5. Audience AnalysisLecture by Dr. Mohammed Ibahrine
based on Clella Jaffe’s Public Speaking
AL AKHAWAYN UNIVERSITYSCHOOL OF HUMANITIES AND SOCIAL SCIENCES
COMMUNICATIONS STUDIES
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Effective listening
For of the three elements in speechmaking:
Speaker Subject, and Person addressed
it is the last one, the hearerthe hearer, that determines the speech’s end and object
Aristotle
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1. Analyze who is listening
• Consider audience motivations
Analyze your audience
Adapt to your audience
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1. Analyze who is listening
• Pedestrian audiences:
• Randomly and temporarily come together because something grabs their attention
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1. Analyze who is listening
• Passive audiences
• Listen to speeches to accomplish other goals• (classes consist of passive listeners)
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1. Analyze who is listening
• Selected audiences:
• Voluntary and intentionally gather to hear about a topic or to hear a particular speaker
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1. Analyze who is listening
• Concerted audiences:
• Voluntary listen because they more-or-less agree that the subject is important, but they don’t know what they can do about it
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1. Analyze who is listening
• Organized audiences:
• Already know about the topic and are motivated and committed to act, but they need specific, “how-to” instructions
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1. Analyze who is listening
• Absent audiences:
• Are separated from the speaker; they listen through radio, telephone conferencing, television, videotapes, videoconferencing live or days later
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1.2 Analyze Audience Demographics
• Ethnicity:
• Refers to a group’s common heritage and cultural traditions usually having national and religious origins
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1.2 Analyze Audience Demographics
• Race:
• Racial categories are generally based on physical characteristics such as skin color or facial features
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1.2 Analyze Audience Demographics
• Religion:
• It is necessary in every speech to be sensitive to the possible range and intensity of religious beliefs within your audience
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1.2 Analyze Audience Demographics
• Sex and Gender:
• Do not assume that a man or a women will think or act in a certain way because of his or her sex
• If you assume, so you are being sexist
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1.2 Analyze Audience Demographics
• Marital status/Sexual Expression:
• Take into account the interests and perspectives of • both
the married people the singles
in your audience
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1.2 Analyze Audience Demographics
• Age:
• Age influences an audience’s motivations and concerns
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1.2 Analyze Audience Demographics
• Group Affiliation:
• People form groups to share interests, experiences, or hobbies
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1.2 Analyze Audience Demographics
• Occupation/Socioeconomic Status:
• Differences in educational level, income, occupational choice, and social class status can be salient in particular situations
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1.2 Analyze Audience Demographics
• Regions:
• Audiences require different speaking strategies based on their regions
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Core cultural resources
• Belief, values, attitudes and behaviors that provide a logical basis for a culture to define what is necessary, right, doubtful or forbidden
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Belief:
• Mental acceptance that something is true or false, valid or invalid
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Value:
• Ideal by which we judge what is important and moral
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Attitude:
• Predisposition to evaluate, either positively or negatively, persons, objects, symbols, and the like
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Assess the Situation
• Predisposition to evaluate, either positively or negatively, persons, objects, symbols, and the like
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Assess the Situation
• Many aspects of the situation can affect your audience:
Time
The environment/setting/context/place•
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Assess the Situation
• Time: • Two aspects of time affect public speaking:
What time of day is your speech held
The cultural time system
• Time is segmented, so the date and length of your speech are important
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Assess the Situation
• Environment:• Is the specific situation in which you will speak
FloorsCeilingChairsSmall/large Windowless spacesTemperature Noise
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The Audience’s Perception of you
• While you are forming impressions of your listeners, they are assessing your credibilitycredibility
CharacterIntentionsAbilities
• Is this order ok, please let us reflect on it
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The Audience’s Perception of you
• Your audience begins its evaluation process of you before your speech
Modify it while you speak
Carry away a lasting impression after your delivery
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The Audience’s Perception of you
• We distinguish between two types of credibility
Prior or extrinsic credibility
Demonstrated or intrinsic credibility
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The Audience’s Perception of you
• Prior or extrinsic credibility
• Is the reputation or expertise of speakers that makes them believable even before they say a word
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The Audience’s Perception of you
• Regardless of your reputation, you should demonstrate your credibility as you speak
• This is called demonstrated or intrinsic credibility
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The Audience’s Perception of you
• There are some techniques which may help you to evidence that your are knowledgeable about the subject
Do careful researchCite your resourcesDefine unfamiliar terminologyGive examplestell personal experiences
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The Audience’s Perception of you
• Your audience begins its evaluation process of you before your speech
Modify it while you speak
Carry away a lasting impression after your delivery
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The Audience’s Perception of you
• Take terminal credibility into account
• The overall impression you leave is a balance between the reputation you brought to your speech and he expertise you demonstrated as you spoke
• Terminal credibility is not permanently fixed, it may change