At every presentation, the level of understanding of the subject matter by the audience varies widely.
If you’re giving a presentation on social media, some people are well educated and understand it’s place in business (and it’s not always the people live-tweeting your thoughts). There are others who know a little but are less familiar than the first group. Still others may know little to nothing.
The audience’s knowledge and experience lies along a wide spectrum.
So what is a good presenter to do? How do you make sure that the experts aren’t bored and the others aren’t left behind?
Use inspiration, not information.
Use the information to illustrate a key point or concept. Tell a story. Take them to a place.
Sir Ken Robinson presented to a room full of TED folks who knew (in varying degrees) that our current education system is sub-optimal.
Steve Jobs presents to hundreds of thousands of people, in person and online, who have literally been predicting and prototyping what he’s going to tell them.
Don’t give information. Give inspiration.
Then, you’ll have the whole room.
