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www.publicspeakingproject.org audience analysis Public Speaking: The Virtual Text chapter 5 By Peter DeCaro, Ph.D. Tyrone Adams, Ph.D. Bonnie Jefferis, Ph.D. University of Alaska - University of Louisiana - St. Petersburg College Fairbanks Lafayette introduction Robert E. Mullins, a well-known local bank officer, was preparing a chapter objectives chapter outline After reading this chapter, you should be able speech for the Rotary Club in Dallas, to: Texas on the topic of “finding the Introduction 1. List techniques for Approaches to Audience right loan” for a rather diverse analyzing a specific target Analysis audience. He knew his topic audience. o Direct Observation extremely well, had put a lot of hard 2. Explain audience analysis o Inference work into his research, and had his by direct observation. o Sampling 3. Describe audience analysis visual aids completely in order. One Categories of Audience by inference. of the things he had not fully Analysis 4. Identify the purpose of a considered, however, was the o Situational Analysis basic questionnaire. audience to which he would be o Demographic Analysis 5. Recognize and apply data speaking. On the day of the o Psychological Analysis sampling. presentation, Mr. Mullins delivered a o Multicultural Analysis 6. Determine when to use a flawless speech on “secured” car and o Interest and Knowledge Likert-type test. Analysis home loans, but the speech was not 7. Define the five categories Conclusion received particularly well. You see, of audience analysis. Review Questions and Activities on this particular week, a major 8. Summarize the purpose of Glossary segment of the audience consisted of the situational analysis. References the “Junior Rotarians” who wanted 9. Explain audience analysis to hear about “personal savings by demography. accounts” and “college savings 10. Recognize the difference between beliefs, attitudes We analyze our audience because we plans.” It was a critical error. Had and values. want to discover information that will Mr. Mullins considered the full 11. Identify reasons for help create a bond between the speaker nature and demographic makeup of sampling a multicultural and the audience. We call this bond his audience prior to the event, he audience. “identification.” Aristotle loosely called might not have been received so 12. Apply the chapter it “finding a common ground.” This poorly. concepts in final questions isn’t a one-way process between the and activities. In contemporary public speaking, the speaker and the audience; rather, it is a audience that you are addressing is the two-way transactional process. When entire reason you are giving the speech; you ask an audience to listen to your accordingly, the audience is therefore ideas, you are inviting them to come the most important component of all audience is assembled for a very real partway into your personal and speechmaking. It cannot be said often and significant reason: they want to professional experience as an expert or more forcefully enough: know your hear what you have to say. So, be speaker. And, in return, it is your audience! Knowing your audience— prepared. responsibility and obligation to go their beliefs, attitudes, age, education partway into their experience as an level, job functions, language, and audience. The more you know and culture—is the single most important Spectacular achievement is always understand about your audience and aspect of developing your speech preceded by unspectacular their psychological needs, the better strategy and execution plan. Your preparation. you can prepare your speech and your audience isn’t just a passive group of ~ Robert H. Schuller enhanced confidence will reduce your people who come together by own speaker anxiety (Dwyer, 2005). happenstance to listen to you. Your This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc- nd/3.0/us/ or send a letter to Creative Commons, 171 Second Street, Suite 300, San Francisco, California, 94105, USA. PDF documents prepared by Donna Painter Graphics. Chapter 5 Audience Analysis www.publicspeakingproject.org This chapter is dedicated to understanding how a speaker connects Table 5.1 Tailoring a Speech to Demographic Characteristics with an audience through audience analysis by direct observation, analysis Demographic Do’s and Don’ts Characteristics by inference, and data collection Don’t try to use words or phrases to “cuddle up” to one (Clevenger, 1966). In addition, this Ethnicity race or another. You would lose some credibility if you chapter explores the five categories of made a point in your speech and then said, “So get jiggy audience analysis: (1) the situational with it” or “You could enjoy that with your afternoon tea analysis, (2) the demographic analysis, ceremony” (Pearson, et al, 2011). (3) the psychological analysis, (4) the Stay away from jargon from one age range or another, multicultural analysis, and (5) the topic Age like “OMG” or “the cat’s pajamas” (Gamble & Gamble, interest and prior knowledge analysis. 