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CHAPTER 2CHAPTER 2CHAPTER 2CHAPTER 2ANALYZING ANALYZING ANALYZING ANALYZING

THE THE THE THE AUDIENCEAUDIENCEAUDIENCEAUDIENCE

AUDIENCEAUDIENCEAUDIENCEAUDIENCE----CENTEREDNESSCENTEREDNESSCENTEREDNESSCENTEREDNESS

• They know the primary purpose of speechmaking is to gain a desired response from listeners

• To be audience-centered, you need to keep several questions in mind:– To whom am I speaking?– What do I want them to know, believe or do as a result of my speech?

– What is the most effective way of composing and presenting my speech to accomplish that aim?

YOUR CLASSMATES AS AN AUDIENCEYOUR CLASSMATES AS AN AUDIENCEYOUR CLASSMATES AS AN AUDIENCEYOUR CLASSMATES AS AN AUDIENCE

• Do not view your classrooms as an artificalspeaking situation

• Most classroom speeches will not give an immediate impact but listeners can enrich their experience, broaden their knowledge and change their views about something important

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THE PSYCHOLOGY OF AUDIENCESTHE PSYCHOLOGY OF AUDIENCESTHE PSYCHOLOGY OF AUDIENCESTHE PSYCHOLOGY OF AUDIENCES

• People are egocentric– They usually want to hear about things that are meaningful to them

– They pay closest attention to messages that affect their own values, beliefs and well-being

• What do these psychological principles mean?1. Your listeners will hear and judge what you say on the basis of what they already know and believe

2. You must relate your message to your listeners

DEMOGRAPHIC AUDIENCE ANALYSISDEMOGRAPHIC AUDIENCE ANALYSISDEMOGRAPHIC AUDIENCE ANALYSISDEMOGRAPHIC AUDIENCE ANALYSIS

• Speakers analyze audiences by looking at demographic factors such as:1. Age 2. Gender3. Sexual orientation4. Religion5. Group membership6. Racial, ethnic, and cultural background

• Demographic audience analysis consists of two steps:1. Identifying the general demographic features of your audience

2.Gauging the importance of those features to a particular speaking situation

• Avoid stereotyping– Creating an oversimplified image of a particular group of people, usually by assuming that all members of the group are alike

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SITUATIONAL AUDIENCE ANALYSISSITUATIONAL AUDIENCE ANALYSISSITUATIONAL AUDIENCE ANALYSISSITUATIONAL AUDIENCE ANALYSIS

• Situational audience analysis usually builds on demographic analysis

• It identifies traits of the audience unique to the speaking situation at hand

• The include:1. The size of the audience2. The physical setting3. The disposition of the audience toward the subject4. The speaker5. The occasion

1. SIZE• No matter what size group you are addressing, bear in mind; the larger the audience, the more formal your presentation must be

• It must also affect your language, choice of appeals, and use of visual aids

2. PHYSICAL SETTING• Which would you rather addressed?

3. DISPOSITION TOWARD THE TOPIC• Interest

• You can develop interest in your topic – by having an arresting introduction, provocative supporting materials, vivid language, dynamic delivery, visual aids etc.

• Knowledge• People tend to be interested in what they know about• If your listeners know little about your topic, you have to

talk at a more elementary level

• Attitude• A frame of mind in favor of or opposed to a person,

policy, belief, institution etc.

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4. DISPOSITION TOWARD THE SPEAKER• Keep in mind that listeners will always have some set of attitudes toward you as the speaker

5. DISPOSITION TOWARD THE OCCASION• No matter what the occasion, listeners have fairly definite ideas about the speeches they consider appropriate

• The occasion will dictate how long a speech should be

GETTING INFORMATION ABOUT THE GETTING INFORMATION ABOUT THE GETTING INFORMATION ABOUT THE GETTING INFORMATION ABOUT THE AUDIENCEAUDIENCEAUDIENCEAUDIENCE

• You can learn a lot about your audience just by observation and conversation, but you also need to know more about their backgrounds and opinions

• One way is to conduct a formal audience-analysis questionnaire

• Three major types of questions to choose from:

1. Fixed-alternative questions– Questions that offer a fixed choice between two or more

alternatives

2. Scale questions– Questions that require responses at fixed intervals along a

scale of answers

3. Open-ended questions– Questions that allow respondents to answer however they

want

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1. Have you ever engaged in volunteer work for a community, religious, or charitable organization? Yes ______________________________________________________No ______________________________________________________

2. Have you or anyone close to you ever benefited from the volunteerwork of a community, religious, or charitable organization?Yes ______________________________________________________No ______________________________________________________Not sure __________________________________________________

3. If you have engaged in volunteer work, how would you rate the experience?

Very rewardingSomewhat rewardingNeutralSomewhat unrewardingVery unrewarding

4. Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? To the extentpossible, people have an obligation to help those in less fortunate circumstances.

Strongly agreeMildly agreeUndecidedMildly disagreeStrongly disagree

5. If you have worked as a volunteer, do you plan to do so again? Why or why not?

6. If you have not worked as a volunteer, what is your major reason for notdoing so? Please explain.

Two fixed-alternativequestions establish the listeners’ level ofknowledge about anddegree of involvement

with the topic

This scale question isdesigned to show theattitudes of listenerswho have participatedin volunteer work

Another scale questiongauges the listeners’

sense of socialobligation

Two open-ended questions help gauge

the listeners’ dispositiontoward volunteer work.The last question probesthe specific issues the

speaker needs to addressfor listeners who have

not engaged in volunteer work

• Questionnaire revealed a great deal about the listeners’ knowledge, attitudes and concerns. In putting together you own, keep these principles in mind:1. Plan the questionnaire carefully to elicit precisely the information you need

2. Use all three type of questions3. Make sure the questions are clear and unambiguous4. Keep the questionnaire relatively brief

ADAPTING TO THE AUDIENCEADAPTING TO THE AUDIENCEADAPTING TO THE AUDIENCEADAPTING TO THE AUDIENCE

• AUDIENCE ADAPTATION BEFORE THE SPEECH– Audience adaptation means two things:

1. Assessing how your audience is likely to respond to what you say in your speech

2. Adjusting what you say to make it as clear, appropriate, and convincing as possible

• AUDIENCE ADAPTATION DURING THE SPEECH