Presenting to Multi-Generational Audiences

By Christine Zust, MA

With the vast range of ages represented in today’s workplace, chances are you will be presenting to a multi-generational audience. Most corporations employ people from their early 20s into their 60s and even 70s. This means you could have three to four generations in your audience. Because each requires something a little different, I recommend “mixing it up.”

Traditionalists (born prior to 1946) are most comfortable with traditional presentations, using some visual support. While Baby Boomers (born 1946-1964) may be proficient in their use of technology, they are not as comfortable with it as their younger counterparts because they did not grow up with it. Generation X (born 1965-1978) sat at their first computer in middle school or high school. And Generation Y (born 1979-1994) was practically born with a computer at their fingertips.

Because so many presentations today rely on savvy technology, incorporating PowerPoint slides, streaming video, interactive tools music and even games, presenters must strike a balance so that each generation gets what it needs from the presentation. Slow-paced point-and-click lecture with traditional slides will bore the younger generations who are accustomed to rapidly changing visuals while too much repetitive, fast-paced presentations will send older generations into overload mode.

How do you strike a balance? The number one rule in presentations (and Aristotle taught this too): Know your audience. Find out who will be attending your program and their age range. Don’t concentrate on just one method of information delivery. Mix it up. Speed it up. Slow it down. Add music. Use visually appealing slides or video clips. Get the audience involved in the program. When you invest the time to know your audience and design a program with them in mind, everyone wins. You will give them exactly what they need, and they will learn and remember your presentation.

 

Ms. Zust is a speaker and instructor with Roeder Consulting. She works with people who want to enhance their communication effectiveness and professional success, and with companies to develop more productive leaders and teams. She has more than 30 years of experience in strategic communication, positioning, planning and leadership. She currently teaches the in-person and online versions of “Communicate with Competence & Confidence” and “Managing Virtual Teams,” as well as the in-person course “Present with Precision & Authority.” She will be teaching the Presentation Skills in Boston, MA on September 16th and in Pax River, MD on September 21st. For more information, please to go: http://www.roederconsulting.com/projectstakeholdermanagement.php