2013). Use words that are not sex/gender-specific. Instead of Sex/Gender policeman, fireman, and stewardess, use police officer, firefighter, and flight attendant. Do not use one- approaches to audience sex/gender pronouns, like assuming a teacher is a “she” analysis and a dentist is a “he” (Eisenberg & Wynn, 2013). Whenever thinking about your Some people in your audience will have more speech, it is always a good idea to Income money than others. So if you keep fit by maintaining begin with a thorough awareness of membership in a prominent gym and you take classes your audience and the many factors there also, don’t assume everyone else can afford to do comprising that particular audience. In so. You can tell your audience what you do, but give speech communication, we simply call them options like parking far from the store and working out with a yoga or Pilates CD at home. this “doing an audience analysis.” An Unless you are speaking at a convention where audience analysis is when you consider Occupation everyone in your audience works in the same field, make all of the pertinent elements defining your speech more explanatory. Your audience has not the makeup and demographic had extensive training in medical terms nor legal terms. characteristics (also known as So you need to explain what you are talking about, demographics) of your audience without using the big words which would make your (McQuail, 1997). From the Greek audience feel confused, stupid, and put down. prefix demo (of the people), we come Realize that your audience will likely have a wide to understand that there are detailed Religion variety of religions represented, and some people may accounts of human population have no religious or spiritual beliefs. So you can say that characteristics, such as age, gender, YOU read the Bible every night for 10 minutes, but that you are suggesting that everyone choose a religious or education, occupation, language, inspirational reading for pre-sleep relaxation (Gamble & ethnicity, culture, background Gamble, 2013). knowledge, needs and interests, and Even if you are speaking to an audience of college previously held attitudes, beliefs, and Education freshman, not everyone has had the same educational values. Demographics are widely used Level experiences. For example, some of the people in your by advertising and public relations class may have completed a high school equivalency professionals to analyze specific program like the GED, some may be high school students audiences so that their products or ideas who are taking a college class, some may have gone to will carry influence. However, all good secondary school in another country, some may be public speakers consider the home-schooled, and some may have gone to a private demographic characteristics of their honors-based prep school. You need to be careful not to talk down to your audience and not to use fancy audience, as well. It is thefundamental sentences and words to try to impress your audience. stage of preparing for your speech. Gauging the right level of communication for your speech Table 5.1 shows some examples of is an important challenge. demographics and how they may be used when developing your speech. Of course, this is not an all-inclusive list. But, it does help you get a good general audience?” First, you need to know to know how these methods work, you understanding of the demographics of that there are three overarching should be able to select which one (or the audience you will be addressing. methods (or “paradigms”) for doing even combination of these methods) is an audience analysis: audience analysis right for your circumstances. So now you may be saying to by direct observation, audience analysis yourself: “Gee, that’s great! How do I by inference, and audience analysis go about analyzing my particular through data collection. Once you get 5-2 Chapter 5 Audience Analysis www.publicspeakingproject.org appreciate each audience member as always best to try and find some time to both a human being and as an audience sit down and talk with someone you Nothing has such power to member. You will come to understand trust (or even several people) who broaden the mind as the ability to what interests them, convinces them, or might be familiar with the given investigate systematically and even makes them laugh. You might audience. These conversations can be truly all that comes under thy arouse interest and curiosity in your very constructive in helping you observation in life. topic while you also gain valuable data. understand the context in which you will be speaking. ~ Marcus Aurelius Not understanding the basic demographic characteristics of an direct observation audience, or further, that audience’s Audience analysis by direct beliefs, values, or attitudes about a observation, or direct experience, is, by given topic makes your presentation far, the most simple of the three goals haphazard, at best. Look around paradigms for “getting the feel” of a the room at the people who will be particular audience. It is a form of listening to your speech. What types of qualitative data gathering. We perceive gender, age, ethnicity, and educational- it through one or more of our five level characteristics are represented? natural senses—hearing, seeing, What are their expectations for your touching, tasting, and smelling. presentation? This is all-important Knowledge that we acquire through information you