Audience Analysis
To whom am I speaking to?
What do I want to achieve at the end of the speech?
What is the most effective way of presenting the speech?
How do you explain to a group of 7 year old kids about aeroplane? Would you be likely to talk about who was its inventors, a form of transportation, its speed faster than those of a car or a ship, it's like the bird flying in the air, so an aeroplane flies. But when you are addressing a group of 18 year old physics students, would you be likely to explain about the aileron, the hydraulic function in an airplane, about the aerodynamic function or the same way you explain things to a group of 7 year old kids?
For me working on stage is much more exhausting than all the other mediums, but it's also much more thrilling...There is nothing like spending an evening with the audience every night.John Litgrow
You wouldn't even try to explain about the aileron to the 7 year old kids, would you? See, you already know how to distinguish that. Same thing goes to public speaking, you wouldn't even include all the technical jargons of a space shuttle to a group of say, corporate executives, than a group of NASA scientists. Never overestimate what your audience know, if they do, why would you think they would spend time listening to you?
One of a good ways of getting to know your audience is to get them to complete a quick survey/questionaire. By doing so, you will be able to analyze your audience based on their education level, age and gender. Do include some relevant questions & ratings, you will get to know more of their leanings of certain topics. Being a speaker, though undeniably, should adopt an audience centered approach, and not audience centered preference! which means, your speech is not tailored to please them, or make them happy by means of not talking something which might hurt their prejudices. Take an example, should US space program be continued? I believe there are equally as many people who are against it than for it, as in their opinions, the money should be used to fund some other channels of programs instead; the welfare, child protection, animal protection.
If you, as the speaker feels the importance of it, be bold and courageous to voice out your opinions and not vice versa just because, in your understanding, there's a large percentage of your audience are against it.
A speaker's job is to turn a piece of dull, uninteresting information to a 'picture' and that brings the emotions out of the audience. That's right! Paint a picture. As the saying goes; Picture worth a thousand words If you are talking about the HIV-AIDS, don't merely say; "Each year, thousands of lives have been lost to AIDS,and by just looking at the number is staggering enough...."
It's not good enough. Consider this; " Sometimes, I wonder why life is so unfair, I thought, having been knocked down in a fateful accident and losing a leg is the cruelest event in my life, but I least expected that the blood I received through the transfusion has been contaminated with the AIDS virus..." Better, you think so?
Storytelling reveals meaning without committing the error of defining it.-Hannah Arendt (1906-1975)
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