This document discusses analyzing audiences for public speaking. It explains that audience analysis involves understanding situational characteristics of the speech such as size, time, location and mobility. It also involves incorporating demographic information about the audience like age, gender, race, religion and socioeconomic background. Additionally, it discusses seeking common ground with the audience, identifying their prior exposure to the topic and disposition toward it, and gathering additional information about the audience through surveys. The goal of audience analysis is to prepare a meaningful speech by understanding attributes and motivations of the intended listeners.

1. Analyzing
the
Audience
Georgia Military College – Fayetteville
Comm 201 – Room 314
Public Speaking
Professor Nina L. Wilson, M.S., PCC
Week 3 - 8/20/2019

2. Analyzing the Audience
Audience analysis is the process of
gathering and analyzing
information about audience
members' attributes and
motivations with the explicit aim
of preparing your speech in ways
that will be meaningful to them.

3. Audience Analysis:
An Overview
•Understanding an audience involves:
1. Understanding situational characteristics
2. Incorporating demographics
3. Seeking common ground
4. Identifying prior exposure and disposition
5. Gathering information about your
audience

4. AUDIENCE CHARACTERISTICS

5. Understanding Situational Characteristics
•Observable factors about a speech
situation:
•Size
•Time
•Location
•Mobility

6. Understanding Situational
Characteristics: Size
• How many people will be in the
audience?
• Small groups
• More interaction
• Can tailor more detailed and specific
message

7. Understanding Situational
Characteristics: Size
• Large Groups
• Less interaction
• Must anticipate reactions
• Craft a widely accessible message

8. Understanding Situational
Characteristics: Time
•Presentation time issues:
• Short speeches need to be concise.
• Longer speeches can take more time to
develop a message.

9. Understanding Situational
Characteristics: Time
• Chronemics or body clock refers to the
time of day or day of the week speech is
given.
– Certain times (e.g., early Monday morning)
can impede an audience’s attention.
– Be sensitive to body clock and adjust speech
as needed.

10. Understanding Situational
Characteristics: Location
• The setting where you deliver the speech
(also called forum)
• Take into account:
– Acoustic characteristics
– Level of technology
– Sight lines
– Lighting

11. Understanding Situational
Characteristics: Mobility
• Stationary audience: Sitting or
standing
• Mobile audience: Strolling by, stopping
briefly
–If audience members are free to
leave during the speech, you must
work extra hard to keep their
attention.

12. Incorporating Demographics
• Characteristics of listeners that help you
anticipate your audience’s beliefs about your
topic:
– Age
– Gender composition
– Sexual orientation
– Race and ethnicity
– Religious orientation
– Socioeconomic background
– Political affiliation

13. Incorporating Demographics:
Age
• For audiences with diverse ages, tailor
supporting materials to varied experiences.
• Contextualize unfamiliar historical details.

14. Incorporating Demographics:
Gender Composition
•Craft messages that will appeal to
the needs of both genders.
•Do not use gender stereotypes or
sexist language.

15. Incorporating Demographics:
Sexual Orientation
•Do not assume everyone is
heterosexual.
•Acronym LGBTQ includes various
sexual orientations.
•Inclusive word choices can help.
• Overt: Gay couple - Passive: Loving couple

16. Incorporating Demographics:
Race and Ethnicity
•Race: Common heritage based on
genetically shared physical
characteristics
•Ethnicity: Cultural background

17. Incorporating Demographics:
Race and Ethnicity
•Be sensitive to racial and ethnic
backgrounds
•Do not assume all people from the
same backgrounds think alike

18. Incorporating Demographics:
Religious Orientation
•Numerous religions
exist in the world and
in the U.S.
•Religion can
influence an
audience’s attitude,
but it does not
predetermine it.

19. Incorporating Demographics:
Socioeconomic Background
•Refers to audience’s socioeconomic
status
• Measure of financial resources,
educational level, and occupation
•Consider how this influences
audience’s individual and collective
concerns
• Tailor examples as needed

20. Incorporating Demographics:
Political Affiliation
Political affiliation
can be hard to pin
down, but knowing an
audience’s political
orientation or position
on a specific issue
can help you design
your speech.

21. Seeking Common Ground
• Sharing beliefs, values,
or experiences you
have in common with
listeners builds
connections.
• Nonverbal signals,
especially dress, build
connections, if
authentic.

22. Identifying Prior Exposure
• Extent to which audience has already been
exposed to the message
• Prior exposure can change how you present a
message.
• Speaker should answer the three following
questions ahead of time.
• Have they heard, how did they respond, why?

23. Identifying Audience
Disposition:
• Sympathetic
• Hostile
• Neutral
• ?

24. Gathering Information About Your
Audience: Surveying Your Audience
Audience Survey:
A set of written questions
you ask your audience before
speech

25. Gathering Information About Your
Audience: Surveying Your Audience
•Three common forms:
•Fixed-response questions: Multiple
choice, true/false
•Scaled questions: Range of feelings
(strongly agree to disagree)
•Open-ended questions: Invite
respondents to write what they want

26. Audience Analysis: A Review
•Understanding an audience involves:
• Understanding situational characteristics
• Incorporating demographics
• Seeking common ground
• Identifying prior exposure and disposition
• Gathering information about your
audience