should know before personal experience has more impact you begin your research and drafting on us than does knowledge that we your outline. Who is it that I am going learn indirectly. Knowledge acquired to be talking to? from personal experience is also more For example, you want to deliver a likely to affect our thinking and will be persuasive speech about boycotting retained for a longer period of time. farm-raised fish. You could conduct a We are more likely to trust what we If we knew what it was we were short attitudinal survey to discover doing, it would not be called hear, see, feel, taste, and smell rather what your audience thinks about the than what we learn from secondary topic, if they eat farm-raised fish, and if research, would it? sources of information (Pressat, 1972). they believe it is healthy for them. This ~ Albert Einstein All you really need to do for this information will help you when you method of observation is to examine construct your speech because you will inference your audience. If you are lucky enough know their attitudes about the subject. Audience analysis by inference is to be able to do this before speaking to You would be able to avoid merely a logical extension of your your audience, you will be able to constructing a speech that potentially observations drawn in the method gather some basic reflective data (How could do the opposite of what you above. It is a form of critical thinking old are they? What racial mix does this intended. known as inductive reasoning, and audience have? Does their non-verbal Another example would be that you another form of qualitative data behavior indicate that they are excited want to deliver an informative speech gathering. An inference is when you to hear this speech?) that will help you about your town’s recreational make a reasoned tentative conclusion arrange your thoughts and arguments activities and facilities. Your focus can or logical judgment on the basis of for your speech (Nierenberg & Calero, be aligned with your audience if, before available evidence. It is best used 1994). you begin working on your speech, you when you can identify patterns in your One excellent way to become find out if your audience has senior evidence that indicate something is informed about your audience is to ask citizens and/or high school students expected to happen again or should them about themselves. In its most and/or new parents. hold true based upon previous basic form, this is data collection. experiences. A good speaker knows Clearly this cannot be done in every how to interpret information and draw Whenever possible, have conversations speaking situation, however. Often, we with them – interact with members of conclusions from that information. As are required to give an unacquainted- individuals we make inferences—or your audience – get to know them on a audience presentation. Unacquainted- personal level (Where did you go to reasonable assumptions—all the time. audience presentations are speeches For example, when we hear someone school? Do you have siblings/pets? when you are completely unfamiliar What kind of car do you drive?) speaking Arabic, we infer that they are with the audience and its from the Middle East. When we see Through these types of conversations, demographics. In these cases, it is you will be able to get to know and this person carrying a copy of The 5-3 Chapter 5 Audience Analysis www.publicspeakingproject.org Koran, we infer that they are also a known as variables (Tucker, et al, questionnaire (examples of attitudinal follower of the Muslim faith. These are 1981), and are assigned a numerical questions are shown in Figure 5.1). reasoned conclusions that we make value so we can systematically collect These questions probe more deeply based upon the evidence available to us and classify them. They are reported as into the psyche of your audience and our general knowledge about statistics, also known as quantitative members, and will help you see where people and their traits. analysis or quantitative data collection. they stand on certain issues. Of course, When we reason, we make Statistics are numerical summaries of you may need to tighten these questions connections, distinctions, and facts, figures, and research findings. to get to the heart of your specific predictions; we use what is known or Audience analysis by data sampling topic. But, once you do, you’ll have a familiar to us to reach a conclusion requires you to survey your audience wealth of data at your disposal that, about something that is unknown or before you give your speech. You need ultimately, will tell you how to work unfamiliar for it to make sense. to know the basics of doing a survey with your target audience. Granted, of course, inferences are before you actually collect and interpret sometimes wrong. Here’s a familiar your data. example: You reach into a jar full of jelly beans, and they turn out to be all black. You love black jelly beans. If you make listening and You reach back into the jar and take observation your occupation, you another hand full, which turn out to be, will gain much more than you can again, all black. Since you can’t see by talk. the jelly beans inside the jar you make ~ Robert Baden-Powell an