A SPEAKER’S GUIDEBOOK 4 TH EDITION CHAPTER 6 Audience Analysis

The process of gathering and analyzing information about audience members with the explicit aim of adapting your message to the information you uncover about them.

An audience-centered approach  You are more likely to engage and maintain your listeners’ attention if you let their interests and background guide you in the writing of your speech.  Do not abandon your own convictions on your topic in your attempt to reach your audience; pandering to your audience’s whims undermines your credibility.

Identify listener disposition Uncover audience feelings or expectations towards: the topic of the speech you as the speaker the speech occasion

Using demographic data Refer back to the demographic data you recorded about your classmates in Step Four of the Chapter Two lecture. Think about your topic ideas and the values, attitudes, and beliefs your classmates may have about them.

Demographic characteristics 1.Age 2.Socioeconomic status 3.Religious/Political affiliation 4.Gender 5.Disability 6.Ethnic/Cultural Background

Target Audience >The individuals who are more likely to be influenced by your message. >Product marketers use demographic data in determining how to design commercials and ads. >Generational identity impacts what examples, TV shows, or songs will connect with your listeners.

Gender stereotyping  Gender is more than being male or female; it includes our psychological understanding of what it means to be male or female.  Sexist language casts males or females into stereotyped roles.

Cultural differences Communication theorists, such as Hofstede and Lewis, have studied how culture has influenced behavior patterns and attitudes in different cultural groups. A speaker must also consider how the audience member cultural backgrounds influence how each may respond to the message.

Hofstede’s Value-Dimensions Model  Individualism vs. Collectivism  High uncertainty vs. Low uncertainty avoidance  High power vs. Low power distance  Masculine vs. Feminine  Long-term vs. Short-term time orientation

Lewis’ Cultural Types Model 1. People from linear active cultures are systematic planners. 2. People from multi-active cultures tend to be people-oriented, talkative, and do many things at once. 3. In contrast, people from reactive cultures rarely initiate discussions, are accommodating, and are slow to take action.

Group Activity: Recognizing Dominant Culture Traits With your group members, identify by country name, the cultures according to Lewis’ Cultural types. See which group can name the most countries accurately. Linear-activeMulti-activeReactive

Techniques for Analyzing your Audience  Interviews  Surveys or questionnaires  Observation of audience members on basic demographic characteristics  Published sources that have already analyzed large sample populations based on the six demographic characteristics.

Analyze the Speech Setting  Size of audience  Location/physical setting  Time of day  Length of speech  Rhetorical situation/context

What Is Your Speech Setting? 1.Where will you give your speech? 2.How many people will be in the audience? 3.How long should the speech be? 4.What technical equipment will you be using? 5.Where will you stand/sit in the room while giving the speech? 6.Will other students be speaking? Is this an individual or group speech? 7.How can you engage or interact with the audience? 8.Are there any special events or circumstances of concern which you should acknowledge?

Chapter 6 Key Terms for Review audience analysis audience-centered approach pandering attitudes beliefs values perspective taking identification captive audience demographics target audience generational identity socioeconomic status (SES) gender sexist language gender stereotypes persons with disabilities (PWD) co-culture individualistic cultures collectivist cultures uncertainty avoidance high-uncertainty avoidance cultures low-uncertainty avoidance cultures power distance linear-active cultures multi-active cultures reactive cultures interview questionnaire closed-ended question fixed alternative question scale question open-ended question