My eclectic background includes radio and club DJ, MC, Trainer, and Pastor. I have spoken for decades in a wide variety of settings. I am comfortable speaking to a wide variety of groups including all ages and settings, community, business, religious, non-religious, etc.
Whether I’m invited to speak at a corporate meeting, a community event, or a church group, I’ve learned to work through the five Ws to assure an excellent experience for all involved.
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If you are an experienced speaker, these will be a helpful reminder to master the basics.
If you’ve never spoken in public before and you just learned that YOU are the speaker at the meeting you were looking forward to attending, these might help you manage the fears and feel prepared.
The Five Ws
“Who, What, Where, When, and Why” is the traditional order of the Five Ws. So, I’ve kept that in mind while writing this. Beyond the first W, the following are not necessarily in order of importance.
We may not be able to answer all of the following questions every time. The following are just a guide. You may be able to answer some of these through online research but I would recommend verifying your findings to assure they are still relevant. An organization may have just changed top leadership and are getting ready for an entirely new vision.
Sometimes, we may be called upon to speak without knowing ANY of the following information. In those times, we have to trust our message and be ready to assess and adapt in the moment as much as possible.
Know Your Who — the Audience
Learn as much as possible about the attendees. Age, profession, roles, ethnic makeup(?), personality/culture.
Know Your What — the End Result
What you expect the audience to do/feel/think as a result of your message.
Know Your When — the Timing
We need to respect everyone’s time! Know when you supposed to start and end. Know how to track your time while speaking.
Know Your Where — the Setting
The room (small, medium, gigantic), the contacts, technology, handouts(?)
Know Your Why — the Purpose of the Gathering
Why are they meeting? Regular event? Resolve issues?
This is a grid to help focus your thoughts and questions. I will flesh these out in future articles. This might be a good time to subscribe so you’ll receive future posts in your inbox.
