We’ve all done the exercise. It’s the first thing you’re taught when you first start your business: Create an ideal client avatar aka target audience.
This vision of your ideal client target audience guides everything you do, including pricing (you can’t charge that meet up group as much as you can the CEO of a Fortune 500 company), pain points ( the meet up group probably isn’t worried about shareholders), and even the color of your logo.
So you spend a few hours considering your demographics. Things such as:
- Age group
- Income
- Family status
- Education
- Lifestyle goals
- Location
Maybe you even write up a nice little story about your target audience. You give them a name, a couple of kids, a husband/wife who just doesn’t get it, and a load of student loans. You know quite a bit about them, so you think!
But you would be wrong, and if you stop there, you may be missing a HUGE piece of the puzzle—and losing out on the best speaking opportunity because of it.
Your Target Audience Personality Mismatch
Here’s something that’s rarely considered in your “target audience” equation, and it’s arguably the most important part: PERSONALITY!!
If you’re snarky, sarcastic, fun-loving and loud, then a quiet, church group probably won’t be a good fit for you. Sure, they might need someone who does public speaking at one of their events. But if you don’t know your audience, this match-up will be a disaster. Either they will be uncomfortable with your style, or you’ll be miserable trying to reign in your natural exuberance.
You’d be better off passing this speaking opportunity on to someone who is a better fit for their personality style.
Drive Determines Success
To be a successful public speaker, you will need to know who you are. What are your strengths and weaknesses? Everyone has them.
If you find your nerves getting the best of you before a presentation, find a way to calm yourself down. The audience doesn’t know that you are nervous unless you let it be known. Practice, practice, and practice some more until you feel confident in yourself.
Just be yourself. Never try to be someone who you aren’t. In other words don’t try to be a Tony Robbins when there can only be one Tony Robbins. Find out what works for you. Authenticity is very important and will make you more believable.
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Deborah Northcutt is the CEO of http://www.FreeYouUpVA.com. I am a Speaker Support Consultant that helps aspiring speakers, coaches, and entrepreneurs find their ideal speaking opportunity so they can shine their light and grow their business with high-level support. Join my Facebook Community.