Public speaking is an important skill to acquire, as it can be a very effective tool for marketing your organizing business. Stacey Agin Murray of Organized Artistry has spoken to a variety of different groups, so I’ve asked her to share her secrets for ensuring that it’s a valuable experience for both you and your audience.

There are hundreds of ways to promote one’s business. If you don’t mind standing in front of people and talking, then public speaking can be one of your secret marketing weapons!

There are many topics a Professional Organizer can speak about–the list is long and varied. But, before creating a presentation, it’s necessary to know your audience so you can tailor your presentation or workshop to their needs. You wouldn’t want to prepare a workshop on organizing kids’ clothes for a group of retirees! You want to know who will be sitting in the audience so you can create an optimal learning experience for them. If they’ve enjoyed and learned from your presentation, they are more likely to purchase your goods and engage your services.

How can you tailor your presentation to your audience?

The first step is to reach out to your contact person–the person who hired you to do the presentation/workshop. They will have the most knowledge regarding the demographics of the audience. If they don’t know offhand, ask them to do some ‘digging’ to find out more about who the audience is and what they would like to learn.

Once you get that information, it’s time to ask yourself the following ‘5 W’s questions’ to achieve audience clarity and help you to tailor your presentation.

Who

Who will be attending? What is the age, culture, place they are in life, financial status, of the audience?

What

What do they want to learn?

What are they expected to learn? (for a school or corporation)

When

When is the presentation taking place? Do I have 15 minutes or an hour to speak? Lunch-n-learn or evening program?

Where

Where will I be doing the presentation? Is there wi-fi or should I bring a an easel and some visual aids?

Why

Why have I been chosen to give a presentation or workshop to this particular audience?

After you’ve determined the answers to the ‘5 W’s questions,’ your job is to figure out the ‘How.’ How will I tailor my presentation to meet the needs of my audience based on the knowledge I’ve gathered? Below are three categories to concentrate on while tailoring a presentation for a particular audience.

Delivery Style

Think about the group you’ll be presenting to. How would they want to you to deliver your information to them?

• Stress applicable information to a particular group to increase relevancy.
• Use relaxed or formal language?
• Infuse a little or a lot of humor to connect with your audience? Or none at all…

Visuals

Think about the group you’ll be presenting to. How would they want to you to deliver your information to them?

• Should you dress formally or more casually?
• Use Power Point or physical props or a combination of both?
• If using slides, then slides with text or just visuals?

Structure

Think about the group you’ll be presenting to. How would they want to you to deliver your information to them?

• Speak from a lectern?
• Sit in a circle with a small, informal group?
• Mingle with the audience before and/or after the presentation?

Tailoring your presentation to your audience is key to engaging them and ensuring they leave with the knowledge they came for. Arrive early, be prepared, and smile–you can’t go wrong if you’re showing enthusiasm!