Chapter 6. Analyzing the Audience

Select all of the following that are true about recognizing gender issues during audience analysis. A. A good speaker will be attuned to the differences between the sexes. B. A good speaker will be attuned to the similarities between the sexes. C. Listeners don't mind if a speaker uses "he" to refer to men and women.

A. A good speaker will be attuned to the differences between the sexes. B. A good speaker will be attuned to the similarities between the sexes.

Julie is a new 28-year-old manager at Bowers Envelope Company. Her first job is to give a "safety-first" speech to the men on the press production line, many of whom have been with the company for many, many years. Other than gender, what is the most crucial demographic characteristics that Julie should consider when preparing her remarks? A. age B. cultural background C. ethnicity D. social class

A. age

Analyzing your audience's disposition toward your speech topic means considering in detail their ____. A. knowledge of the topic B. interest in the topic C. attitude toward the topic D. physical setting when hearing about the topic

A. knowledge of the topic B. interest in the topic C. attitude toward the topic

Adapting to an audience before the speech means A. speakers should temporarily adopt knowledge level of their audience B. speakers should anticipate how listeners might respond C. speakers should understand the beliefs and attitudes of their audience D. speakers should stay within their own frames of reference

A. speakers should temporarily adopt knowledge level of their audience B. speakers should anticipate how listeners might respond C. speakers should understand the beliefs and attitudes of their audience

Kenton decided to persuade his classmates to start a savings plan for their retirement. What are the most important demographic traits that Kenton should consider when preparing his speech? A. world view B. age C. socioeconomic level

B. age C. socioeconomic level

What type of question should Jesse use to discover why her classmates would NOT donate money to the local children's hospital? A. a fixed-alternative question B. a scale question C. an open-ended question

C. an open-ended question

An audience will be most likely to accept a speaker's message if they perceive the speaker as A. positive B. nervous C. spontaneous D. competent

D. competent

True or false: considering race, ethnicity, and cultural background while preparing your speech is not as important as it used to be because we have become a global society.

False

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

True

True or false: audiences are most likely to listen to and remember ideas that affect their lives directly rather than ideas that are important to society.

True

In general, a good speaker will consider an audience's religious affiliations during speech preparation A. because audiences are often religiously diverse B. because religious affiliation is an aspect of situational analysis C. because good speakers are ethnocentric D. especially if the topic has religious overtones

A. because audiences are often religiously diverse D. especially if the topic has religious overtones

Josh, an ex-marine, noticed that his audience did not seem enthusiastic about his speech on the uses of infrared technology for military applications and mapping the earth's temperature. Glancing at his laser pointer, Josh suddenly realized his mistake, and he asked, "How many of you changed the channels on TV last night without walking across the room? Did you realize that you were a user of infrared technology?" Why did Josh change his material during his speech? A. because he decided to include an example more in tune with the audience's experience B. because his prepared speech was too long C. because there were no other former members of the military in the audience

A. because he decided to include an example more in tune with the audience's experience

A classroom audience will expect the speaker to ____. A. dress appropriately B. conform to the assignment C. conform to time parameters D. organize the speech topically

A. dress appropriately B. conform to the assignment C. conform to time parameters

Astute public speakers should be aware of language choices with regard to sexual orientation A. in order to avoid the risk of stereotyping members of the GLBT communities B. because they otherwise might make some audience members feel excluded C. because it is never appropriate to address controversial issues

A. in order to avoid the risk of stereotyping members of the GLBT communities B. because they otherwise might make some audience members feel excluded

A big-market news anchorwoman was asked by a rural food bank to speak for its fund-raiser. Even though she lived in a distant urban area, she agreed and began trying to find out all that she could about her audience. What would be some good ways for her to discover her audience's characteristics? A. search online for information about the food bank B. ask for more information from the person who invited her C. talk to the speaker from the previous year's event D. attend a meeting of the food bank's board of directors

A. search online for information about the food bank B. ask for more information from the person who invited her C. talk to the speaker from the previous year's event D. attend a meeting of the food bank's board of directors

Select all of the following that are true of audience-centered speakers. A. the speakers find ethical ways to gain a desired response from the audience B. the speaker adapts to the goals of the audience C. the speakers seeks ways to create a bond with listeners D. the speaker abandons her/his beliefs in order to please the audience

