Ask yourself: “Who is likely to attend this presentation?” This is important, because you will want to address their particular needs and concerns. If you expect neighborhood activists, that’s one type of audience. If you expect local businessmen, that may be another situation entirely. What you say, and how you say it, may need to vary accordingly, sometimes by quite a bit.

Here are some more specific questions you should ask yourself (and possibly others) about your prospective audience:

• What will be the audience’s likely age range? Education level? Values? Cultural or ethnic background?
• How have you been described to them?
• How interested are they in your topic?
• What (and how much) do they already know about it?
• What does the audience expect of you?
• What do they expect from your presentation?