Chapter Ate

Audience Analysis Audience Analysis – act of gaining an understanding of your audience members and acting on that information 1) You speak for the audience 2) Audience is different from you Avoid ethnocentrism (own viewpoint is standard) 3) Audiences differ from one another

Benefits of Audience Analysis 1) Topic selection and shaping (interest and relevance) 2) Speak at listeners knowledge level 3) Determines language needed to best communicate message 4) Decreases chance of alienating/ offending

How to analyze Types of data (demographic, attitudinal) Collecting (existing research, host, expert, surveys, listen and observe) Make sense of data/ apply – (homogeneous versus general audiences)

When To Analyze Before topic selection Predetermined topic Last minute analysis During a presentation

Understand Speaking Situation Context analysis – meet expectations and general norms Types of Contexts Physical – room size, equipment, etc… Temporal – time, history, other speeches… Psychological – moods and frames of mind

Chapter NINE

Speech Purpose/ Topic Reason for speaking event Where to find a topic Asked, required or offering Inform, persuade or mark a special occasion Where to find a topic Personal experience Topics you want to know more about Others Browse Brainstorm

Topic cont… General Audience interest Specific Audience interest Topics about themselves Current topics Historic and future-related Curiosity satisfying Specific Audience interest Chapter 8

Thesis Statement Thesis – one main idea to which everything else in your presentation connects. True versus False thesis statements One Synthesizing idea Benefits of a good thesis Helps focus on audience Listeners appreciate a meaningful thesis Less is more