KNOW YOUR AUDIENCE

Imagine that you are speaking at the Plaza Hotel in New York City to a group of longtime NY residents and you are trying to sell them on the idea of investing in a new skyscraper you want to build in the Bronx by Yankee stadium. You start out trying to relate to them by telling your audience a story of a memorable childhood experience. An experience that you hope will convey that you care for and understand NY.
I remember my dad waking me up early Sunday morning in the summer to catch the train at around 10 am to the ballpark. I looked forward to this all week; I would stay-up late Saturday night oiling my baseball glove. I remember sitting on the train wishing it went faster. Once the doors opened at my stop, the whole train emptied, everyone with the same goal--see our team win! I remember it like it was yesterday; the smell of popcorn and hotdogs in the air; everyone happy. Then the greatest joy of the trip--turning the corner and seeing the stadium with its huge sign FENWAY PARK. You would likely need security to escort you out of the Plaza Hotel. Knowing your audience is the first step in successful communication.
During the last presidential election I thought Sarah Palin should have used the phrase soccer mom instead of hockey mom. I believe a broader base of people identify with the phrase soccer mom than hockey mom. According to USA Hockey, there are approximately 350,000 members in its youth leagues and, according to USA Soccer, there are approximately 3.1 million members in its youth leagues.
Sirus Radio Show host Howard Stern is great at identifying with his audience. He is probably one of the richest and most famous people in entertainment; yet, when he talks about his weekend or an experience a guest had, he describes it as though he doesn't have much money or was in awe of the famous people that he saw. About a year ago Howard Stern was interviewing Kevin Nealon about Jennifer Aniston's birthday party that he attended. Howard asked him what's it like being around all those famous people? It must be great. I wish I could go to a party like that. Howard Stern easily can and probably does go to parties like that. But his audience doesn't and he understands that his show is for his audience.
The first step in delivering a great, effective speech is to KNOW YOUR AUDIENCE

Gregory J. Morse, Esq. is a Partner at Morse & Morse, LLC, Criminal Trial Attorneys, www.morselegal.com.