Chapter Six
Analyzing the
Audience
Chapter Six
Table of Contents
Adapting to Audience Psychology
Adapting to Audience Demographics
Methods of Gathering Information
Analyzing the Speech Setting
Analyzing the Audience
Audience analysis: the process of
gathering and analyzing information
about your listeners.
Adapting to Audience
Psychology
People tend to evaluate messages in
terms of their own attitudes, beliefs, and
values, and not the speaker’s.
Adapting to Audience
Psychology
Attitudes, Beliefs, and Values
Reactions toward the Topic, Speaker, and
Occasion
Adapting to Audience Psychology:
Attitudes, Beliefs, and Values
Attitudes: a predisposition to respond to
people, ideas, and objects in evaluative
ways.
Beliefs: the way a person perceives
reality
Values: people’s judgments about what’s
good and bad in life.
Adapting to Audience Psychology:
Reactions Toward the Topic,
Speaker, and Occasion
Perspective-taking: uncovering the
audience’s feelings toward the topic, the
speaker, and the speech occasion.
People are more interested in topics that
align with their values and beliefs.
Always take your audience’s feelings into
account.
Adapting to Audience Psychology:
Reactions Toward the Topic,
Speaker, and Occasion
A speaker who is well-liked can gain
at least an initial hearing from an
audience
Adapting to Audience Psychology:
Reactions Toward the Topic,
Speaker, and Occasion
Feelings toward the occasion:
People bring different sets of expectations
and emotions to a speech event.
These attitudes should be one of the
speaker’s key considerations in planning and
delivering a speech.
Adapting to Audience
Demographics
Demographics : the statistical
characteristics of a given population
Six typical characteristics are:
Age, gender, ethnic or cultural
background, socioeconomic status,
religion, political affiliation
Adapting to Audience Demographics:
Age
Each age group has its own concerns,
psychological drives, and motivations.
Be aware of generational identity:
when people associate with a given stage
of life.
Adapting to Audience Demographics:
Ethnic or Cultural Background
Co-culture: social community whose
perceptions and beliefs differ
significantly from yours.
Adapting to Audience Demographics:
Ethnic or Cultural Background
Consider “value dimensions” : major
cultural patterns in various countries.
Individualistic cultures emphasize the
needs of the individual
Collectivist cultures emphasize the needs
and identity of the group
Adapting to Audience Demographics:
Ethnic or Cultural Background
Other value dimensions:
High and low uncertainty
High and low power distance
Masculine versus feminine traits
Adapting to Audience Demographics:
Socioeconomic Status
Socioeconomic status
includes income,
occupation and
education.
This can be critical in
effectively targeting
your message.
Adapting to Audience Demographics:
Religion
Some audience members are deeply
devoted to their faiths, while others have
few religious convictions.
Do not assume all members of your
audience share a Judeo-Christian
heritage.
Adapting to Audience Demographics:
Gender
Gender stereotypes : oversimplified
and often severely distorted ideas about
the innate nature of men or women.
Methods of Gathering
Information
The Interview
The Survey
Published Sources
Methods of Gathering Information:
The Interview
An interview is a face-to-face
communication for the purpose of
gathering information.
Methods of Gathering Information:
The Survey
A survey is designed
to gather information
from a large number
of respondents.
Methods of Gathering Information:
The Survey
Closed-ended questions: elicit a small
range of specific answers supplied by the
interviewer.
Fixed alternative questions: contain a
limited choice of answers.
Open-ended questions: allow respondents
to elaborate as much as they wish.
Methods of Gathering Information:
Published Sources
Organizations of all
kinds publish Web
sites, brochures, print
articles, annual
reports, and industry
guides
Analyzing the Speech Setting
Size of Audience and Physical Setting
Time and Length of Speech
Seating Capacity and Arrangement
Sound and Lighting
The Speech Context
Analyzing the Speech Setting:
Size of Audience and Physical Setting
The size and physical setting in which a speech
occurs can have a significant effect on the
speech outcome.
Analyzing the Speech Setting:
Time and Length
Find out how long you are expected to
speak
Start and end well within your allotted
time.
Analyzing the Speech Setting:
Seating Capacity and Arrangement
Investigate seating
capacity and
arrangement
How will the
audience be seated?
Will you be seated
or standing?
Analyzing the Speech Setting:
Sound and Lighting
Lighting should be bright enough for people to
easily see the speaker and take notes.
Sound should be loud, clear and crisp.
Analyzing the Speech Setting:
The Speech Context
Each speech will have its own particular context.
Find out if you will be only one of many speakers.
Take into consideration any current events that
could distract your audience
By being alert to any of these contingencies, you
can address them in your speech.