Article:

Giving a presentation? It’s about your audience, not you

Written by Isobel Rimmer Tuesday 23 September 2025

The more you understand your audience, the easier it is to connect, the greater the rapport and the more effective your presentation will be

This may sound unconventional, but let’s get one thing straight: when you speak or present, it’s not about you. It’s about your audience. In fact, it always has been about them. They are the reason you’re there.

When you shift your focus to them, you open a door to deeper connection. What challenges do they face? What questions do they have? What insights can you offer that will help them?

The true measure of a great speaker is in the connection you make.

Your audience

I use the word ‘audience’ in its widest sense. You might be speaking to one or two people on Zoom or Teams, presenting at a conference to several hundred people, on national radio or TV broadcasting to millions of listeners and viewers. Whatever the situation, remember, you’re there to help your audience.

Reframe – it’s not about you – it’s about them:

You might have to convince them of your skills at a job interview. They need to hire someone.
You’re there to pitch your products and services. They need to buy something from someone.
You’re updating your team on a project. They need to know.

Your audience wants you more than you may realise. Shift the spotlight from you and on to them.

When we choose to put our audience and their needs first, the dynamics change. What we say is for their benefit, not ours, and when we care about them and are clear on what they’re going to gain from our presentation, we can let go of our fears.

Have your audience’s best interests at heart

Author Charles H Green is the brains and creator behind the brilliant Trust Equation. From my experience of coaching speakers, especially those at the higher end of the glossophobia (fear of public speaking) spectrum, the Trust Equation is a great tool to overcome your fears and build trust and rapport with your audience.

There are four variables in the Trust Equation. On the top line – the numerators – you have credibility, reliability and intimacy, and in the denominator, self-orientation.

Trustworthiness = Credibility + Reliability + Intimacy

Self-orientation

Credibility

Credibility is about what we say, what we know, the words we use. People trust us because we ‘know our stuff’:

We will nearly always present because we are the expert or the right person to speak about a particular topic. If you’re asked to speak on something you know little or nothing about, you might want to think again.

A good speaker will know that to be a great speaker, they must flex and adapt to their audience

Reliability

Reliability is aligned with actions – what we do. We build trust with our audience by being dependable, doing what we say we will do. That means turning up when asked to, fully prepared, and delivering our presentation or topic (not something else) within our allotted time.

Build a reputation of being the one who never runs over. Speakers who are reliable and fully prepared, who deliver what is asked of them, are an absolute pleasure, believe me.

Keep reading: how to put yourself in the audience’s shoes

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