assumption based on empirical evidence (two handfuls of jelly beans) that all of the jelly beans are black. basic questionnaire There are a great number of survey You reach into the jar a third time and methods available to the speaker. take a hand full of jelly beans out, but However, we will cover three primary this time they aren’t any black jelly types in this section because they are beans, but white, pink, and yellow. utilized the most. The first type of Your conclusion that all of the jelly survey method you should know about beans were black turned out to be is the basic questionnaire, which is a fallacious. series of questions advanced to produce data sampling demographic and attitudinal data from Unlike audience analysis by direct your audience. ordered categories observation and analysis by inference, Another method of finding out your Clearly, audience members should audience analysis by data sampling audience’s value set is to survey them not be required to identify themselves uses statistical evidence to quantify and according to their value hierarchy. A by name on the basic questionnaire. clarify the characteristics of your value hierarchy is a person’s value Anonymous questionnaires are more audience. These characteristics are also structure placed in relationship to a likely to produce truthful information. given value set (Rokeach, 1968). The Remember, all you are looking for is a way to determine a person’s value general read of your audience; you hierarchy is to use the ordered should not be looking for specific categories sampling method. Here, information about any respondent each audience member is given a list of concerning your questionnaire in values on a piece of paper, and each particular. It is a bulk sampling tool, audience member writes these values only. on another piece of paper in order While you can easily gather basic according to their importance to demographic data (examples of him/her. Each response is different, of demographic questions are shown in course, because each audience member the chart following this section), we is different, but when analyzed by the need to adjust our questions a bit more speaker, common themes will present tightly, or ask more focused questions, themselves in the overall data. in order to understand the audience’s Accordingly, the speaker can then “predispositions” to think or act in identify with those common value certain ways. For example, you can put themes. (Examples of an Ordered an attitudinal extension on the basic Value Set appear in Figure 5.1). 5-4 Chapter 5 Audience Analysis www.publicspeakingproject.org persuaded by—the information being “scouts” who do demographic research presented. on an audience prior to a speaking Sometimes audiences are mixed in event, and make interpretations on that their situational settings, too. Take the audience based upon key visual cues. everyday classroom situation, for For example, congresspersons and instance. While students choose to senators frequently make public attend higher education, many people appearances where they use stock in the college classroom environment speeches to appeal to certain audiences sadly feel as if they are still “trapped” with specific demographic uniqueness. in school and would rather be In order to know what type of audience elsewhere. On the other hand, some he or she will be addressing, these students in college are truly there by politicians dispatch staff aides to an choice, and attentively seek out event to see how many persons of knowledge from their teacher-mentors. color, hecklers, and supporters will be What results from this mixed audience in attendance. Of course, studying situation is a hybrid captive-voluntary demographic characteristics is, indeed, audience, with those who are only more an art form than a science. Still, tone and agenda of your speech rests partially interested in what is going on it is a common practice among many largely upon whether or not your in the classroom and those who are professional speakers. audience even wants to hear from you. genuinely involved. You literally get to Consider for a moment how valuable Many audiences are considered hone your speech skills on both types it would be to you as a public speaker captive audiences in that they have no of audiences, thereby learning a skill to know that your audience will be real choice regarding the matter of set that many never get to exercise. mostly female, between the ages of 25 hearing a given speech. In general, You should begin this wonderful and 40, mostly married, and Caucasian. these are some of the most difficult opportunity by considering ways to Would you change your message to fit audiences to address because these inform, persuade, and humor a mixed this demographic? Or, would you keep members are being forced to listen to a situation audience. Think of it as a your message the same, no matter the message, and do not have the full learning occasion, and you’ll do just audience you were addressing? exercise of their own free will. fine. Chances are you would be more Consider for a moment when you have inclined to talk to issues bearing upon been called to a mandatory work Being popular with an audience is those gender, age, and race qualities. meeting. Were