5.5 Using Your Audience Analysis

5.5 Using Your Audience Analysis

A strong audience analysis takes time and effort, but the information it provides can make a speech more relevant, understandable, and persuasive. Effective speakers study their audiences so they can connect their messages to listeners’ interests, knowledge, values, and concerns (Coopman & Lull, 2009; Grice & Skinner, 2009; Sprague et al., 2010).

One audience may care most about employment opportunities, while another may be more concerned about taxes, health, education, or public safety. Knowing what matters to an audience helps a speaker select appropriate content, examples, evidence, language, and delivery strategies. Audience analysis can also help a speaker adapt during a presentation when listeners appear confused, skeptical, disengaged, or especially interested in a particular point (Coopman & Lull, 2009; Sprague et al., 2010).

Before the Speech: Prepare Content with Your Audience in Mind

Audience analysis helps you shape a speech before you deliver it. Suppose you are preparing a persuasive speech about veganism and learn that many audience members come from families involved in cattle ranching. Ignoring that background could cause listeners to dismiss your message before considering your evidence.

You do not necessarily need to abandon the topic. Instead, you could adjust your approach by acknowledging the audience’s experiences, avoiding insulting assumptions, and focusing on a narrower issue, such as adding more plant-based foods to a diet. The goal is not to conceal your position but to communicate it in a way that encourages listeners to remain receptive. Audience-centered speakers consider how listeners’ experiences and perspectives may affect how a message is interpreted (Grice & Skinner, 2009; Samovar & McDaniel, 2007).

Audience analysis also improves clarity. When you understand your listeners’ knowledge and experiences, you can choose words, examples, definitions, and explanations that are meaningful to them (Coopman & Lull, 2009; Sprague et al., 2010).

Use Idioms Carefully

One potential barrier to clarity is the use of idioms that audience members may not understand. An idiom is an expression whose meaning cannot be determined solely from the ordinary definitions of its individual words. Idioms are frequently connected to a particular culture, region, profession, or historical period. Because communication styles and interpretations can vary across cultural and social groups, speakers should not assume that every audience member will understand the same expressions (Samovar & McDaniel, 2007; Tannen, 1994).

For example, the phrase “according to Hoyle” means that something has been completed according to established rules. The expression refers to Edmond Hoyle, an eighteenth-century English writer whose books established widely accepted rules for card games. Although some card-game enthusiasts may understand the reference, many contemporary listeners will not.

Before using an idiom, consider whether audience members are likely to understand it. When an expression may be unfamiliar, replace it with direct language or briefly explain its meaning.

Be Clear with Your Message

Using complex words merely to sound impressive does not strengthen a speech. It can confuse listeners and weaken the speaker’s connection with the audience. Clear communication begins with stating the topic and purpose in direct language so listeners know what to expect (Grice & Skinner, 2009).

Throughout the speech, define unfamiliar terms and limit jargon or insider language. When specialized terminology is necessary, explain it in language appropriate for the audience’s level of knowledge. Speakers should also consider differences in education, professional experience, culture, and prior knowledge when deciding how much explanation to provide (Coopman & Lull, 2009; Samovar & McDaniel, 2007).

Without adequate audience analysis, a message may become unclear, overly technical, or so cautious that its main point is difficult to identify. A strong speaker communicates a clear and confident message while respecting the audience’s time, knowledge, and concerns.

During the Speech: Adjust to Audience Feedback

Audience analysis does not end when the speech begins. Speakers should continue observing listeners and adapting when necessary. Audience members communicate feedback through facial expressions, posture, eye contact, questions, silence, note-taking, and other verbal and nonverbal responses (Coopman & Lull, 2009; Sprague et al., 2010).

If listeners appear tired or disengaged, a speaker might vary vocal delivery, introduce a relevant example, ask a question, or invite brief participation. If audience members appear confused, the speaker may need to define a term, restate an idea, slow down, or provide an additional example. Skeptical reactions may indicate that a claim requires stronger evidence or a more complete explanation.

Speakers must interpret these responses carefully. A single listener looking away does not necessarily mean that the entire audience is bored. Adaptations should be based on patterns of audience feedback rather than assumptions about one person’s behavior. Audience responses can also be affected by social expectations and the desire to present oneself favorably, so speakers should avoid drawing conclusions from limited evidence (Lalwani, 2009; Vavra, 2009).

Adapt to the Speaking Environment

Speakers may also need to adapt to the physical setting. A presentation planned for a small classroom may be moved to a large auditorium. A microphone, computer, projector, internet connection, or other piece of equipment may be unavailable. Visual aids that are easy to see in a small room may be unreadable from the back of a larger space.

For example, a student might plan to use a 100-foot tape measure to illustrate wealth distribution. In a room that is too small to extend the tape in a straight line, the student may have to bend it around the space, making the demonstration difficult to understand. A scaled-down visual or digital graphic would be easier to adapt to different environments.

Effective speakers anticipate possible changes and prepare alternatives. They may save presentation files in more than one format, bring notes that can be used without technology, and consider how visual demonstrations can be adjusted for different room sizes. Flexibility helps a speaker continue communicating effectively when conditions change (Grice & Skinner, 2009; Sprague et al., 2010).

After the Speech: Learn from Audience Response

Audience analysis continues after the presentation. Reflecting on audience reactions, questions, and feedback can help a speaker determine how effectively the message was received. Speakers can compare their original expectations with the audience’s actual responses and use that information to improve future presentations (Coopman & Lull, 2009; Sprague et al., 2010).

Consider which points appeared to generate the most interest, where listeners seemed confused, and which questions were asked afterward. Feedback can be gathered through surveys, informal conversations, instructor comments, peer evaluations, or personal reflection. Because survey responses may be influenced by question wording, social desirability, or participants’ willingness to answer honestly, speakers should interpret feedback cautiously (Lalwani, 2009; Vavra, 2009).

Speakers should also evaluate whether their initial audience analysis was accurate. Perhaps listeners knew more about the topic than expected, reacted differently from what the speaker predicted, or raised concerns that had not been considered. These observations can improve future topic selection, research, organization, and delivery.

A speech should not be viewed as the final step in the communication process. Effective speakers treat each presentation as an opportunity to learn. By evaluating audience response before, during, and after a speech, they become more flexible, responsive, and audience-centered communicators.