX leader we must deliver our presentations in a manner that will engage our audience and prompt action.
However, it all starts with understanding who we presenting to in the first place.
We can all fall into the trap of coming up with a one-size-fits-all presentation that focuses on what we want to say rather than what each specific audience really needs to hear. To ensure you are tailoring your message to your audience, ask yourself these eight questions and consider where the answer falls on a spectrum of the following extremes:
- What levels of authority will be in this session? Are they entry-level, mid-level, executive-level, or a mix?
- How well do you know the attendees? Are these people you know well or have you never met them?
- How well do the attendees know each other? Do the attendees know each other well or are they meeting for the first time?
- Do the attendees want to be there? Are they required to attend or are they willing and interested in attending?
- Are they familiar with the topic? Are these people that understand CX issues or is this new to them?
- How open-minded are they? Will they be open to your recommendations or will they be skeptical and challenging?
- How do they process information? Are they big, conceptual thinkers or are they a highly analytical group?
- How diverse is the group? Are they similar to one another or is there a lot of variety in the attendees?
Every presentation is different and it all begins with understanding the audience. These eight questions are an essential step in delivering a presentation that is relevant and engaging.
