Audience Analysis 1 Running head: AUDIENCE ANALYSIS

Audience Analysis Paper

Audience Analysis 2 Audience Analysis Several factors must be taken into consideration when speaking to an audience. Common sense and understanding are crucial to good audience analysis. According to Locker, K., Kienzler, D. (2008), the first step in analyzing the audience is to decide who the audience is: (pg.42) (1) A gatekeeper has the power to stop your message instead of sending it on to other audiences. The gatekeeper therefore controls whether your message even gets to the primary audience. The primary audience will decide whether to accept your recommendations or will act based on your message. You must reach the primary audience to fulfill your purposes in any message. The secondary audience may be asked to comment on your message or to implement your ideas after they have been approved. Secondary audiences also include lawyers who may use your messageperhaps years lateras evidence of your organizations culture and practices. An auxiliary audience may encounter your message but will not have to interact with it. This audience includes the read-only people. A watchdog audience, though it does not have the power to stop the message and will not act directly on it, has political, social, or economic power. The watchdog pays close attention to the transaction between you and the primary audience and may base future actions on its evaluation of your message. According to Locker, K., Kienzler, D. (2008), The following questions provide a framework for audience analysis: (pg.52) (Figure 2.2)

Audience Analysis 3 What will the audiences initial reaction be to the message? How much information does the audience need? What obstacles must you overcome? What positive aspects can you emphasize? What expectations does the audience have about the appropriate language, organization, and format for messages? Questions to Analyze an Audience 1. How will the audience initially react to the message? Will the audience see this message as highly important? Audiences will read and act on messages they see as important to their own careers; they may ignore messages that seem unimportant to them. When the audience may see your message as unimportant, you need to: Use a subject line or first paragraph that shows your reader this message is important and relevant. Make the action as easy as possible. Suggest a realistic deadline for action. Keep the message as short as possible. How will the message affect the audiences reaction to the words used? The audiences experience with you, your organization, and the subject you are writing about shapes the way they respond to this new message. When your audience has negative feelings about the organization, your position, or you personally, you need to Make a special effort to avoid phrases that could seem condescending, arrogant, rude, hostile, or uncaring. Use positive emphasis to counteract the natural tendency to sound defensive.

Audience Analysis 4 Develop logic and benefits fully.

2. How much information does the audience need? One must also find out if the audience knows about this subject because if some of the information is new to the audience, one must: Make a special effort to be clear. Define terms; explain concepts, use examples, avoid acronyms. Link new information to old information. Use paragraphs and headings to break up new information into related chunks so that the information is easier to assimilate. Test a draft of the document with the intended audience to see whether the audience can understand and use what you have written. If the audiences knowledge needs updated, one needs to: Acknowledge the audiences initial understanding early in the message. Use examples or statistics to show the need for the change, or to show that the audiences experience is not universal. Allow the audience to save face by suggesting that changed circumstances call for new attitudes or action. 3. What obstacles must you overcome? If the audience is opposed to what you have to say one needs to: Start the message with any areas of agreement or common ground that one shares with their audience. Make a special effort to be clear and unambiguous. Make a special effort to avoid statements that will anger the audience. Limit statement or request to the smallest possible area.

Audience Analysis 5 Show that the solution is the best solution currently available. Another obstacles maybe whether or not it the audience can do what is ask of them because some requests maybe complicated, or physically or psychologically difficult, therefore, one needs to: Make the action as easy as possible. Break down complex actions into a list

4. What positive aspects can you emphasize? Because benefits help persuade the audience that the ideas are good ones. Put good news first. Use audience benefits that go beyond the basic good news.

When ones audience shares the same experiences, interests, goals, and values, one can Consider using a vivid story to remind the audience of what everyone share. Use a greeting and close that remind the audience of their membership in this formal or informal group. 5. What are the audiences expectations about the appropriate language, organization, and form of messages? Have good writing style the audience will prefer, by using what is known about the reader to choose a more or less friendly style. Do not use red flag words that may create instantaneous negative responses because there is no time to convince the audience that a term is broader or more neutral than his or her understanding. When in need for agreement or approval, one should Avoid terms that carry emotional charges for many people

Audience Analysis 6 Use previous experience with individuals to replace terms that have meticulous meanings for them. Find out what the audiences expectations are on details because a message that does not give the audience the amount of detail they want may fail. One can do this by: Providing all the detail they need to understand and act on your message. Group chunks of information under headings so that readers can go directly to the parts of the message they find most interesting and relevant. Imitate the level of detail in similar documents to the same audience. Find out if the audience prefers a direct or indirect organization this will allow one to be more effective if they use the structure and organization their audience prefers. In addition, find out the audiences expectations such as length, visuals, or footnotes because a text that meets the readers expectations one is more likely to succeed.

Audience Analysis 7 Reference Locker, Kitty O., Kienzler Donna S. (2008). Business and Administrative Communication, Eighth Edition. Chapter 2: Adapting Your Message to Your Audience. McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.