This is very gray territory. What is a controversial question or topic? Is it one that sparks a heated debate? Is it one that makes your audience uncomfortable? Is it all of the above? The answers to these questions are not straight cut. You should know what question or topics may be viewed as controversial based on where you are, who is in your audience, and what controversies are floating around the media and the air. Is it the same question or topic for everybody? Absolutely not! Something controversial for one person or group may be perfectly acceptable for another. You should analyze the situation and the crowd and decide which questions or topics may be perceived as controversial.
But why avoid these questions or topics? It is a good idea to avoid these questions or topics because they create heated and uncomfortable situations. Well, sometimes as a presenters we are called to create these types of situations. We are called to deliver a controversial message and/or idea. We are there to stir up, to change and cure.

With all that said, I would like to make the statement that there are no controversial questions or topics …
if you know your audience.

Know your audience! How important is it to know your audience? The answer to that is derived from our entire discussion up to this point. Knowing your audience means the difference between being accepted and having a fun time, or being rejected and miserable. If you do not pay attention to your audience, you will be so far off cue that you will not be able to have any connection and therefore your message will not be accepted, remembered and repeated. Before you are ready to get in front of your audience, do the research. Research the environment, the people involved, the event. Ask the organizers about the event, do a little Q&A session; this may save you a lot of grief later on, and make an OK presentation into a great one. If you know the reason for the event, you may be able to figure out the attending crowd. If you know your audience, you will not have to guess what is the most effective way to connect with them and deliver your message?
We will discuss specific steps and techniques in our next posting. Keep on speaking and have fun doing it!

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