Know your Audience

After attending the National Association of Hispanic Journalists, National Council of La Raza and League of United Latin American Citizens conventions/conferences this year, and listening to countless speeches and presentations, it baffles me how so many corporate executives continue to stick to the same script year after year. For example, do I really need to hear Hispanic demographic information at every event? I know there are more than 44 million Hispanics, I know the purchasing power of Latinos, and the estimated growth in the next few years. And trust me, everyone in that audience has also heard the same data and knows how important Latinos are for Corporate America. If we weren’t important to your bottom line, you wouldn’t be speaking at the event.

It also baffles me how companies try to use these events to spotlight their companies “PR” efforts, including how much money they are spending with competing minority or Hispanic organizations. I can tell you that many of these community groups compete for funding and even though they care and value how much companies invest in our community, is talking about a multi-million grant to another organization really what you should be emphasizing? Why not take this opportunity to talk about why the organization or group is important to you as an individual or to your company’s mission? Make it real and relevant to the people who are in the room.

Ford did an excellent job of highlighting its commitment to the community by showing a video at the LULAC convention focused on how its partnership with LULAC is having a positive impact on educational opportunities for Hispanics. PepsiCo sponsored one of the luncheons at NCLR and used the forum to talk about SmartSpot dance program. The company had Mario Lopez, celebrity spokesperson for this initiative, deliver key messages. Trust me, everyone in the room was listening...and watching...when Mario was at the podium.

Personal stories are another good approach. One of the best corporate speakers I heard at NCLR was a woman from BP who talked about how her Hispanic background is helping her thrive in a British company and global environment. It was a different take that demonstrated how BP is opening doors for Latino executives, without mentioning how much money the company is spending.

At these events, the individuals in the audience invest their energy, passion and free time in helping these organizations, so use the opportunity to show those in attendance that you understand and value what they do, and that is why you are there. This will go a lot further in keeping the audience engaged.

Know your audience, and demonstrate your commitment by refocusing your messages to highlight the host organization and the good that together you are making in our community…not by reciting a page from your company’s corporate social responsibility (CSR) story.