Page 176 - Between One and Many The Art and Science of Public Speaking

Chapter 6 Adapting to Your Audience 143

orientation stands for the fostering of virtues related to the past and the pres-
ent, in particular respect for tradition, preservation of ‘face,’ and fulfi lling social
obligations.” 15
Asian countries, such as China and Japan, tend to rank very high on the long-
term dimension. In fact, this dimension is sometimes called Confucian because
many of the values, on both sides of the dimension, are the same as the teach-
ings of Confucius. The United States is in the lower third of countries, and Paki-
stan is at the bottom of the list, meaning both have a short-term orientation.
Those cultures with a long-term orientation to life tend to adapt long-standing
traditions to modern situations, are willing to save and persevere to achieve
long-term goals, are willing to subordinate themselves for a purpose, and are
thrifty in their use of resources. Short-term-oriented societies respect traditions,
are willing to overspend to maintain their lifestyle, and expect quick results.
If this scenario sounds familiar it is because we live in a culture that is largely
short-term in its orientation. As a group, Americans save less and spend more
than any other modern culture in the world.
Thus, knowing whether your audience members share a short- or a long-term
culture can signifi cantly affect the content of your speech. Appeals to thrift and
patience are likely to be effective in those societies with a long-term orientation,
whereas appeals to instant gratifi cation are more effective in societies that have
a short-term view of the world. The current debate in the United States over the
need to change the Social Security system to protect future generations refl ects
the results of years of a short-term orientation on the part of American society.
That this issue is now being seriously debated suggests that both short- and long-
term orientations are competing within the American culture.

Adapting to Cultural Diversity

All fi ve of Hofstede’s dimensions are important to analyzing cultural diversity.
You shouldn’t automatically give one greater credence than another. Rather, tai-
lor your speech to fi t with those dimensions that are most relevant to your topic.
For example, a speech encouraging students to avoid accumulating credit card
debt while in college is going to be better received by those with a long-term
orientation than a short-term one.
Further, in a world where cultural diversity is the norm rather than the excep-
tion, you can count on audience membership that is not only culturally diverse
but also variable with regard to such dimensions as femininity versus masculinity.
Thus developing and delivering a speech that appeals to a majority of the cultures
represented in your audience is tougher than ever. The wider the range of rea-
sons you present for your position, therefore, the better your chances of success.

Demographic Diversity
demographic
diversity
After cultural diversity, the second major factor you will want to examine to
Variations among people
better understand your audience is how people vary in terms of demographics,
in terms of such attri-
which are the basic and vital data regarding any population. Demographic fac-
butes as socioeconomic
tors include age, gender and sex, ethnicity, geographic origin, socioeconomic sta- background and level
tus, occupational role, religion, and language usage. Demographic diversity of education.
refers to the differences among people in terms of such factors. Many of these,