Point A is a big question, really.

In planning your presentation, you’ve asked the first two key questions ~

Who is my audience, and what do I really know about them?

What should they think, feel, or do as a result of my presentation? (Point B!)

Now you need a Point A – a solid understanding of where they’re coming from – so that you can draw a line from there to Point B.  If you don’t know where they’re coming from, many different roads could potentially lead there.

Who are they demographically?  Who are they psychographically?

In other words, age, location, behavior, affiliations, brand preferences ~ what are those things that might give you insight into their attitudes, needs and wants.  ONLINE this also means understanding their relative web acumen – some audiences have much higher propensity to interact virtually than others.

Taking it further, you should also start asking the hard questions:

What pre-suppositions or biases might they be bringing to the table?   What objections are they likely to have?  What is their map of the world?  What other craziness might be part of their world?  Are they sitting there wondering why you won’t just email them the presentation?

And the really hard questions:

What do THEY think they want, what will they think of me, and what must I do to earn their trust?

The shortest route to Point B is from Point A.