Pitfall #1 - Know your Audience

Today's audience consists of multiple generations each with their unique expectations from the speaker.  For the first time in history there are five generations in your audience.  One generation likes lecture style, another likes to share expertise.  The next generation likes you to ask their opinion & the youngest two generations prefer role play, videos and other media.

How can you tell who is in your audience?  Your best approach is to do an on the spot survey by show of hands.  A quick way is to ask:

1.  How many of you found work in job ads that said help wanted men, help wanted female? (Boomers & Veterans). 

2.  “How many of you were latch key kids or school mates who were latch key kids?” (Gen X).

3.  “How many of you prefer IM/ texting?” (Gen Y & Gen M). 

Now you know who is in the room.

If you are speaking at a conference you can include these questions in your pre-program assessment.  Often the meeting planner can inform you who the audience is.  In the event that is not a viable option, the above on the spot survey should suffice.

Armed with these results you can instantly customize your program to ensure you speak the language of your audience.  By providing information in the manner your attendees desire, you will engage and wow them.

Part two of this five part series “Verifying facts during your presentation.”

Learn about Understanding and Working Effectively with Five Generations in the Workplace http://budurl.com/5Generations

Technology is helping us in many ways today and applications arrive so rapidly it's difficult to keep up.  Some apps are helpful while others consipire to keep you online until sores show up on your rump.  I love technology so I keep up as much as possible with the latest and greatest to determine if they've created a program to keep my calendar booked with speaking engagements at the optimum price point.

Well they're still working on that app for me but there is one new app that is helpful for everyone especially in this economy. 

There's a new Smartphone app that finds the best prices for any item you're purchasing and sends it directly to you.  Picture this:  You're ready to buy an item in the store but are not sure you're getting the best price for the item. 

What to do?  Well, scan the barcode with your Smartphone and it will search the area, find the least expensive price for the item, send it back to your Smartphone, and tell you if it's in stock.  Then it will provide you with a Google map to get you from your current location to the store with the item in stock for that best price. 

I don't know about you, but that sounds really valuable to me as I am always seeking the best price for anything I purchase. 

Watch the video as  KXAS's Kristi Nelson reports on a smartphone application that will look for the lowest price and local availability on purchases.

 http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/32182174#32182174>

Let me know what you think.