Be Egoless

One of the classic tips of public speaking is "know thy audience." There's a lot of good from proactively understanding who you will be presenting to. Great tip to have! But I wouldn't include it in my top 10 public speaking tips.

Why not?

While I think "know thy audience" is a cornerstone idea of good public speaking, I think highlighting as primary learning point puts too much pressure on the speaker-to-be. What does "know" really mean? Every audience is different. And on top of that, I find people often get caught up in making their speech "perfect" of a perceived type of audience. Speakers get trapped in the web of their ego, thinking they have to get point A or idea B across, because that's what the audience (they think) actually wants.

But do they?

Instead, I like to have people understand their audience implicitly. Humanely. Egolessly. When a speaker considers own credibility relative to the audience, and through keeping an empathetic mindset towards their audience (all audiences, really), "know thy audience" takes on a more approachable candor. Ego is taken out of the equation and the speaker can step up on stage with more self-assuredness and a better connection to the audience.

Definitely take the time to know your audience. Just don't let your ego get in the way of doing so!