A. the speakers find ethical ways to gain a desired response from the audience B. the speaker adapts to the goals of the audience C. the speakers seeks ways to create a bond with listeners

The size of your audience may affect A. your choice of visual aids B. your language C. your ethical choices D. your level of formality E. your choice of appeals

A. your choice of visual aids B. your language D. your level of formality E. your choice of appeals

Select all of the following that are true of a situational audience analysis. A. it does NOT include the audience's attitude toward the speaker B. it considers the size of the audience C. it is another term for demographic audience analysis D. it should be used in conjunction with a demographic analysis E. it considers the physical setting F. it considers the audience's interest in a topic

B. it considers the size of the audience D. it should be used in conjunction with a demographic analysis E. it considers the physical setting F. it considers the audience's interest in a topic

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?" It was then that Cameron realized that he A. failed to persuade the audience to share his views on a controversy B. misjudged the audience's knowledge on infrared technology C. overlooked the audience's disposition toward the speaker D. did not consider the physical setting E. neglected to connect the topic to the audience's experiences

B. misjudged the audience's knowledge on infrared technology E. neglected to connect the topic to the audience's experiences

When speaking before a classroom audience, effective speakers should A. accept that they will not make much of a difference in the lives of the listeners B. regard the audience as seriously as any other audience C. focus on pleasing the teacher D. relax, because the audience situation is not "real"

B. regard the audience as seriously as any other audience

Jennifer, vice president of a rural food bank, was asked to give a fund-raising speech to motivate a local audience to donate funds to the food bank. She gave an artful speech that highlighted the example of how people from a nearby large city recently had been inspired to donate large sums of money to their food bank, but her audience was not moved to provide much funding. What could Jennifer have done differently? A. Jennifer should have taken religious diversity into account B. Jennifer should have ignored audience demographics C. Jennifer should have prepared her speech with the audience's background and interests in mind D. Jennifer should have never asked the audience for money explicitly

C. Jennifer should have prepared her speech with the audience's background and interests in mind

When Tomas have his speech, the heating system was not working correctly. Knowing that his audience felt hot, and cranky, Tomas started his speech by saying, "I know we are all very uncomfortable from the temperature. But I want you all to close your eyes and imagine the heat coming from the sun while you are lying in the sand listening to the waves on the beach in one of my favorite vacation spots, Siesta key Beach in Sarasota, Florida!" The class became energized and Tomas was able to keep his audience's attention. Why? A. the body of his speech was well-organized B. he paid attention to the audience's demographics C. he refused to be influenced negatively by the physical setting D. he used the physical situation to his advantage

C. he refused to be influenced negatively by the physical setting D. he used the physical situation to his advantage

In the classroom setting, the audience will ____ a fellow student speaker. A. harshly judge B. generally not have an existing perception of C. often have some set of attitudes toward

C. often have some set of attitudes toward

While creating her persuasive argument supporting planned parenthood, Kate planned to deal with any audience objections by first discovering their religious affiliations. Why? A. so that she could persuade them to adopt her religious perspective B. she did not want to mention anyone's religious denomination by name C. she wanted to anticipate emotionally charged and passionate reactions

C. she wanted to anticipate emotionally charged and passionate reactions

Outside the classroom, 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 of your topic may NOT be as high. How will you adapt to the situation in your speech? A. you have to make sure your organization and delivery are outstanding in order to compensate for lack of interest B. you must present what you have prepared regardless, because you are not always going to speak for classroom audiences C. you must work harder to generate interest by finding ways to get your classmates engaged in the topic

C. you must work harder to generate interest by finding ways to get your classmates engaged in the topic

The most important thing to remember when creating a survey for your speech audience is to A. emphasize fixed-alternative questions to help you get beneath the surface B. stick to one type of question C. emphasize open-ended questions because they are most likely to give you the information you need D. create questions that elicit exactly the information that you need

D. create questions that elicit exactly the information that you need

Which of the following is NOT a way to be audience-centered when developing a speech? A. think about audience composition B. think about the best way to compose the speech C. think about the best way to present a speech D. think about ways not to appear nervous E. think about what the speech purpose is

D. think about ways not to appear nervous

Successful speeches must be prefaced by a strong analysis of and adaption to the ____.

audience

While preparing a speech on gay rights, Raul found himself having to consider the audience characteristics of race, gender, age, religion, and ethnic and cultural background. These characteristics are referred to as ____ traits.

demographic