Crafting Your Message. Tammy Heflebower
presentation.
1. First, begin with the facts and figures; meet the needs of the logical thinkers. Capturing them early on will help them listen (and even tolerate) later messages and experiences. Once the members of this group know what you are discussing works, they will listen. Yet, do not overdo this, or you will alienate the other audience types. One or two key facts, figures, or charts will likely suffice.
Figure 1.2: Four distinct types of audience members.
Source: Adapted from Weller & Hermann, 1996, 2015.
2. Next, consider the relational and emotional participants. Create your message with the people involved. Who will be affected? Where can you accentuate compassion through a story or a quote? Connect the people to the topic.
3. After that, consider moving toward the creative thinkers. Here is a great place to share a metaphor to model possibilities. Use some creativity by involving the group in a visual depiction.
4. Then, follow with practical examples of others who have tried or experienced the topic firsthand to reach your relevant and practical members.
It is important to note that this is not the only way to approach the group through the lens of audience types. You may find a particular group is primarily composed of only a couple of the quadrant areas. For instance, imagine that you are asked to speak to a group of mathematics teachers. By nature of the discipline they teach, they are more logical and mathematical. This does not mean you should exclude the other areas of the quadrant but rather know thy audience. If you are working with a group of visual and performing arts teachers, you will likely encounter those with more of the visual and creative strengths. If you are uncertain, ask. You might provide a four-question Google survey, containing one question from each area of the quadrant, for the audience to complete prior to your training, to help you understand their strengths and needs. By all means, appeal to the masses first. Yet, if you are new to this idea, using the planning cycle in figure 1.3 may prove beneficial.
Figure 1.3: Audience planning cycle.
As an example of how to use the audience planning cycle, consider the design for a new mini-presentation, titled From Perspiration to Inspiration: A Flash on Fitness, to be given in a forty-five-minute breakout session at a district conference. The presentation will involve quick reminders and strategies within the following four areas: (1) physical, (2) mental, (3) sleep, and (4) nutrition.
The presenter begins by selecting one of the four topics listed—in this case, choosing to begin with physical. He or she then uses the sticky note strategy (see page 8), placing information from each quadrant of adult learners onto a separate sticky note. For example, when considering logical informational items, the presenter adds two notes. The first one reads, “The CDC cited 80 percent of Americans don’t get the recommended 2.5 hours of moderate exercise per week.” The second adds, “Adults should also engage in strengthening exercises twice per week.” These two examples present facts and figures to appeal to the logical learners.
Next, the presenter lists ideas for the relational area. One sticky note reads, “Have you ever tracked your physical fitness in one week?” Others ask, “How many of you have some sort of fitness tracking device on your watch or phone?” and “Everyone go to the week of February 3–10, and look at your schedule. Is there any time to include 2.5 hours of physical activity that week?” Another sticky note indicates that these questions are planned to lead into a physical activity. The idea is to turn on some upbeat music and provide participants with the options of engaging in some physical activity right in the room. The options include marching, walking, jumping jacks, or scissor kicks for one full minute. Afterward, the presenter will ask participants to record their heart rates.
The creative section is the next area of focus. The presenter posts a few sticky notes in this section. One reads, “What if you scheduled your physical fitness like you do a required meeting?” Another idea is, “What if you connected your physical activity to another routine event, like taking a shower or eating breakfast? You don’t complete one without the other.” The presenter plans to provide a story for emphasis and humor at this point—an idea that is listed on another note.
The presenter then considers the practical examples. He or she notes, on a sticky note, a connecting phrase to reach out to this group: “Here’s how this might work …” He or she demonstrates by displaying a picture of a calendar in which “physical activity” is listed. Another sticky note displays the idea of using a device-based activity tracker and noting the weekly summary. Considering an activity for the audience, the presenter notes an opportunity for tablemates to converse about how they find time to infuse physical activity. He or she plans to listen in to the discussions and have a couple of participants share their responses. The presenter notes another idea to teach (or reteach) the group the Fox method for monitoring individual heart rates for maximum benefits (Waehner, 2019). This method helps women and men calculate their maximum heart rate (220 minus age for women; 220.5 minus age for men), as well as their target ideal heart rate (80 percent of the maximum).
Although more details, visuals, and stories will likely be included in the presentation, the presenter has now fleshed out one major portion of his or her presentation in a way that will appeal to each audience member, no matter the learning style.
As a final consideration when planning your message, please don’t poach. When you state another’s idea, give them credit. When you share a quote or an excerpt, ensure it’s carefully cited. Be mindful of taking the intellectual property of a great introduction, a funny story, or a catchy phrase. Always, always give credit to others when due. And try to use your own stories and examples—they will be better received because they are authentic.
Summary
This chapter highlighted the important considerations and needs of adult learners. It detailed some thoughtful planning questions as well as a useful organizational quadrant to help presenters reflect on their meaningfulness and purpose when crafting the message itself. Chapter 2 will help you take your message into the delivery phase.
Chapter 2
Planning the Delivery
Because ultimately presentations are about the audience, not the speaker.
—Akash Karia
This chapter will address essential elements of group size characteristics, roles, and considerations for planning short- and long-term work through various formats. These ideas will help you plan for the delivery of a quality message.
Planning for Audience Size
Audience size is an important consideration. In fact, the size of the audience will invariably dictate the type of energy in the room, the types of activities possible for interaction, and the way in which a presenter will pace the content and delivery. For example, seasoned speakers often concur that a group of fewer than twenty is one of the most difficult with which to work. The overall energy in this group size is far less than that of larger groups. One negative attitude is more pronounced and permeated. Everyone has to participate, and it is more difficult to get the sound of mass voices into the room. As one of my colleagues once said, “In a small group, everyone has to get the intended humor. Yet in a larger audience, just over half can respond to the humor, and it will feel as if the entire group does” (K. Williams, personal communication, April 29, 2015).
Comparatively, with larger groups (more than fifty-one), there is often a natural energy—almost a buzz. Although it takes longer to conduct active participation, the sound resembles a competition