Audience Analysis

Analyzing your audience is key to good public speaking. If you do not gear your speech towards your audience’s level of understanding, use words and examples they can relate to, use a clear structure they can follow, and speak appropriately to the context and situation, the best speech in the world will go unappreciated.

Basic Audience Analysis

What does it mean to be audience-centered when you speak or present? To be audience-centered is to shift your focus from yourself (what do I want to say about this topic?) to your audience (what does my audience want or need to hear about this topic?) But how do we go about making this shift? In part, by asking questions. There are four basic questions you can ask yourself to guide your analysis of the audience:

1. 1. What do they know already?
   2. Where do they stand?
   3. Where are they coming from?
   4. Why are they here?

Prior experience with the topic: What do they know already?

Perhaps the most important factor to consider is the audience’s prior experience with the topic you’re discussing. This experience can take many forms. One form is technical, theoretical, or academic knowledge of the subject. Another is first-hand, observational, or practical experience. For instance, if you were presenting about the criminal justice system to a group of sociologists, you could assume a high level of theoretical knowledge about various methodologies of modeling social systems, but not necessarily an understanding of how the system is experienced by an individual trying to negotiate the court system. If you were presenting about the same topic to a group of people who had all been in prison, you could assume a high level of experience with the criminal justice system, but not necessarily a familiarity with sociological models of this system.

Watch out, though! If you tailor your speech too much to one segment of the audience, you risk losing the rest. If you speak just to the experts, your material could sail over the heads of beginners. If you speak only to those who agree with one side of an issue, those who hold the opposing view will dismiss your argument or get angry. Even if your entire audience might agree with your views on something, you should avoid telling them only what they want or expect to hear. This kind of one-sided presentation is called pandering or “preaching to the choir.” The purpose of learning about what the audience already knows is so that you can adapt your information for the largest number of audience members to understand and be engaged with your speech.

Attitude toward the topic: Where do they stand?

Generally speaking, the audience’s attitude toward the topic you are presenting can be grouped into a few categories. Audiences are said to be friendly if you can assume they would be inclined to agree with your assumptions and argument. A hostile audience, on the other hand, would not agree with your conclusions unless the listeners were convinced by your argument. For instance, if you were arguing in favor of a tax on carbon emissions, an environmentalist organization might be considered a friendly audience, whereas a group of oil and gas executives could be a hostile audience. Note: hostile audiences usually won’t heckle you or throw tomatoes. This term isn’t describing rude audiences, but rather audiences who are likely to disagree with your argument or have negative feelings toward your subject. Finally, if an audience is neither friendly nor hostile, it may be neutral (not having strong inclinations one way or another) or mixed(containing both friendly and hostile listeners—and probably neutral listeners as well).

Frame of reference: Where are they coming from?

A frame of reference describes the assumptions, values, and standards by which a person evaluates a particular idea or position. As you think about audience analysis in this section, ask yourself which frames of reference are shared by most members of your audience, and which are different for various audience members. If you are speaking in class, for instance, you can assume that one shared frame of reference is the affiliation with your school, whether as students or as instructors. Within this academic frame of reference, then, we can start from a premise that the whole class shares a desire to gain skills, knowledge, and opportunity. If you’re speaking to your local Chamber of Commerce, one shared frame of reference might be an investment in the health of the local business community. A group of teachers might share certain values and standards related to the educational system. Members of the International Students Association might have a common experience of negotiating different national and cultural frames of reference.

In large part, audience analysis involves trying to learn about your audience’s frames of reference—cultural, philosophical, religious, demographic, economic, and so on. It is extremely important, however, to avoid jumping to conclusions about your listeners’ values, standards, and experiences based on your analysis of the audience.

As Daphne A. Jameson has pointed out, the most important starting point for audience analysis is self-understanding: “The metacognitive problem is to know what one knows—and does not know—about others.”^[1]

Expectations of the event: Why are they here?

Another question you could ask of your imaginary audience is, why are they here? What does this audience expect to hear and what do they hope to learn? Are they here because they have to be (e.g., a mandatory meeting or a class session) or because they want to be? Is your presentation the “main event,” or is something else bringing this audience together? All these factors can be extremely important in planning your speech.

