Know your audience's communication style

- My husband is a scientist and I have attended … plenty of research presentations with him. … The most painful ones have been delivered by speakers … outside of the particular research field. … It's not that the guest speakers … didn't have interesting material. … The problem is that they didn't consider … the crucial difference of communication style. … If you want to engage your audience, … here are communication style differences to keep in mind. … Forest versus trees. … Does your audience want the big general picture, the forest … or do they like to delve into the details, the trees? … Culturally, some groups like to get into specifics … and be looking into detailed charts … as the speaker is presenting. … Other groups prefer to see the big picture first, … how it ties to the mission of the organization … and they have access to next steps if necessary. … Formal or not? … All companies have their own internal levels of formality. … If you're presenting, you will know your audience …