The Art of Public Speaking CHAPTER 5 Analyzing

The Art of Public Speaking CHAPTER 5 Analyzing the Audience

Contents 1. Why does a successful speaker need to analyze the audience? 2. How to analyze the audience? 3. How to adapt to the audience?

Why does a successful speaker need to analyze the audience? Audience- Centeredness • To whom I am speaking? • What do I want them to know? • What is the most effective way of composing and presenting my speech to accomplish that aims? • “ Keeping the audience foremost in mind a every step of speech preparation and presentation”

The Psychology of Audiences • What do people want to hear? • Egocentrism: the tendency of people to be concerned above all with their own values, beliefs, and well-being “ Good speakers are audience-centered. Whether speaking formally or informally, they work hard to find creative ways to evoke an enthusiastic response from their listeners”.

How to analyze the audience? • Demographic Audience Analysis (age, gender, sexual orientation, religion, group membership, racial, ethic or cultural background) • Situational Audience Analysis (size, physical setting, disposition toward the topic, the speaker, the occasion)

Techniques In the classroom: - Observation - Conversation Outside the classroom: - Ask the person who invites you to speak - Interview - Circulate a questionnaire

How to adapt to the audience? • Before the speech - Keep your audience in mind as you prepare the speech - Put yourself in their place - Anticipate questions and objections - Find the ways to answer the questions in advance • During the speech - Keep an eye for audience feedback