Page 189 - Between One and Many The Art and Science of Public Speaking

156 Part 2 Between Audience and Speaker

understand themselves but also accept themselves for who they are and what
they have achieved.
As you analyze your audience, consider how your speech can help audience
members satisfy their likely needs. For example, many motivational speakers
seek to help people satisfy their needs for self-actualization. On the other hand,
someone selling home security equipment would appeal to safety needs.

Learning About Your Audience

The preceding discussion of audience diversity may seem overwhelming at fi rst.
After all, most of us have only a few friends who we could describe in terms of
all of the attributes of cultural, demographic, and individual diversity. Fortu-
nately, as a speaker, you do not need to know everything there is to know about
your audience. Rather, focus your efforts on learning about those characteristics
most relevant to your speech purpose. There are four basic ways to learn about
audience members: observation, asking for information, doing a survey, and vis-
iting online Web pages such as those available though Facebook and MySpace.

Observation

The most direct way to learn about audience members is by careful observation.
In your own public speaking class, you will observe your classmates on a daily
basis and particularly when they are speaking. You will learn a lot about their
cultural background, demographic characteristics, and even their beliefs, atti-
tudes, and values. If you are speaking to an audience outside your classroom, try
to observe them in advance of your speech. Many demographic characteristics
should be readily observable: age, sex, ethnicity, and so on.

Ask Someone Familiar With the Audience

If you cannot observe the audience for yourself, talk to someone who knows
them. In many cases you will be invited to speak by a member of the group. For
example, the authors have spoken on numerous occasions to service groups in
our community. One of us was recently asked to speak to a group that helps se-
nior citizens deal with Medicare and other health insurance issues. Knowing that
helped the speaker to choose examples that would be directly related to their
mission. Having had an elderly parent who spent time in a skilled nursing facility
helped the speaker to relate to the audience’s mission and understand their needs.

Survey Your Audience

In some cases you will have the opportunity to conduct a survey of your audi-
ence. This is one of the best ways to determine attitudes, values, beliefs, and
knowledge levels, which are typically very hard to determine from mere obser-
vation. There is a danger of assuming that based on appearances your audience
holds certain attitudes. A speaker may commit a major gaffe if he or she assumes
attitudes based solely on culture or demographics.