Fuller Audience Analysis

In addition to asking basic questions about your audience, it’s useful to delve into audience characteristics more fully, looking at:

1. audience psychology
2. audience demographics

Audience Psychology

Psychology is commonly defined as the science of behavior and mental processes. The speaker can look at the psychology of the individual audience members to determine how they might respond as a group to his or her ideas.

What is the current disposition of the audience toward the speech’s topic and purpose? If the speaker is attempting to persuade the audience to accept a particular idea or take an action, it is important to understand the starting point. What are the dominant values, beliefs, and attitudes of the audience? The speaker must know how to use that knowledge to tailor the speech to the audience. Consider values, beliefs, and attitudes as factors in the psychological makeup of the audience.

Values

Values can be defined as broad preferences concerning appropriate courses of action or outcomes. As such, values reflect a person’s sense of right and wrong or what “ought” to be. “Equal rights for all,” “Excellence deserves admiration,” and “People should be treated with respect and dignity” are statements of values. Values tend to influence attitudes and behavior.

Something that the speaker perceives as good may not be perceived as very good by members of the audience. Something that the speaker perceives as beautiful may not appear the same to the audience. A course of action that the speaker believes is right may not be endorsed by the audience. It is important to consider what the audience values as part of the overall psychological make up of the audience.

Beliefs

Beliefs are another important consideration. Members of the audience may believe that certain things exist or certain ideas are true. The speaker should attempt to identify and build upon shared beliefs to get the audience to consider or accept a particular belief that may be different from the ones they hold. The speaker can often build upon shared beliefs to establish common ground with the audience before advancing a new idea.

Attitudes

An attitude is a positive or negative evaluation of people, objects, event, activities, ideas, or just about anything in the environment. If the speaker knows the audience’s attitude toward the topic or thesis before the speech, he or she can make sure to address these attitudes during the speech preparation. Some ways to find out the audience’s attitude beforehand include rating scales or direct statements from audience members.

Audience Demographics

Demographic analysis looks at statistical information about a given population or group using criteria such as age, education, nationality, religion, gender, race, and ethnicity. In a way, demographic data is more important as a check on our assumptions than as a basis for speculations about our audience. When we look out into a room full of people (or a screenful of video-conference squares or a list of names), we might be tempted to jump to conclusions: “Ah, it’s a room full of millennials” or “this webinar seems to be mostly older white women” or “no one here shares my demographics at all!” When we think demographically, on the other hand, we discover other groupings that might not be visible to the eye. Thinking demographically can also help us look beyond our preconceptions and biases by focusing our attention on data, not assumptions.

Demographic information usually includes information about gender/sex, race/ethnicity, age, religion, and socio-economic status.

Gender/Sex

On many applications, forms, and surveys, respondents are asked to specify their gender. In the past, the choice was usually binary and biologically based: male or female. These choices are most commonly reported in demographics. However, it is important to remember that the audience will be composed of people who identify gender and sex in many different ways.

Sex is typically assigned at birth, based on the appearance of external genitalia. Sex and gender are different identities, and gender can be portrayed in a variety of different ways. One’s gender is their lived experience; it is a deep connection a person has with themselves. Just as there are many ways to relate to one’s own gender, there are numerous terms used to describe gender identity. Some of the commonly used terms include nonbinary, transgender, gender non-conforming, gender-fluid, and gender neutral. A person whose gender corresponds to the sex assigned at their birth is often known as “cisgender.” Notice that these labels all have to do with gender identification, rather than biology or anatomy.

To make sure that one is inclusive with regard to gender, it is important to consider the pronouns one uses. Some speakers use a variety of pronouns when speaking, others generally use “they/them” or, where appropriate, try to use “you” or “we.”

Race/Ethnicity

Demographics often include racial identification. The racial categories used by the U.S. Census are White, Black or African American, American Indian or Alaska Native, Asian, and Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander. Those who identify as Hispanic or Latino may be of any race. ^[1] An ethnic group or ethnicity is a named social category of people who identify with each other on the basis of shared attributes that distinguish them from other groups such as a common set of traditions, ancestry, language, history, society, culture, nation, religion, or social treatment within their residing area. Like any categories of identity, racial or ethnic categories can be meaningful as broad descriptors, but often fail to capture the relationship of any given individual with their background or heritage. There are many different ethnicities and cultural backgrounds within the racial categories and many individuals identify as mixed race. So, while this data might be helpful, do not assume that respondents who fall into a particular racial category will have similar backgrounds, perspectives, or affiliations.

