Two Types of Audiences and Why One Will Expand Your Influence
This weekend, I spent time reviewing the responses to one of my recent surveys. So many of my peeps are struggling to find their”ideal audience” or the “tribe” they want to speak in front of.
Maybe this is you, too? You’ve got a great speech, and have named the group of people who are your niche, and now you’re looking for those people who fall into your very well defined niche over and over again to present to.
But what if that’s limiting you? What if you’re not speaking as much as you want because you’re looking for that one perfect audience!
I believe as a speaker, you've always got at least two types of audiences.
The first is your sweet spot audience.
These are the people that you love speaking to. You know that if every speech was in front of this select group of individuals, you would be one happy speaker. You wrote your signature talk for this group (you do have a signature talk, right?), and you love to deliver it as much as they love to receive it..
For me, my sweet spot audience is women entrepreneurs and speakers. I love speaking to this group. I love helping them build messaging that stands out and gets them paid what they are worth.
But I don’t always find myself in front of that audience nor do I limit myself to speaking gigs or workshop opportunities for just this single audience.
Your sweet spot audience is a small slice of that delicious pumpkin pie who needs you and your message. But focusing only on this sweet spot limits your influence and your impact (not to mention your bottom line).
Because there is another type of audience which may need your message even more than your sweet spot audience.
I call them the unexpected audience and this group needs the solution your speech provides.
The who of the audience may shock you. You might find yourself speaking to accountants, agricultural business owners, or other groups of people you would never in a million years imagine finding yourself in front of.
You need to adapt your signature talk to this group, and you’ll love to delivering it just as much.
This past year I found myself delivering a paid workshop in front of a group that I could NEVER have imagine speaking in front of, 911 operators. Why on earth would 911 operators need a workshop from a public speaking coach?
Because 911 operators don’t just take emergency calls, they do community outreach to raise awareness to children and adults on how to use 911 and all the services 911 provides to the community. To do this well, they need to get more comfortable and confident writing and delivering speeches.
I loved presenting to this group, and they loved implementing my process into their speaking. My speech provided a solution that these people sorely need.
What problem does your speech solve? Solve that problem with a signature talk that you write for your sweet spot audience and that you adapt to the unexpected audience.
You can have a greater impact in this world if you stop searching for the sweet spot audience and create a speech that solves a problem that your unexpected audience wants and needs.
