When a speaker customizes his/her presentation, as Terry Sumerlin does, information about the audience and venue is important. Here are examples of the kind of information that would be helpful:

1. How many people will be in the audience? Size matters. A speaker can plan on a much greater degree of interaction with a smaller group.
2. What is the gender mix of the audience? How about age and educational background? These are all aspects that effect how a speaker communicates with his/her audience.
3. Is the audience senior management, mid-level personnel, or staff? Each of these groups has different goals and perspectives. A good speaker can accommodate any or all of these.
4. What kind of business is the audience engaged in? Who are their customers? Part of the customization of a speech involves using business-specific terminology and concepts.
5. Are you looking for a presentation filled with content, or something more emotional? How do you want the audience to feel after the speech? Inspired? Intrigued? Informed? Excited? Entertained? While all memorable speeches entertain, they can be created to have different emotional responses and different amounts of information. Knowing what the client is looking for is imperative.
6. How long should the speech be? While an experienced speaker can adjust the length of his/her presentation to some extent even at the last minute, it is helpful to have a relatively accurate idea of the time frame provided for the speech.
7. Who else can the speaker talk with to get a feel for the audience and the concepts that would be most helpful and appreciated by them? Many professional speakers like to get a chance to chat with at least a couple other key members of the company or organization in order to understand the audience.

Copyright 2003, Sumerlin Enterprises.

Terry L. Sumerlin, owner of J.B.'s Barber Shop in San Antonio, Texas, is known as "The Barber-osopher," and appears nationally as a humorist and motivational speaker.

Permission is granted for you to copy this article for distribution as long as the above copyright and contact information is included. Please reference or include a link to www.barber-osophy.com.