you truly happy to a very rickety ladder to be on. Frankly, the smart speaker would shift listen to the speaker, in all honesty? ~ Louis C. K. his or her message to adapt to the Some might say “yes,” but usually audience. And, simply, that’s the most would rather be doing something demographic analysis purpose of doing demographics: to else with their time. This is an The second category of audience embed within your message the important factor to keep in mind when analysis is demography. As mentioned acceptable parameters of your preparing your speech: some people before, demographics are literally a audience’s range of needs. simply do not want to listen to a speech classification of the characteristics of they believe is compulsory. the people. Whenever addressing an The voluntary audience situation, in audience, it is generally a good idea to stark contrast, is completely different. know about its age, gender, major, year A voluntary audience is willingly in school, race, ethnicity, religious assembled to listen to a given message. affiliation, et cetera. There are two As a rule, these audiences are much steps in doing an accurate demographic easier to address because they are analysis: gathering demographic data interested in hearing the speech. To and interpreting this data (Benjamin, visualize how this works, reflect upon 1969). the last speech, concert, or show you’ve Sometimes, this information is chosen to attend. While the event may gathered by the questionnaire sampling or may not have lived up to your method, and is done formally. On overall expectations, the very fact that other occasions, this information is you freely went to the occasion speaks already available in a database and is volumes about your predisposition to made available to the speaker. Some listen to—and perhaps even be noteworthy speakers even have 5-6 Chapter 5 Audience Analysis www.publicspeakingproject.org This, of course, raises an extremely Table 5.2 because you wish for this behavior to important ethical issue for the modern return, in kind. You may not think this Examples of Attitudes speaker. Given the ability to study at all, and believe quite the opposite. demographic data and therefore to Pro-/Anti-war Either way, there is a belief in study your audience, does a speaker Pro-diversity operation driving what you think. shift his or her message to play to the Anti-affirmative action Some examples of beliefs are located in audience entirely? Ethically, a speaker Table 5.3. Pro-choice should not shift his or her message and Pro-life Table 5.3 should remain true to his or her Pro-/Anti-gambling Examples of Beliefs motives. Only you will be able to alleviate the tension between a Pro-/Anti-prostitution Pro-/Anti-capital punishment The world was created by speaker’s need to adapt to an audience God. and his or her need to remain true to Pro-/Anti-free trade Marijuana is an addictive form (Natalle & Bodenheimer, 2004). Pro-/Anti-outsourcing gateway drug. Pro-/Anti-welfare My greatest challenge has been to Ghosts are all around us. Pro-/Anti-corporate tax cuts change the mindset of people. Pro-/Anti-censorship Smoking causes cancer. Mindsets play strange tricks on us. We see things the way our minds Anyone can acquire HIV. have instructed our eyes to see. enduring. Attitudes can change, and sometimes do, whereas beliefs and ~ Muhammad Yunus Evolution is fact, not fiction. values do not shift as easily. A sample list of attitudes can be found in Table Marijuana is neither addictive nor harmful. psychological analysis 5.2. Ghosts are products of our Unless your selected speech topic is These are just a small range of issues imagination. a complete mystery to your audience, your listeners will already hold that one can either be “for” or Smoking does not cause “against.” And, while we are cancer. “attitudes, beliefs, and values” toward simplifying the social scientific idea of the ideas you will inevitably present. Only high-risk groups acquire an attitude considerably here, these HIV. As a result, it is always important to examples serve our purposes well. know where your audience stands on Remember, attitudes are not as durable values the issues you plan to address ahead of as beliefs and values. But, they are A value, on the other hand, is a time. The best way to accomplish this good indicators of how people view the guiding belief that regulates our is to sample your audience with a quick persons, objects, ideas, or events that attitudes (Rokeach, 1968). Values are questionnaire or survey prior to the shape their world. the core principles driving our attitudes. event. This is known as the third If you probe into someone’s attitudes category of audience analysis, or Other people's beliefs may be and beliefs far enough, you will psychological description. When myths, but not mine. inevitably find an underlying value. performing a description you seek to ~ Mason Cooley Importantly, you should also know that identify the audience’s attitudes, we structure our values in accordance beliefs, and values (Campbell & to our own value hierarchy, or mental Huxman, 2003). They are your keys beliefs schema of values placed in order of to understanding how your Beliefs are principles (Bem, 1970) or their relative