Public Speaking Chapter 6: Analyzing the Audience

Audience adaptation before the speech

(1) assessing how your audience is likely to respond to what you say in your speech (2) adjusting what you say to make it as clear, appropriate, and convincing as possible.

Audience-centeredness questions

1) To whom am I speaking? 2) What is the most effective way of composing and presenting my speech to accomplish that aim? 3) What do I want them to know, believe or do as a result of my speech?

Disposition toward the topic

1. Interest 2. Knowledge 3. Attitude

Demographic Audience Analysis (list)

Age, gender Religion Sexual orientation Group membership Racial, ethnic, or cultural background

Situational Audience Analysis (list)

Size Physical Setting Disposition toward the topic Disposition toward the speaker Disposition toward the occasion

Open-end questions

allow respondents to answer in their own words Useful in exploratory research

Demographic Audience Analysis

audience analysis that focuses on demographic factors such as age, gender, religion, sexual orientation, group membership, and racial, ethnic, or cultural background

Situational Audience Analysis

audience analysis that focuses on situational factors such as the size of the audience, the physical setting for the speech, and the disposition of the audience toward the topic, the speaker, and the occasion

Good public speaking are

audience-centered.

Sterotyping

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

They know the primary purpose of speechmaking is not to browbeat the audience or to blow off steam. Rather, it is to ________ from listeners.

gain a desired response

Audience-Centeredness

keeping the audience foremost in mind at every step of speech preparation and presentation

Fixed-Alternative Questions

questions that offer a fixed choice between two or more alternatives

Scale questions

questions that require responses at fixed intervals along a scale of answers

Egocentrism

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