Should I give a formal or informal speech to this audience?
The following comes from TJ Walker’s upcoming book “The Wisdom of Your Audience”. Consistently, the worst advice speakers and presenters get, comes from everyone who is NOT your audience. The following gives examples of some of the WORST advice people are often given. It is followed by the advice of your audience. Listen to them. They are your true judge and jury.
Should I give a formal or informal speech to this audience?
Chief Protocol Officer: “It depends on the audience. Make it a formal presentation if you are speaking to the board of directors or if there are any elected officials present.”
Director of Sales: “We want this big account, so of course this will be a formal presentation.”
You: “If it’s just in-house to employees I know, then I will make it informal. But if it is to 30 or more people from the outside, then I will make it a formal presentation.”
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Your Audience: “Formal? Informal? What the h*&L are you talking about? There are two kinds of speeches in the whole world and formal and informal are not the categories. From our perspective, every speech is either good or it’s bad. It’s that simple. If a speech is good, then we will pay attention and focus on what you are saying that is relevant and helpful to us. If a speech is bad, we will zone out and plan our weekend grocery list. Your job is to figure out how to make your ideas and messages as interesting and memorable for us as possible. Period. That could mean making decisions on whether to use PowerPoint, handouts, drawings, stories, or props. But it does not involve deciding to be formal or informal.”