Thinking About Your Audience First

As a writer as well as a speaker, I have been faculty at several writers’ conferences. And as faculty, we often do one-on-one interviews with aspiring writers.

One of the hardest things is dealing with people who say some variant of: “God has given me this message, and this is exactly what I’m supposed to say.” They are so sure that God wants them to write exactly this thing, in exactly this format, that it is very difficult to suggest that perhaps they should start with something smaller first, or reassess how they sound.

Many of us feel called by God. Others of us are still searching for clear direction. There is nothing wrong with being called by God. But one thing that characterizes how God works on earth is that He touches people where their heart needs are in ways that they could understand.

Jesus, for instance, used fishing analogies with fishermen. He used farming analogies with farmers. He told parables that people would recognize from their everyday life. He didn’t launch into teaching, even though of anyone on earth, He was the only One who was perfectly entitled to do so; He tended to give His message in a way that His hearers could grab a hold of it and understand it.

In the same way, Paul said, “I became weak to win the weak,” or “I became like one under the law, though I myself am not under the law, in order to win those under the law.” (1 Corinthians 9). He became all things to all men so that he could win them. He tried to relate to people. He figured out what their issues were. When he was in Athens, he commented on the idol “to the unseen god”. He picked up on what was important to them, and analogies that mattered to them, and then used these things to spread his message.

His message did not change: “For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified” (1 Corinthians 2:2). But his method did change.

At these writers’ conferences, it seems that people aren’t just wedded to the message they feel they want to share; they seem wedded to the format as well, and quite frequently that format is a long book that isn’t accessible to their target audience. They think, though, that this means that they are relying on God; it will take a miracle to sell this, but God will provide the miracle. It’s taking things backwards.

God has entrusted you with a message; the story of your life and what God has done. He wants you to share it. But you can’t share it unless you also think about the people who will be hearing it. Unless you understand their heart needs, and their issues, you’ll never be able to share it effectively.

For instance, if you’re a single woman with a message of how God has become your husband, and has helped you deal with loneliness, you have a very powerful message. It’s one that everybody needs to hear. But if you are giving it at a general outreach event, with mostly church women and some seekers, you have to realize that not everybody there will be single; in fact, chances are most won’t be. Therefore, it’s important that while the substance of your message stays the same, and even your story stays the same, you add elements that they can relate to to show that you have thought about the audience, that you understand the audience, and that you believe that God is an answer to their heartfelt needs.

So ask yourself: how does the story of God meeting my heartfelt needs intersect with the heart needs of those who are listening? What is their biggest need? How can I appeal to that need using my story? Perhaps what you can say is that nobody can rely on family or anyone else to meet their needs; only God can. And when people disappoint you, or when you feel lonely, you still have a God to run to. We must never rely on anything else.

But you’re starting with THEIR NEEDS, not with yours. You’re starting by asking: how can I relate to them? The speakers’ job, you see, is not only to entertain. In fact, it’s not even primarily to entertain. It’s not to teach, either. It is to translate God’s redeeming message in a way that this specific audience will understand it.

That means that you must primarily be concerned with your audience, and not with your message. Sometimes I tweak my message to make sure that it is relevant. I make sure I’m not using too many illustrations from parenting if there will be a lot of single women there. If there are seniors, I make sure that I am using some illustrations from them. I think about what their needs are.

So always ask the event planners about the demographics of those who are coming. Ask them if they’ve been involved in any big Bible studies or sermon series lately. What has the topic been? What sorts of things have they been discussing? If you know this, you can throw in a little bit in your talk to help anchor your message in their minds and reinforce what they have already heard. If you’re going to be dealing with something particularly difficult, warn the organizer, so that if someone in the group is going through something similar, they can be there to minister. For instance, I talk about my son dying. I always tell the organizer it is part of my testimony, because invariably there is someone who lost a child in a car accident recently, or who just had a miscarriage, and they may need special hugs or prayers during the talk.

Get to know God, and internalize the message. But then get to know the audience so that you can act as a translator. Never assume that people should listen to everything you want to say, and should hold you in rapt attention. Instead, make it your mission to understand them and speak in such a way that they will get something out of it.

Do this, and you’ll find your effectiveness increasing exponentially!

If you’re interested in learning more about how to craft a talk that speaks directly to the people in your audience, my teleseminar “Crafting a Life-Changing Signature Talk” can help. Learn more here.