Chapter 6

A news anchor at a city television station was asked by a rural food bank to speak at its annual fund-raiser. Even though the fund-raiser was being held in a distant town, she agreed and began trying to find out all she could about her audience. What are ways that she can discover her the specific characteristics of her audience?

-Attending a meeting of the food bank's board of directors -Asking for more information from the person who invited her -Talking to the speaker from the previous year's event -Searching the food bank's Web site for information about its past donors

What approaches can you use to develop your audience's interest in your speech topic?

-Display visual aids -Provide provocative supporting materials -Present an engaging introduction

Gertrude, a returning student in her sixties, gave a speech to her classmates, who were traditional college freshmen. She focused on the qualities to look for when purchasing a fur coat. Partway through, she realized that most of the audience was not paying attention. What principal demographic trait did she fail to consider fully when preparing her speech?

Age

Julie is a new 28-year-old manager at Bowers Envelope Company. Her first job is to give a "safety-first" speech to the press-production crew, most of whom have been with the company for 25 years or more. Other than gender, what is the most crucial demographic characteristic that Julie should consider when preparing her remarks?

Age

What is the process of using what you learned during audience analysis called?

Audience adaptation

Stacy had a 30-minute speech planned for a conference on the virtual workplace. When she arrived at the event, she was told she only had 20 minutes for her speech. What should she do?

Condense her speech to its most essential points and present them in the time available

What is the tendency of people to be concerned primarily with their own values, beliefs, and well-being?

Egocentrism

What does being audience-centered involve?

Gaining the desired response from the audience

People usually attend speeches because they are already interested in the subject of the speech. However, in the classroom, the audience is "captive," and the interest level for your topic may not be as high. What is the best way for a classroom speaker to handle this?

Generate interest by finding ways to get your classmates engaged in the topic

Shelley is speaking at a hospital about volunteer opportunities. Which demographic trait should she focus on primarily?

Group membership

At an Academy Awards ceremony, an award recipient took her Oscar, briefly thanked those who helped her earn it, and then made one statement in support of a particular presidential candidate. What was the biggest mistake she made?

She violated audience expectations about the purpose of the occasion.

True or false: An audience's characteristic group membership is important because it can give clues about listeners' attitudes and interests.

True

Which of the following is recommended practice when preparing your speech?

Trying to hear the speech through the ears of your audience

After completing an audience analysis, what should a speaker do with what he or she has learned?

Use the information in preparing a speech

During speech preparation, a speaker who analyzes the size of the audience and the attitude of the audience toward the subject, speaker, and occasion is said to be doing ______ audience analysis.

a situational

In general, a good speaker will consider an audience's religious affiliations during speech preparation because

audiences are often religiously diverse.

Fellow students should be seen as a(n) _________ (authentic/fake) audience.

authentic

Audience adaptation occurs

before and during a speech.

An uncomfortable physical setting for a speech

can impair an audience's willingness to listen to or accept a speaker's ideas.

An audience will be most likely to accept a speaker's message if they perceive the speaker as

competent.

Sheri has chosen to speak about the Japanese practice of bonsai and the success she has had cultivating a small, potted tree. To prepare for her speech, she wants to determine her audience's ____________ toward the topic by considering the audience interest in bonsai, knowledge about it, and attitudes toward it.

disposition

It is important for speakers to keep in mind ______ related to gender and sexual orientation to better reflect the full range of human experience.

fluidity

In general, the larger your audience is, the more ______ your presentation must be.

formal

The purpose of demographic audience analysis is to ______ to create a better speech.

identify traits of the audience

Your audience's ______ a topic will typically determine ______ of your speech.

knowledge about; the level of detail

When beginning a speech about a controversial issue, it is best to start with a

noncommittal position.

In a classroom setting, the audience will ______ a fellow student speaker.

often have some set of attitudes toward

When speaking before a classroom audience, effective speakers should

regard the audience as seriously as any other audience.

In addition to factoring in the audience size and physical setting of a speech, a(n) _____________audience analysis also considers how the audience feels about the speech topic.

situational

If your audience knows very little about the topic of your speech, you should

talk at a basic level.

How can speakers ensure they are being audience-centered?

-By opening the speech with a noncommittal position -By making their ideas clear, interesting, and persuasive to the audience -By considering the audience's backgrounds, interests, knowledge, and attitudes

When preparing speeches, speakers are advised to analyze group characteristics in order to do which of the following?

-Choose appropriate language -Choose appropriate talking points and support material -Understand attitudes and interests

Which of the following statements are true about considering race, ethnicity, and cultural background while preparing a speech?

-Cultural perspectives will affect listeners' attitudes toward a speaker's topic. -Cultural considerations are more important than ever because we have become a global society.

When preparing a speech, considering the general age of an audience can help you do which of the following?

-Identify your audience's values -Choose the kind of supporting material you need -Consider the type of historical references to use

Which of the following statements are true of a situational audience analysis?

-It considers the physical setting. -It considers the size of the audience. -It should be used in conjunction with demographic analysis.

What factors in situational audience analysis are related to physical setting?

-Placement of chairs -Lighting of the room -Temperature of the room

Which of the following are types of positive audience feedback?

-Sitting forward in your chair -Nodding your head

The size of your audience may affect which of the following?

-The formality of your language -Your choice of visual aids

Analyzing your audience's disposition toward your speech topic means considering which of the following?

-Their knowledge about the issue -Their attitude toward the topic -Their interest in the subject

For which of the following reasons should astute public speakers be aware of language choices with regard to sexual orientation?

-They otherwise might make some audience members feel excluded. -They need to avoid stereotyping members of LGBTQ communities. -They might offend members of the audience unintentionally by using inappropriate language.

Adapting to an audience before the speech means that speakers should do which of the following?

-Try to determine questions the audience might have. -Anticipate how listeners might respond. -Understand the beliefs and attitudes of the audience.

Cameron gave a speech in class about the use of infrared technology in government projects. After his speech, one of his classmates asked, "This is all very impressive, but what is infrared technology and how does it affect me?" Then, Cameron realized he had made several errors, including

-neglecting to connect the topic to the audience's experiences. -misjudging the audience's knowledge on infrared technology.

Kenton decided to persuade his classmates to start savings plans for their retirement. What is the most important demographic trait that Kenton should consider when preparing his speech?

Age

For his final speech, James intends to persuade his classmates to volunteer for a few hours a week at a charity of their choice. Part of his argument is based on his personal feeling that all people are obligated to help the less fortunate, but he is not sure if that appeal will work with this audience. What is the best type of question James should use to discover how strongly his audience feels about their obligation to volunteer?

Scale question

While creating a persuasive argument supporting Planned Parenthood, Kate decided to deal with any audience objections by first discovering their religious affiliations. Why?

She wanted to anticipate emotionally charged and passionate reactions.

When giving a speech for a school rally, what is the most important factor to consider for audience analysis?

The occasion