Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2009 Public Speaking: An Audience-Centered Approach – 7 th edition Chapter 5 Analyzing Your Audience This multimedia product and its contents are protected under copyright law. The following are prohibited by law: · any public performances or display, including transmission of any image over a network; · preparation of any derivative work, including the extraction, in whole or in part, of any images; · any rental, lease, or lending of the program. Steven A. Beebe & Susan J. Beebe

Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2009 “For of the three elements in speechmaking – speaker, subject, and person addressed – it is the last one, the hearer, that determines the speech’s end and object” - Aristotle

Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2009 Becoming an Audience-Centered Speaker Gather information about your audience Informally:demographics: information about age, gender, sexual orientation, education & religious views. Formally: 1. Open-ended questions (unrestricted answers). 2. Closed-ended questions (limited answers).

Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2009 Analyze information about your audience Audience analysis: examining information about listeners. Ask: 1. How are they similar? 2. How are they different? 3. How can I establish common ground? Becoming an Audience-Centered Speaker

Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2009 Adapting to your audience Ethically using audience information, to adapt messages for clarity and your objective. Modifying messages for better clarity. Helps achieve ethical goal(s). Means not fabricating information. Becoming an Audience-Centered Speaker

Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2009 Analyzing your audience before you speak Demographic audience analysis Analyzing an audience by examining demographic information to develop clear and effective messages.

Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2009 Types of Demographics Age. Gender. Sex. Sexual Orientation. Ethnicity. Race. Analyzing your audience before you speak

Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2009 Types of Demographics, continued Dimensions of culture: IndividualisticCollectivistic High-contextLow-context Tolerance for uncertainty Need for certainty High-powerLow-power Long-term time orientation Short-term time orientation

Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2009 Types of Demographics, continued Group Membership:  Religious.  Political.  Work.  Social.  Service. Socioeconomic Status:  Income.  Occupation.  Education.

Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2009 Adapting to Diverse Listeners Look at differences beyond cultural. Focus on a target audience. Use variety of supporting materials. Tell stories. Balance logic with emotions. Show ideas visually. Identify common values of audience.

Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2009 Psychological Audience Analysis Attitudes:likes and/or dislikes. Beliefs: perceptions of what is true or false. Values: enduring concept of good/bad, right/wrong. Audiences can be:  Interested or uninterested.  Favorable or unfavorable.  Voluntary or captive.

Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2009 Situational Audience Analysis Time (when, how long). Audience size. Location (type of room, arrangement of chairs). Occasion (event).

Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2009 Adapting as you speak Identify nonverbal cues from listeners:  Eye-contact.  Facial expression.  Movement.  Nonverbal responsiveness.  Verbal responsiveness.

Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2009 Adapting as you speak If audience seems bored If audience seems confused If audience seems to disagree Tell a story Use redundancy Provide more evidence Consider humor Phrase ideas differently Remind them of your credibility Increase rate of speech Ask audience to summarize Give more facts & fewer stories Give personal examples Use a visual aid Give information visually

Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2009 Customizing Your Message To Your Audience Refer to:  Names of listeners.  Place of speech.  Historical events. Mention recent news related to topic. Give positive references to groups or organizations in audience. Discuss topic’s relevance for listeners.

Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2009 Analyzing Your Audience After You Speak Observe nonverbal responses. Listen for verbal comments. Survey audience. Check for desired behavioral responses from audience.