individual importance. audience thinks. assumptions about the universe. Each of us has our own values that we Beliefs are more durable than attitudes attitudes subscribe to and a value hierarchy that because beliefs are hinged to ideals and In basic terms, an attitude is a we use to navigate the issues of the not issues. For example, you may learned disposition to respond in a world. But we really aren’t even aware believe in the principle: “what goes consistently favorable or unfavorable that we have a value hierarchy until around comes around.” If you do, you manner with respect to a person, an some of our values come in direct believe in the notion of karma. And so, object, an idea, or an event (Jastrow, conflict with each other. Then, we you may align your behaviors to be 1918). Attitudes come in different have to negotiate something called consistent with this belief philosophy. forms. You are very likely to see an cognitive dissonance, or the mental You do not engage in unethical or attitude present itself when someone stress caused by the choice we are negative behavior because you believe says that they are “pro” or “anti” forced to make between two that it will “come back” to you. something. But, above all else, considerable alternatives. Likewise, you may try to exude attitudes are learned and not necessarily behaviors that are ethical and positive 5-7 Chapter 5 Audience Analysis www.publicspeakingproject.org of thinking and be sensitive to these Table 5.4 Examples of Values differing logics. Inner Harmony Enjoyment Belonging ethnocentricity Friendship Trust Equality Remember that in many cases you will be appealing to people from other Control Family Security cultures. Do not assume that your Peace Wisdom Tradition culture is dominant or better than other Unity Achievement Power cultures. That assumption is called Generosity Conformity Intelligence ethnocentrism, and ethnocentric Leadership Creativity Responsibility viewpoints have the tendency to drive a Health Independence Loyalty wedge between you and your audience (Pearson, et al, 2011). For example, let’s assume that you recognize that the perspective you have Christian, Jew, Muslim, shaman, value “having fun” a great deal. You on any given topic may not necessarily Zoroastrian, stone, ground, like to party with your friends and truly be shared by all of the members of your enjoy yourself. And, in this day and audience (Ting-Toomey & Chung, mountain, river, each has a secret age, who doesn’t? However, now that 2005). Therefore, it is imperative that way of being with the mystery, you are experiencing a significant you become a culturally effective unique and not to be judged. amount of independence and personal speaker. Culturally effective speakers ~ Rumi freedom, you have many life options at develop the capacity to appreciate other your disposal. Let’s also say that some cultures and acquire the necessary values of your close personal friends are doing skills to speak effectively to people Not only do individuals have value drugs. You are torn. Part of you wants with diverse ethnic backgrounds. Keep systems of their own, but societies to experience the “fun” that your close these factors in mind when writing a promote value systems, as well. Keep friends may be experiencing; but, the speech for a diverse audience. in mind the fact that you will be more sane part of you wants to language appealing to value hierarchies that are responsibly decline. In honesty, you Many people speak different socially-laden, as well as those that are are juxtaposed between two of your languages, so if you are translating individually-borne. own values—having “fun” and being words, do not use slang or jargon, responsible. This real life example is communication styles which can be confusing. You could While you are trying to balance somewhat exaggerated for your benefit. add a visual aid (a poster, a picture, a Realize that we make decisions small these language, cognition, cultural, and PowerPoint slide or two) which would value issues, you should also recognize and grand, based on our value show your audience what you mean – hierarchies. Some basic values that some cultures prefer a more which instantly translates into the animated delivery style than do others. common to people around the world audience member’s mind (Klopf & can be found in Table 5.4. The intelligent speaker will understand Cambra, 1991; Tauber & Mester, this, and adapt his or her verbal and Values aren't buses... They're not 1994). nonverbal delivery accordingly. supposed to get you anywhere. cognition They're supposed to define who Realize that different cultures have different cultural-cognitive processes, interest and knowledge you are. or ways of looking at the very concept analysis ~ Jennifer Crusie of logic itself. Accordingly, gauge Finally, if the goal of your speech is your audience as to their diverse ways to deliver a unique and stirring multicultural analysis presentation (and it should be), you Demography looks at issues of race need to know ahead of time if your and ethnicity in a basic sense. audience is interested in what you have However, in our increasingly diverse to say, and has any prior knowledge society, it is worthy to pay particular about your