Age

Age is another commonly reported demographic. This data is very useful when considering the language, references, and examples to use in a speech. Remember that slang and cultural references tend to be connected to a particular generation, and might leave some of your listeners scratching their heads. If a speaker says that battery capacity is increasing “because science,” some of their viewers might miss the joke (and judge the speaker). Likewise, some viewers might not know what it looks like to do the bus stop or the hustle. If your audience tends to be the same age group (such as if you were speaking to a group of schoolchildren or retirees) you may be able to use examples and language that resonate with the appropriate age bracket.  However, do your homework and avoid superficial knowledge. If, in a presentation to first graders, you decide to use examples of television characters that they may watch, you should get ready for questions about the show. The audience can identify when someone is authentic at any age.

In this TedX talk, financial analyst Sarbjit Nahal discusses the importance of paying attention to demographics; particularly, in this case, age.

You can view the transcript for “Demographic Disruption | Sarbjit Nahal | TEDxGlasgow” here (opens in new window).

Here is a video with accurate captions: Demographic Disruption | Sarbjit Nahal | TEDxGlasgow (opens in new window).

Religion

Historically, the United States has always been marked by religious pluralism and diversity, beginning with various native beliefs of the pre-colonial time. Slightly over 50% of Americans report that religion plays a very important role in their lives, a much higher rate than most other wealthy countries.^[2] Christianity is the largest religion in the United States with the various Protestant Churches having the most adherents. In 2019, Christians represent 65% of the total adult population: 43% identifying as Protestants, 20% as Catholics, and 2% as Mormons (officially The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints); people with no formal religious identity represent 26% of the total population; Judaism is the second-largest religion in the U.S., practiced by 2% of the population; followed by Islam, Buddhism, and Hinduism with 1% each.

Worldwide, the statistics look quite different. In 2015 Christians formed the largest religious group, with 31% of the total world population. Next come Muslims, with 24.1%; Hindus, with 15.1%; and Buddhists with 6.9%. A total of 16% declared themselves unaffiliated, and 5.7% practiced folk religions. Practitioners of Sikhism, Baha’i, and Jainism added up to less than 1%, and Jews accounted for about 0.2% of the global population, concentrated in the U.S. and Israel.^[3]

What demographic figures like this don’t tell us is how any given individual—or group of individuals—views matters of religious faith and practice. The diversity within religions is often as great as the diversity between religions, since practices and beliefs vary so much from place to place and person to person.

Socio-Economic Status

Socio-economic status (SES) refers to income level, occupation, and education level. This demographic gives the speaker an idea regarding what the group’s social background is.

Income level is a consideration. People view money and talk about money differently depending on how much they make. Speaking to a wealthier group would require examples and language that resonate with them. They may purchase new cars often. They may own their home or multiple homes. Conversely, for a poorer group, your examples and language should connect with them. They may not own a car and may rely on mass transit. They may rent an apartment. These considerations are important to creating a speech that is relevant to the listeners.

Speakers often consider the occupations that their audience have. The reason is that the job people have can say much about who that person is. It is safe to assume that a doctor or lawyer has years of specialized training whereas a grocery store clerk and waitperson may not have many years of specialized training. Knowing this information further assists with tailoring the speech to a specific audience.

Education level is often considered in Socio-economic status (SES). Technically, each level of education has corresponding vocabulary acquisition. Kindergarteners, high school graduates, and college graduates all have acquired language that is common for that level of learning accomplished. It is not uncommon to have an audience with various educational backgrounds. When this is the case, it is best to use language tailored to the national reading average, which is approximately the fifth-grade level.

Demographics are helpful in audience analysis. It gives you an idea of who you are addressing. However, it is not good to use demographic data alone. It is easy for people to make assumptions that may be biased based when using only one data set. For example, just because the lecturer looked at the fact book and found the college demographics, does not mean that each class will have the same composition. There may be greater diversity in gender and race than was reported for the overall college and there may be a wider age range. Therefore, using demographics along with other audience analysis methods can help avoid biases.

The following video offers some different questions to ask in order to learn more about your audience.

Here is the video with accurate captions: Knowing Your Audience | Audience Analysis for Public Speaking (opens in new window).