2.2 Analyzing the Audience

Audience-centeredness: keeping the audience foremost in mind at every step of speech preparation and presentation.
The primary purpose of speech making is to gain a desired response from listeners.  
To be audience-centered, you need to keep several questions in mind when you work on your speeches.

• To whom am I speaking?
• what do I want them to know, behave or do as a result of my speech
• what is the most effective way of composing and presenting my speech to accomplish that aim?

Identification:

• A process in which speakers seek to create a bond with the audience by emphasizing common values, goals, and experiences. 
• A speaker needs to create a link with his or her audience.
• Think in advance about your audience’s background and interest, about their level of knowledge, regarding the speech topic, and about their attitudes regarding your stance on the topic.

The psychology of Audience 

• Sometimes you pay close attention, at another time you let your thoughts to wander
• No one can make you to listen unless you want to
• It’s a big responsibility of a speaker to make his/her audience to pay close attention.

Every speech contains two message

• Sent by the speaker
• Received by the listener

Good speakers are often audience-centered (formal or informal)

Egocentrism:

The tendency of people to be concerned above all with their own values, beliefs, and well-being.

They pay close attention to message that affect their own values, own beliefs and their own well-being.

Listeners always approach the speech with one question, 

Why is this important to me?

Demographic Audience Analysis 

1. Age 
2. Gender
3. Sexual orientation
4. Religion
5. Group membership
6. Racial, ethnic or cultural background

Two steps to follow

1. Identifying the general demographic features of your audience

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

Avoid Stereotyping 

Stereotyping : creating an oversimplified image of a particular group of people, usually by assuming that all members of the group are alike.

Ex: All African Americans are athletics

1.Age 

Are you a member of generation X? or y? 

Each generation has more or less common values and experiences that set it apart from other generation.

Ex: Hip-hop culture, tattoo (old generation)

2. Gender

A Speaker who ignores the gender of his or her listeners is almost certain to offend some members of the audience. 

Ex: when there are 50 male and 5 female audience in a speech class, if the speaker addresses Dear gentlemen, the majority of the class, how about the rest of 5 female audience?

Military issues suitable for only men

Social issues suitable for only women

3. Sexual Orientation

By mentioning “partners" as well as “Spouses” speaker can capture the audiences' attention as well as a good feedback.

Audience centered speakers should be alert to how their message will be received by people of various sexual orientation.

Name calling and abusive ;language should be avoided.

Ex: Most of us hope to graduate, find a good job and get married, instead of that a speaker could say : most of us hope to graduate, find a good job and find a person to share our life with.

4. Racial, Ethnic and cultural background

Since we all live in a multi racial, multi ethnic society, speaker should concern on these sensitive issues.

Ex: Let we say a strong handshake is essential to any woman who wants to be taken seriously in law or business.

Three steps to be concerned 

1. Recognize that racial, ethnic or cultural perspectives will affect their attitudes towards your speech topic.
2. Try to determine what those perspectives are and how they are likely to affect the audience's response to your message.
3. To adjust your speech so it will be as clear, suitable and convincing as possible

5. Religion

Around the world religious views are most emotional one. 

There may be atheists and agnostics among your audiences.

It is most important to consider each and every audience and their religious views.

Ex: Shiramadana Campaign in a mixed school. 

Situational Audience analysis

• It usually builds on the demographic analysis.
• It mainly focuses on situational factors such as the size of the audience, the physical setting for the speech and the disposition toward the topic, the speaker and the occasion.

1. Size

• Size is a vital element for a speech.
• It can be a small or large group.
• No matter what size group you are addressing, one basic principle, the larger the audience , the more formal your presentation must be.
• Audience size will have the greatest impact on your delivery, but it may also affect your language, choice of appeals, and use of visual aids.

2. Physical setting 

• Uncomfortable physical setting usually affects the speech and the audience too.
• Seating arrangement, over heated room, and etc

3. Disposition toward the topic- Dislike

Interest 

• Unless people are interested they will never put an effort to listen a speech.
• If your topic is not likely to generate great interest, you must take special steps to get your audiences involved.Ex: Beauty of Youth’s life, Most beautiful period of everyone’s life….

Knowledge

• The knowledge of your audience about your topic.
• Strong correlation/ mutual relation between interest in a topic and knowledge about it.
• People tend to be interested in what they know about.   

Attitude 

• What is the attitude of your audience regarding your topic.
• A frame of mind in favor or opposed to a person policy, belief, institution and etc..

Disposition toward the speaker

• Competent listeners believe a speaker to be, the more likely they are to accept what he/ she says.
• Also listeners believe that a speaker has their best interests at heart, the more likely they are to respond positively to the speaker’s message.

Disposition toward the occasion 

• Occasion should be considered by the speaker before give a speech. Ex: in a memorial day speaking about business deal.

Getting information about the audience 

• Interviewing 
• Questionnaires