COM 231: CA 2: Audience Analysis

Let's practice more with situational audience analysis. Say we moved forward without collecting attitudinal information from our audience. We decided to present a calendar of priorities based on the various assignments due in all of a student's classes. As we present, the audience doesn't seem sold on the idea because they're already using something that provides this service. What consequences might this have for us? A. The failure of our group to conduct a thorough situational audience analysis hurt our credibility as a group. Our sales pitch failed to live up to the audience's needs and interests. B. Our sales pitch failed to live up to the audience's needs and interests. This is a good learning opportunity for us to do better next time.

A. The failure of our group to conduct a thorough situational audience analysis hurt our credibility as a group. Our sales pitch failed to live up to the audience's needs and interests.

If we want to know if our audience is even interested in learning about a new educational product or service, which type of question format might be best to use? A. A scale question. B. A fixed-alternative question.

B. A fixed-alternative question. This type of question allows you to collect a simple yes or no response.

Yes, but what else do we need? We know the age of our audience, their class standing, and that most work full time. What other demographic variables should we consider for our topic? A. It might also be good to understand income level, as well as their majors. We should also consider our presentation venue. B. It might also be good to understand income level, as well as their majors.

B. It might also be good to understand income level, as well as their majors.

I want to get a better understanding of demographics. Let's say we're presenting ways to make our college dorm room space more efficient. Which demographic variable might be the most important to consider when collecting information from the audience? A. Importance of dorm space efficiency B. Residency

B. Residency It is important to know where your audience lives. Does a majority of your audience live on campus in a dorm? Overall, knowing your audience demographics can help you get a solid grasp of the make up of your audience.

So, shall we try getting more information with a survey or an interview? A. Interview B. Survey

B. Survey

Are there other situational factors we should focus on to come up with a product or service for our audience? A. Our biggest concern should be the occasion and us as speakers. We need to understand the attitudes from our audience about this particular assignment. B. Our biggest concern should be the topic. We need to understand the attitudes of our audience about educational products and services so we can best find one to pitch to them. xC. Knowing the physical environment of the venue along with the technology access we have will help us narrow our topic and move forward.

xC. Knowing the physical environment of the venue along with the technology access we have will help us narrow our topic and move forward. While these are items to consider, it is important to focus on relevant audience attitudes to come up with product or service that will suit the audience's needs and interests.

There are many types of questions that could be asked in a survey. To understand how our audience feels about a new educational product or service, what type of question format might be best to use? xA. A fixed-alternative question. B. A scale question. C. An open-ended question.

xA. A fixed-alternative question. Fixed alternative questions generally allow for only two responses. Scale questions, however, allow your audience to answer across a continuum and provide for a more specific indication of an attitude.

How do you suggest we collect information from our particular audience? A. We should create and administer a survey. B. We should work with the gatekeeper or the person who asked us to present. In this case, it's our instructor. C. We should first take advantage of existing information that we can gather from the assignment sheet and what we already know about our audience. Then we should conduct an interview with a few audience members.

A. We should create and administer a survey.

Our instructor said to practice being audience-centered. What does that mean? A. Audience-centered involves putting your own beliefs and feelings aside to adjust to the needs of your audience. B. Audience-centered involves keeping your audience foremost in mind through the topic selection and research phases of the speech process. C. Audience-centered involves keeping your audience foremost in mind through all phases of the speech process.

C. Audience-centered involves keeping your audience foremost in mind through all phases of the speech process. Audience analysis occurs at every stage of the speech process and by keeping this focus, it will help you have a more successful public speaking experience.

Frame of reference? What is that again? A. Frame of reference is the idea that an individual tends to be concerned with her/his own values, beliefs, and ideas as opposed to viewing through the lens of another person. B. Frame of reference is the idea that an individual feels her/his cultural values are superior to another individual's cultural values. C. Frame of reference encompasses a person's way of looking at the world. It is based on life experiences, attitudes, beliefs, values, education, family, occupation, economic status, and more.

C. Frame of reference encompasses a person's way of looking at the world. It is based on life experiences, attitudes, beliefs, values, education, family, occupation, economic status, and more. Each individual has a different frame of reference. Everything that is said is filtered through an individual's frame of reference.

We should probably look at other variables, as well. There are more than just demographics; we should also consider situational variables. Such as? xA. We should be aware of the physical characteristics of our speaking venue, time constraints, and narrowing our topic. B. We should be aware of whether our audience lives on campus or off campus, how they're going to get to the presentation, and the physical characteristics of the speaking venue. C. We should be aware of the physical characteristics of our speaking venue, time constraints, and our audience's attitudes about our topic, the occasion, and us as speakers.

xA. We should be aware of the physical characteristics of our speaking venue, time constraints, and narrowing our topic. Not all situational factors are relevant, but are important to consider, including your audience's attitudes about the topic, occasion, and you as speakers. It is also important to narrow your topic as part of analyzing your audience and tailoring your message to their needs.

Those all seem like demographic characteristics of our audience. There are limitless demographics. Shouldn't we consider more? A. It seems like the instructor has provided all the demographic information we need. We should focus on other variables. B. We should focus on the demographic variables that are most relevant to our speech topic by asking what characteristics matter for our speech. xC. It can't hurt to collect as much information as possible to better understand what matters to our audience.

xC. It can't hurt to collect as much information as possible to better understand what matters to our audience. This may seem like a great idea, but there is no need to collect information that is irrelevant to your needs. Demographics are just one variable to consider when conducting audience analysis.