Speaking to a Multicultural Audience
As organizations become more international, you may find
that you need to give presentations to groups in or from other
countries. As a member of a business organization, you may need
to speak to potential investors in or from other countries. You
may find that you need to give proposals as well as reports to
audiences composed of individuals from several countries. Because
you will want any audience, international or domestic, to respond
positively to your presentation, you will need to do research
to understand how people from other cultures will likely interpret
what you say, how you say it, how you dress, how you act in your
dealings with them, etc. The graphics and visual aids you use
may also have to be changed, as symbols in one culture may have
an entirely different meaning in another.
Because multicultural audiences will likely become more and more
common, you will need to anticipate cultural differences when
you analyze your audience. If you find that your presentation
will be made to people of non-US cultures, you should plan to
spend some time learning about the culture of those to whom you
will be speaking. As you consider your audience and the content
you want to present to this audience, remember that understanding
the ethnic profile of your listeners is perhaps even more important
than correctly discerning their knowledge of your topic and their
interest level.
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