2. The Psychology of Audiences
People may be compelled to attend a speech, but no one can make them listen unless they want to. It’s up to the speaker to make the audience do pay attention, they don’t choose to pay attention.
important to a speaker addressing that audience. In most cases, however, your audience analysis will proceed in light of six broad categories : size, physical setting, disposition toward the topic, the speaker, and the occasion.
2. The Psychology of Audiences
What these psychological principles mean u need some grasp of what your listeners know, believe, and care about.
To whom am I speaking?
What do I want them to know, believe, or do as a result of my speech?
What is the most effective way of composing and presenting my speech to accomplish that aim?
—your listeners will hear and judge what you say on the basis of what they already know and believe.
—you must relate your message to your listeners—show how it pertains to them, explain why they should care about it as much as you do.
Chapter Five
Analyzing the Audience
1. Audience-Centeredness
Good public speakers are audience-centered. They know the primary purpose of speechmaking is to gain a desired response from listeners.
You can remain true to yourself and speak ethically while adapting your message to the needs of a particular audience.
To be audience-centered, you should keep several questions in mind when you prepare your speeches:
Size:
—No matter what size group you are addressing, bear in mind one basic
principle: The larger the audience, the more formal your presentation must be.
Even when people do pay attention, they don’t process a speaker’s message exactly as the speaker intends. Auditory perception is always selective. Every speech contains two messages—the one sent by the speaker and the one received by the listener. What a speaker says is filtered through a listener’s frame of reference. People hear what they want to hear.
—You should learn enough about your audience to know what you should do to make your ideas clear and meaningful.
3. Factors in Audience Analysis
Definition: Anything characteristic of a given audience is potentially
People are egocentric. Very simply people usually want to hear about things that are meaningful to them.
What these psychological principles mean to you as a speaker:
Being audience-centered does not involve taking any means to and end. You should not compromise your beliefs to get a favorable response from the audience. Nor should you use devious, unethical tactics to achieve your goal.