Once you put your audience at the centre, everything changes

1. What does your audience want to learn?

Before you begin, ask yourself: what does my audience gain from this? What are they hoping to learn from you? They are listening for a reason. You always have something to offer that addresses a problem your audience is experiencing. That sounds rather grand, but a problem can be something as simple as: ‘You don’t yet know this and that (= the problem), which is why I’m here today to tell you more about it, so you can apply these insights in your own work.’ Perhaps you’re thinking: ‘I’m not solving any problem for my audience at all. I’m simply here to inform them of the latest developments or to share my research findings.’ In that case, consider what people can do with that information. What does it give them?

2. Address your audience directly

Everyone sees themselves as the protagonist of their own story. You can use this to your advantage by putting your audience in the leading role. Instead of opening with ‘I have conducted research into… and am sharing those results with you today’, start with the word ‘you’. You place not yourself, but your audience at the centre. Paint a picture of their situation.

Example: suppose you are presenting a new AI model to a group of laboratory researchers. You might open with:
‘You spend every day in the lab and want to make the most effective use of your time. A great deal of laboratory work involves trial and error, which costs unnecessary time. That is why today I am presenting a predictive AI model that can significantly reduce trial and error, allowing you to accomplish far more in less time.’

By using words such as you or your, people feel directly spoken to. Make clear from the outset what your presentation will give them, and they will listen far more attentively.

3. Acknowledge resistance

Every change provokes resistance. People are attached to the status quo. Think in advance about what your request will cost them: time, money, or a change in behaviour?

If, for instance, you want your audience to read your article, you are asking for an investment of time. Minimise the effort and maximise the benefit: ‘Read the abstract in two minutes and gain immediate insight into [x].’ Do you want people to change their behaviour? For example, to work more safely in the lab, eat more healthily, or use a predictive AI model? Then name the resistance explicitly: ‘Perhaps you’re thinking: this will take too much time, or why change anything? Things are perfectly fine as they are.’

It works best if you can remove that resistance, but this is rarely possible. Change simply tends to cost time, money, or energy. In that case, acknowledge the resistance, name it openly, and weigh it against the benefits. This increases your audience’s motivation and engagement. It raises the likelihood that they will be receptive to your message and listen to you with their full attention.