Guidelines for Informative Speaking

When speaking to inform , an audience whether the audience is made up of employees, union leaders, senior management, the general public or a combination of these, it is very important that you follow some simple guidelines:

Avoid overestimating what your audience already knows. Explain your ideas thoroughly and clearly. Provide definitions, explanations and examples wherever necessary and don’t assume that the audience already knows what you are talking about. For example, if you are instituting a new billing statement to beneficiaries, you will want to describe the new bill by relating it to the old and by defining any new elements that may appear on their statement.

Remember to relate the topic to your audience directly. Find out what interests or what is important to them and direct your presentation to those interests or needs. For example, you will need to explain to your beneficiaries how new policies and procedures will benefit them as well as the organization and how you are planning to make their lives easier during this time of transition.

Avoid being overly technical. If the information is too specialized for this particular audience make sure to carefully define the necessary terms and replace unnecessary jargon and obscure language with words and concepts that the audience can understand and relate to.

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Informative Presentation: You have just been told that you line managers is skeptic of the utility of the training course you are attending. You need report of the utility of the training and the results achieved so far. How will your organization benefit from the knowledge you are gaining?

Develop a ten minute presentation that you will deliver at a meeting of your managers and other program stakeholders. Clearly define your target audience.

Decide how much your audience needs to know and the types of information you will share. Identify 2-3 key ideas and make your information accurate, clear and meaningful.