Audience Analysis

Adapting to Your Audience

Class Activity – Adapting to Your Audience

Class Activity – Timed Speeches

Focus on self• Because they

concentrate on themselves, they often ignore the needs and interests of the audience.

Focus on audience

The best kind of speaker is one who focuses on the audience, asking “Who are my listeners? How can I reach them with my message?”

Analyze: find out what they know and don’t know about the subject

Adapt: to provide the precise information that they lack

What do listeners know about ice packs as first aid?

Interviews Surveys

Gender: Topic should appeal to entirety of your audience

Age: Be sensitive to the interests, attitudes, and knowledge of all your listeners, giving explanations or background whenever necessary.

Educational Background: Avoid talking over their heads or using concepts or language that they cannot understand. At the same time, don’t treat your listeners like children - don’t talk down to them.

Occupation: Where appropriate, adapt your speeches to the occupational backgrounds of your listeners.

Economic and Social Status: Be sensitive to the economic and social status of your listeners so that you can adapt your speech accordingly.

Groups:◦ Select a yellow (possible audience) card◦ Select a green (possible speech topic)

Identify how you would adapt your topic to the particular audience you’ve been given

Provide three points you would discuss in a speech

My car (10 sec)

What you had for breakfast/lunch (30 sec)

Your job (1 min)

What do you want to do when you graduate? (1.5 min)

When a speaker is enthusiastic about his or her ideas, how do listeners usually react?

List the six criteria discussed in this chapter for writing a specific purpose statement.

What is the difference between the specific purpose and the central idea?

Select a topic that…Fits requirements of assignmentShowcases your experiences and knowledgeInterests youYou can make interesting and valuable to your audience

Establish a general purpose to help bring your topic under control.

◦ To inform

◦ To persuade

◦ To entertain

What exactly to you want to accomplish in your speech?◦ Topic: Foodborne illnesses◦ General Purpose: To inform◦ Specific Purpose: To tell my listeners how to

protect themselves from foodborne illnesses

What exactly to you want your audience to remember from your speech?◦ Topic: Foodborne illnesses◦ General Purpose: To inform

◦ Specific Purpose: To tell my listeners how to protect themselves from foodborne illnesses

◦ Central Idea: Monitoring food temperatures is a great way to avoid foodborne illnesses

Football- Explain divisions / conferences- Explain job of coaching- Explain history - Explain artificial vs. natural turf

Let’s use football as an example:

Brainstorm for possible main points Narrow to 3 – 5 possible main points

Narrow down the following broad subjects to specific, manageable topics:◦Outdoor recreation◦Musical groups◦Illegal drugs◦Saving money