Chapter 3: Audience Analysis & Topic Selection

captive audience: disengaged listeners

• assembles to hear you speak because they’re compelled too

• giving and maintaining the interest of a captive audience is a primary consideration

• ex required speech class

committed audience: agreeable listeners

• voluntary assembles to invest time and energy listening to and being inspired by a speaker

• usually agrees with your position already

• inspiring action, persuading, and empowering listeners to act decisively are primary challenges

• ex political rallies

contrary audience: hostile listeners

• don’t get to choose this audience so some may be hostile to your position

• ambushing - looking for weaknesses in your argument and preparing to pounce on perceived mistakes in your facts

• you want to defuse audience anger, not ignite it against you

• ex school board meetings

concerned audiences: eager listeners

• gathers voluntarily to hear a speaker because the listener cares about issues and ideas 

• they’re motivated but lack commitment; simply want to listen and learn

• main consideration - present new ideas in an attention getting way

• ex those who gather for a book reading

casual audience: unexpected listeners

• individuals become listeners

• primary consideration is to connect with listeners immediately and create curiosity or interest

• ex they hear a speaker and stop out of curiosity

attitude

learned predisposition to respond favorably or unfavorably toward something (basically an evaluation)

belief

what a person thinks is true or probable - assertion of fact without evaluation

value

most deeply felt. generally shared view of what is deemed good, right, or worthwhile thinking or behavior (guides our lives)

demographics

characteristics of an audience (ex age, gender, culture, etc)

age: possible generation gaps

• median can provide valuable info to a speaker

• generalizations based on generational differences should be based cautiously

• audience with so many ages is a challenge (not everyone will be interested or get certain references)

gender: go beyond simplistic stereotypes

• avoid stereotyping by finding a way to include all members

• gender biased language promotes inaccurate sexist stereoptypes

ethnicity, culture, & group affiliations

• avoid ethnocentrism - belief that your own culture is superior

• be sensitive to ceratin groups (ex sexual orientation)

identification

affiliation/connection between speaker/audience

likability

• listeners grow to like you and if they do, they are more inclined to listen

• praise, compromise, be empathetic, tell personal stories

social cohesion

what binds us together in mutual liking

stylistic similiarity

• looking and acting the part

• know when to be formal and informal

• ex job interview (don’t show up in a band t shirt and baggy pants)

substantive similiarity

• find common ground between speaker and audience

• point out common experiences or ideas

• appeal to broadly accepted rights or values

credibility

• judgements made by a perceiver concerning the believability of a communicator

competence

• speakers knows what they’re talking about (has both knowledge and experience)

• cites sources and speaks fluently

trustworthiness

• can one believe what the speaker says

• argue against your own self interest

dyanism

refers to enthusiasm, energy, and forcefulness exhibited by a speaker

composure

• audiences are influenced by speakers who are emotionally stable and appear confident and in control

• too much composure however can be perceived as insensitivity

• it basically depends on the situation

antedecent credibility

reputation preceding the speech

acquired credibility

• care you show about your audience and their concerns

• competence in your delivery and authenticity

choosing a topic

• do a personal inventory (look at your own experiences & interests)

• brainstorm new possibilities both individually and with a group

• scan things like books to help generate ideas

appropiateness of the topic

• speaker appropriateness - suitability for you; if it’s not interesting to you, don’t do it 

• audience appropriateness - suitability for your listeners, don’t choose a topic that is too difficult for your audience to understand

• occasion appropriateness - suitability for the event, establish a general purpose or overall goal of the speech (ex explain, persuade, etc )

narrowing the topic: maki: making subject manageable

• important to stay within time limit

• time constraints dictate to what extent you go into depth about a topic