1. Audience Analysis
Know your audience!

2. Definition of Audience Analysis
A characterization of the audience and the situation in which members find themselves

3. Types of Audiences Pedestrian Passive
People who have no obvious connection with either the communicator or one another
Passive
The group that will read of hear a message but that has a low level of motivation (Communicator must sustain interest.)

4. Types, cont’d. Selected audience Concerted audience
Communicator and audience share a common and known purpose, but they do not agree on the best way to achieve their shared goals
Concerted audience
A friendly audience that shares the goals of the communicator but may need education (the “choir”)

5. Types, cont’d. Organized audience
People gathered for a non-controversial cause (e.g., for entertainment)

6. Reference Groups Demographic reference groups are dictated by:
Age, gender, sexual orientation, ethnicity, etc.
Voluntary reference groups are chosen according to:
Religious beliefs, social values, political beliefs, etc.

7. Audience Analysis Methods
Primary research
A research project to identify audience characteristics specifically for the project at hand (usually a survey)
This task is frequently hired-out by organizations to marketing research firms
Methods:
Focus groups
Surveys: Telephone, face-to-face, mail

8. Methods, cont’d. Secondary research
Data collected previously by other communicators (marketing firms, for example) that relate to the project at hand
Sources (available at most libraries and/or on the Web):
American Statistics Index
Study of Media and Markets

9. Persuading an Audience
All forms of communication involve persuasion
Aristotle ( B.C.) proposed three modes of persuasive appeals
Appeals to Ethos (Ethics)
Appeals to Logos (Logic)
Appeals to Pathos (Emotion)

10. Persuasive Routes Peripheral Central
Audience lacks ability, motivation
Audience is persuaded by elements other than the central logical argument
Appearance, perceived credibility, aesthetics, elocution, perceived ethics
Central
Audience has motivation and ability
Audience is persuaded by logical arguments/facts

11. Writing/Thinking Exercise
Make a list of reference groups of which you are a member
Differentiate between those that are voluntary and those that are demographic
Note which affiliations you probably do not share with the class.

12. Writing/Thinking Exercise II
When you are compelled to make a decision about an issue that you haven’t truly studied carefully, what persuasive cues do you use?