Speaking in Front of Millennials: What You Should Know

Throughout my career, it has been my honor to to share my passion for financial literacy and entrepreneurship to audiences all over the world. As I’ve shared before, knowing how to effectively communicate to your audience is essential to standing out in your communication. Today, that means knowing how to speak to Millennials. After all, Millennials have surpassed Baby Boomers as the largest living generation in the nation. This means that if you are not speaking in front of Millennials, you are missing a great opportunity. Here’s what you need to know to be more influential in your communication strategy.

Be Authentic

Millennials are not going to be persuaded by traditional sales tactics or pushy marketing. LinkedIn warns that they can spot fraud easily. When talking to them, be authentic and real and give value. If you aren’t, they will know, and they won’t trust you.

Being authentic also means being who you are. I have seen far too many people try to relate to a specific audience by trying to talk or act like them. Millennials will quickly be turned off if they think you aree being phony, and they won’t listen. Be who you are, and they will take notice.

Entertain

When speaking to Millennials, you must be entertaining. “Infotainment” is the favorite source of education of this particular generation. That’s why they’re getting their news from people like Seth Meyers instead of CNN. Find a way to deliver your message so that it both informs and entertains, and you will have their attention.

Have a Conversation

If possible, turn your speaking engagement into a conversation. Take questions from the audience. Ask for a raise of hands. In some way, get the audience communicating with you, because Millennials want to be heard.

Share Your Story

This particular generation is all about relationships, and one way to build that is to share your story. Don’t just go on and on about your successes, but take the time to show the places where you experienced tough learning opportunities and what you did to overcome those challenges. Your young audience wants to see that you are, first and foremost, human.

Use Media

It is no question that as a culture, our attention spans are becoming shorter. But as our attention spans become shorter, generations are becoming more tech savvy. Millennials they grew up as the technology we love developed and blossomed. Use technology and media in your presentations, and you’ll capture your audiences attention while also meeting them on a level they appreciate.

Do you want to become more effective at reaching all of your audiences, whether Millennials or another generation? Contact me for more information about public speaking or to learn about my Master Mentor program.