March’s Speak Easy Secret: Keynote Speech Success? ➡ Know Your Audience!
17 Mar 2025
Hi there – March is here, bringing with it the luck of the Irish. But did you know that in the theatre and public speaking world, it is considered bad luck to say “Good luck,” before someone takes the stage? Instead, tradition dictates saying, ‘Break a leg.’ This stems from the belief that wishing bad luck ironically brings good fortune.
I share this fun tidbit as a reminder that public speaking success isn’t about luck. It’s about preparation, confidence, and most importantly, understanding your audience.
In this month’s Speak Easy section, we’ll explore how understanding your audience can transform the way you communicate. I am also excited to share my latest experience lending my voice to Ferragamo in Milan. And, I am throwing in the most recent Speak Easy Secret video in case you missed it!
Speak Easy Secrets
How to Rock your Keynote speech… Tips from Madrid
Last month I had the good fortune of being asked to give a keynote speech at a medical conference in Madrid.
The topic I was speaking about? Captivating presentations in a Congress setting.
The audience was an 80-member group of infectious disease doctors from all over Europe. The ages ranged from 30 to 65 more or less, and I was the only speaker that spoke on a topic that was not related to medicine.
My first thought? How do I ensure that my speech will resonate and benefit
my audience?
The answer? Audience analysis.
It is fundamental to understand, as best as possible, the audience that you will be speaking to, and to adapt your talk to them. Otherwise, you will see bored faces, tired eyes or WORSE…the audience looking at their cell phones!!!
Audience analysis is all about empathy, putting yourself in the shoes of your future audience. Before writing this specific talk, I asked myself: What is the most crucial and useful information that busy doctors need to know about creating an engaging presentation in a congress setting? What do they NOT need to know?
From these simple questions, I create the bulk of my talk… and then, I adapt my content to THE AUDIENCE.
For example, while building my talk, I make sure that every story I tell is of interest to the medical industry.
When I lead the audience in articulation voice exercises, I use medical terms like “streptococcus” and “anti-microbial resistance” as the tongue twisters.
The images and graphs that I show to demonstrate how to make data and statistics engaging to look at and easy to understand, come from the medical world, not from mine.
I also ask myself questions about the audience that allow me to understand them and their needs further.
What is the audience’s:
► age? gender? nationality? education level?
► need or curiosity about my topic?
► familiarity with the topic? Do they know a lot about it or a little?
► shared fears, concerns or problems related to my topic?
► shared interests, beliefs, values, goals, hopes related to my topic?
► objections to my content?
Even if I know very little about my audience, I can still guess at many of these questions and tailor my talk to them.
The result in Madrid? A fully engaged audience from start to finish, who took notes, asked insightful questions, and participated actively throughout. By the end, they walked away with valuable takeaways, actionable lessons, and practical tools to ensure their next congress presentation is a total success!
For some, that can be a little daunting, right? But don’t worry, IT DOESN’T HAVE TO BE AS DAUNTING AS IT SEEMS! I’m here to help you feel confident in any spotlight, whether it’s a room full of colleagues or a cocktail party full of strangers.
Did you know?
I am the voice of the Ferragamo Museum!
I went to Milan last week to give the voice to the Museo Ferragamo. What an honor! Salvatore Ferragamo’s story and career is incredible!
Did you know he was personally responsible for over 375 patents just for shoes!? That due to the lack of materials available during WW2, he turned to cork, cellophane candy wrappers, and other easily available and cheap materials, to continue making comfortable and innovative shoes!? That he created shoes for Marilyn Monroe, Audrey Hepburn, the Duchess of Windsor, Sofia Loren, and Greta Garbo to name a few?
To add to the WOW factor, the recording that I did last week will be finalized with Dolby Atmos which means that the audience will have a 3-D audio experience. The Dolby Atmos surround sound systems add height channels, which are interpreted as three-dimensional objects with neither horizontal nor vertical limitations. The effect is that the sound seems to move around you, up, down, behind and in front of you! It’s an incredible experience!!It’ll all be ready at the end of March, at Museo Ferragamo in Florence, Italy, and via online experience on Bloomberg Connects.
Remember my mantra, awareness is power!
That’s all folks!
– Elia
PS – If this info was helpful, please pass it on to someone else who could find it beneficial!