Audience Analysis: Speaking in Front of a Group - Essay Example

Audience Analysis Paper During any annual or mid term meeting the presentation thatthe company arranges has to be according to some norms. Not only does it require the company to prepare the presentation verbally and visually but also non-verbally. The presentation has to be prepared after fully analyzing the audience and the subject. For this the audience analysis is necessary. The arrangements are made according to what the organizers have analyzed. INTRODUCTION While planning for any speech and to influence the listener, it is important to first take in account the type of audience being targeted. The audience analysis is as important as the preparation of the speech. A wrongly prepared speech is as awful as a well prepared speech given to the wrong set of audience. Especially in the business sector, this sort of analysis is mandatory to capture the attention of audience and for the marketing of the products and the company. “The audience analysis includes the age, skills, language, cultural background, and knowledge about the subject, interests of the audience, their needs, their level of intellectual skills and their education”.(Laskowski, 1996). This paper deals with the situation when a person is to present the quarterly sales information to a group of stakeholders including managers, salesperson and customers. The speaker has to take in consideration four questions and then prepare his/her speech according to those questions. CHARACTERISTICS OF AUDIENCE THAT ARE TO BE CONSIDERED When considering the characteristics of the audience, the audience analysis plays a pivotal role. As discussed above the analysis will help me in not only preparing the speech, but also influencing the audience and in effective deliverance of the message. If the analysis is not done properly it can produce adverse result. The quarterly sales information is not presented to a single person, rather presented to a group of people with different characteristics. Not only does their familiarity to the topic differ but also their level of understanding. This requires the emphasis on finding the way to communicate the information to every individual within the audience. The presentation that I will prepare has to be entertaining to engage the audience and hold their attention. The audience analysis will help me in promoting the business as well as in attracting more consumers towards our products. The characteristics of the attendants that I will consider for this scenario are the age, a common language that is understandable to everyone, knowledge of the product and its sale, interests, the cultural background, the type of audience attending the meeting. All these factors will help me in arranging the meeting and presentation according to it. “The technical information and understanding among the group of people differs and this will require the ability to formulate the presentation according to the understanding of the differing group” (Bullard, 2009). COMMUNICATION CHANNELS Next thing that I will have to take in account is the communication channel. Once the audience analysis is done, selection of proper communication channel becomes easier for me. Most appropriate will be the formal manner i.e. a software product, a presentation that has graphical pictures to illustrate the sales and the notes in the form of bullets. The software presentation is not only worth understanding but also the audience get to know what is being presented. Notes in the form of printed papers will also be distributed so that the audiences understand through the medium that is more understandable to them. Some people usually take time in understanding what is being presented, the notes in the form of hard copy will provide ease to them. In this meeting I will have to take care of mental level of every individual in order to make the meeting successful. Spreadsheets and graphs will also be used to help the audience in understanding the data and information. The presentation will have everything that is of any significance for the manager, salesperson or consumer. The graphs, tables and the spreadsheet will be beneficial for the manager and the salesperson. And the pictures and bullet notes will facilitate the audience. Further pamphlets, reports or newsletter will also be distributed among the audience after the presentation is over. CONSIDERATION FOR DIVERSE AUDIENCE For the diverse audience I will have to consider the level of diversity. The diversity can either be related to the stakeholders, that is managers, salesperson and customers or it can be related to the audience with diverse background and culture. Considering the first category of diversity, in this situation the presentation will be prepared as to provide everyone with the information related to their interest. The mangers and the salesperson will be more interested in knowing the rate of sales, which product needs more marketing, how to improve the quality, how to attract more customers’ etc this will help them in making new strategies and making decisions for the future. While the customers will be interested in products type, prices etc. to provide the customer with the information of his interest is very important as customers are the company’s greatest assets. For this scenario, the presentation that I will prepare will be having terminologies and tables that are understandable to every individual. Proper labeled diagrams, pictures and graphs will be used in the presentation. If the second category is considered i.e. of the diverse culture and background, then the audience analysis will help me at this stage. “To communicate effectively with the audience it’s important to learn the cultural norms for respectful communication with diverse group whether the diversity is related to the race, color or ethnicity” (Stephens, 2008). When dealing with the audience of diverse nature I will have to keep in consideration a lot of things. In a meeting where there is diverse audience neutralization is impossible. The language and the culture are the two main factors that I will consider when in the meeting with this type of audience, who have different backgrounds and language. I will use common language that is understandable to everyone and the speech is prepared in which nothing is used that can produce discrimination among any group. Further the arrangements would be neutral to make the audience feel comfortable and not differentiating one group from all others. The lunch or the tea served will also be according to the taste of the audience. EFFECTIVENESS OF MESSAGE Communication can help the company in achieving what it wants to achieve. An effective communication strategy will cover up the message that I want to convey. Effective communication can either prove to be my strength or weakness. It not only refers to what I am saying but also, how I am saying. Everything from pitch of the voice to body language and gestures helps in delivering an effective message. To ensure whether the message delivered is effective or not it is important that I not only set up the speech but also train myself as to what I will say, how I will say, taking in consideration that nothing should be said that might hurt or discriminate anyone, culturally or ethnically. The characteristic of the audience are to be given full priority, a proper communication channel is used and last but not the least I deliver what is to be delivered i.e. the quarterly sales information. When I deliver the speech with all the facts and figures not only I provide the audience with a well prepared speech but also help in conveying the message. The feedback after the meeting will also help in knowing the effectiveness of the message. Feedback session will either be in the form of questions from the audience i.e. attendants are encouraged to ask the question related to the presentation or the overall company, or they will be given a questionnaire in which questions related to the company, their products, quality and services are asked. CONCLUSION Through this paper it can be concluded that to deliver a speech which can influence all the categories of audience from managers to customers, it is important, firstly, to do audience analysis. Audience analysis helps in characterizing the audience. Through characterizing not only does the speakers prepares their speech accordingly but also the diversity issue is resolved. If diversity issue remains unresolved the meeting and presentation will not be effective. To influence the audience the key points are a well prepared speech, preparation according to the type of audience, selection of a proper channel and also a well prepared speaker, verbally and non-verbally. When the key factors are considered ultimately the message will prove to be effective. REFERENCES Bullard, R. (14 September 2009). Audience Analysis: Speaking in front of a group, Retrieved from http://wps.ablongman.com/ab_public_speaking_2/24/6223/1593249.cw/index.html Laskowski, L. (1996). Audience Analysis – Its key to success, Retrieved from http://www.ljlseminars.com/audience.htm Stephens, K. (18 February 2008). Program Communication Strategies: Reaching out to Families and the community, McCormick Tribune Center for Early Childhood Leadership, Retrieved from http://ceclforums.nl.edu Read More