topic. You do not want to attention to the issue of speaking to a give a boring or trite speech. Instead, multicultural audience (as discussed in you want to put your best work Chapter 14 Speaking to a Global forward, and let your audience see your Audience). Odds are that any real confidence and preparation shine world audience that you encounter will through. And, you don’t want to make have an underlying multicultural a speech that your audience already dimension. As a speaker, you need to knows a lot about. So, your job here is 5-8 Chapter 5 Audience Analysis www.publicspeakingproject.org or not your topic actually interests conclusion them. If you find that many people are When considering topics for your not interested in your topic, or already speech, it is critical for you to keep know a lot about it, you have just saved your audience in mind. Not doing so yourself from a potentially mind- will put your speech at risk of not numbing exercise. After all, do you corresponding with the information really want to give a speech where your needs of your audience, and further audience could care less about your jeopardize your credibility as a speaker. topic—or even worse— they know This chapter examined methods of more about the topic than you do conducting an audience analysis and yourself? Not at all! The purpose of five categories of audience analysis. In this section is to help you search for the sum, this information equips you with highly sought-after public speaking the foundational knowledge and skill- concept called uniqueness, which is set required to ensure that your topic when a topic rises to the level of being complements your audience. And, to “test” your topic by sampling your singularly exceptional in interest and after all, if we are not adapting to meet audience for their topic interest and knowledge to a given audience. the needs of our audience, we are not topic knowledge. Defined, topic We know that you wish to excel in going to be informative or convincing interest is the significance of the topic giving your speech, and indeed you speakers. to a given audience; often related to the shall. But first, let’s make sure that uniqueness of a speaker’s topic. your audience is engaged by your topic Likewise, topic knowledge is the and hasn’t already heard the subject general amount of information that the matter so much that they, themselves, audience possesses on a given topic. could give the speech without much (if These are not mere definitions listed for any) preparation. the sake of argument; these are essential analytical components of One final note: There’s an old adage effective speech construction. in communication studies that reasons: “know what you know; know what you Anyone who teaches me deserves don’t know; and, know the difference my respect, honoring and between the two.” In other words, attention. don’t use puffery to blind your audience about your alleged knowledge Winston Churchill is credited with ~ Sonia Rumzi the origin of the saying: “Fail to plan, on a particular subject. Remember, there is likely to be someone in your plan to fail” (Lakein, 1989). We, your Unlike multicultural audience audience who knows as much about authors, believe that if you have failed analysis, evaluating your audience’s your topic, if not more, than you do. If to fully consider the nature, make-up, topic interest and topic knowledge is a you get caught trying to field an and characteristics of your audience, fairly simple task. One can do this embarrassing question, you might just you are—for all intents and purposes— through informal question and answer lose the most important thing you have neglecting the spirit of the public dialogue, or through an actual survey. as a speaker: your credibility. If you speaking exercise. Confidently Either way, it is best to have some know the answer, respond accordingly. speaking to audiences can be somewhat information, rather than none at all. If you do not know the answer, respond addictive. The experience, when Imagine the long list of topics that accordingly. But, above all, try and be properly executed, can be empowering people have heard over and over and a resource for your audience. They and help you succeed personally and over. You can probably name some expect you to be something of an professionally throughout your life. yourself, right now, without giving it expert on the topic you choose to But, you must first consider the much thought. If you started listing address. audience you will be addressing and some topics to yourself, please realize take their every requirement into that this is the point of this section of account (Lewis, 1989). We are linked this module; your audience is literally Given the choice between trivial to, joined with, if not bound by, our thinking the same exact thing you are. audiences. Your main speaking Given that, topic preparation is material brilliantly told versus ambition should be to seek strategically important to your overall profound material badly told, an identification with them, and for them speech success. audience will always choose the to seek identification with you. Again, do not underestimate the trivial told brilliantly. power of asking your audience whether ~ Robert McKee 5-9