How Your Audience Shapes Your Content

Every presentation you make is created for a specific audience.

And that audience—who is in it, their backgrounds, mindsets, and expectations—should shape both what you choose to say and how you say it.

That’s why understanding your audience isn’t just helpful—it’s essential. Learning as much as you can about your audience should be one of the first steps you take when preparing any presentation.

Here are four key questions to guide you:

• How much does my audience already know about this topic?

• Are they experts? Total novices? Somewhere in between?

Gauging this helps you determine where to start and what to include:

If the majority of your audience are unfamiliar with your topic, you will need to include more background and foundational context.

If they are experts in your topic, you can skip the background start with what they need to know to understand what you want or need right now.

If you are not sure, or your audience is mixed, aim for somewhere in the middle: offer a highlevel overview that ensures everyone can follow you without boring those who know more about the topic.

1. What do they need to know?

Often, the answer is:

“Enough to make a decision.”

“Enough to understand next steps.”

But this threshold can vary by audience—and also by culture.

💡 For example:

German audiences may prefer a lot of detailed data and supporting evidence up front.

American audiences tend to prefer less detail early in a presentation and more bottom-line takeaways.

In most cases, your audience doesn’t need to know everything you know. So resist the urge to turn your presentation into a showcase of your expertise.

Stick to what’s relevant. Keep it focused. Remember: less is usually more.

2. What narrative might already be playing in their heads?

This is a question many presenters overlook.

Your audience likely has pre-existing ideas about your topic—shaped by media, prior experience, or cultural perspectives.

If those ideas are inaccurate or negative, you may need to counter them.

If they’re aligned with your message, you can build on them.

Understanding your audience members’ internal narratives allows you to shape your message so it lands effectively. (For more on this, see my related post: “Tuning into Audience Attitude.”)

3. What questions are they likely to have?

This one’s key—especially if you want to reduce the stress of the Q&A.

Think about:

• Common questions you’ve received when giving presentations on the same topic.

• Concerns or themes currently circulating in the media or industry.

• Specific questions that may be important to this audience due to their context.

Addressing these anticipated questions during your presentation can help build trust with your audience, ehance clarity, and reduce the number of questions you receive during Q&A.

4. What If Info about Your Audience Is Hard to Get?

Ideally, you’ll know the make up of your audience well in advance. But if you have to prepare without much info, try these tips:

Shoot for the middle: provide enough background that everyone can follow, but not so much that experts get bored.

Balance Your Details: Don’t go to deep or technical, but include enough detail to make your point clear and meaningful.

Think back to past audiences: What was well received? What didn’t land? What questions did they ask?

You might consider keeping your presentation simple and using the Q&A to go deeper—however, this can sometimes backfire. If your presentation is too basic, may seem underprepared or give the impression that you lack expertise.

Use your goal to guide your strategy:

If the goal of your presentation is to build credibility, give a complete presentation and use the Q&A to address additional questions.

If the goal of your presentation is to start a dialogue, a simpler presentation with lots of time for questions may work well.

Final Thought:

A successful presentation isn’t just about delivering your message—it’s about meeting your audience where they are.

Finding out what they know, anticipating what they need, and shaping your message accordingly is what separates great communicators from just good speakers.

By doing your best to answer these four questions before you create your content, you’ll ensure that your message truly resonates with your audience.