An Audience Analysis

Every speaker wants their listeners to grasp what they are saying and to actively participate. Therefore, the speaker must conduct an analysis of the audience before speaking to them. When a speaker first meets and engages with an audience, an audience analysis helps the speaker connect with them. The speaker connects with the audience during the review. Therefore, the speaker rhymes the message with what the listener already knows. Thus, acquiring and analyzing data on the audience would be necessary for a fruitful audience study. The speaker can gather information through written surveys, interviews, oral queries, and observations. An audience analysis has to collect and analyze the generational and demographic composition of its audience. Generational differences in an audience mean the audience differs in their values, beliefs, attitudes, and opinions. The speaker, therefore, carries out a psychographic analysis to comprehend these generational differences. In fact, the psychographic analysis involves a deeper dive into the demographic factors of the audience. Some of the demographic features in an audience are the age, gender and sexual orientation of the audience. Moreover, the ethnic, educational, occupational, racial and cultural backgrounds are also put into consideration when the speaker performs a demographic analysis of the audience. The values of the people making up the audience provide the basis on which they use to judge and develop their beliefs (Three Types of Audience Analysis, n.d.). Furthermore, values express judgment on the desirable and undesirable or on the good and bad. If the audience can show their view, then the message by the speaker relates to their beliefs. The source of the values of the audience such as cultural background, life experience or family upbringing also determines the extent to which they connect they associate with speaker’s message.

A proper audience analysis would prevent cases of ethnocentrism. This is because the speaker has a prior understanding of the differences in values and standards of the audience culture. The speaker by avoiding ethnocentrism in the communication process promotes a sense of belonging to the audience even if they are from different cultures. Besides, the audience’s ability to adopt social solidarity is encouraged. As a result, they become cooperative and engaging with the speaker. When the speaker is ethnocentric in his audience, he limits the growth of the members of the audience. This further translates to slow national development.

Avoiding ethnocentrism would prevent these adverse effects on the audience and the nation too. An audience analysis helps the speaker in choosing a topic that reflects a regard for the audience. The audience can predict the content of the message once the speaker mentions the subject. Understanding the knowledge and interests of the audience enables the speaker’s content to be clear as he communicates with the audience (Lundgren, & McMakin, 2013). Excellent analysis of the audience is necessary because the speaker can discuss controversial topics in his message without fear of contradicting himself. In fact, controversy in the news creates an interesting discussion. The speaker can match his message content to the diverse audience hence avoids making offensive remarks to his audience. The sole purpose of the audience analysis can be said to be one that creates a message that is clear and does not offend the audience.

The speaker may have a self-centered message that he needs to communicate to the audience. The speaker, therefore, must first check whether the message needs to be turned upside down. The speaker should then remove any information that is irrelevant to the main topic and subtopics. In the third step, the speaker should organize the material that has remained logically. He should then add information to the points that may need additional explanation. The final step to making the self-centered message audience-centered is to proofread it and makes any corrections (Walker, 2014).

Carrying an audience analysis, therefore, is essential to both the speaker and the audience. However, it is the role of the speaker to ensure that the review improves the communication between him and the audience.

References

Lundgren, F. E. R. E., & McMakin, A. H. (2013). Analyze Your Audience. Risk Communication: A Handbook for Communicating Environmental, Safety, and Health Risks, Fourth Edition, 91-104.

Three Types of Audience Analysis. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://2012books.lardbucket.org/books/public-speaking-practice-and-ethics/s08-02-three-types-of-audience-analys.html

Walker, R. (2014). Strategic management communication for leaders (3rd ed.). Florence, FL: Cengage Learning Inc.