Identifying Approaches to Audience Analysis for Difficult Communication

Audience analysis includes identifying the audience’s beliefs, attitudes, interests, values, and level of understanding to adapt a speech appropriately. Conducting a comprehensive audience analysis requires using approaches that offer the most helpful information about the audience based on the type of information being shared or the situation prompting communication.

Communication Approaches on a Controversial Topic

Controversial topics create mixed reactions among audiences because people have different beliefs and values about a topic. One of the approaches I would consider when analyzing the audience in spoken communication on a controversial issue is direct observation. Direct observation includes making a perception based on what a person hears, sees, tastes, touches, and smells (DeCaro, 2022). I would use direct observation by seeing and hearing how the audience reacts when discussing a controversial topic. I would look out for behaviors such as raising the voice, fidgeting, and maintaining eye contact to determine whether the audience is comfortable discussing the controversial topic. The second approach I would consider is using attitudinal surveys to determine the audience’s attitudes about the topic. I would also use inference to draw a logical conclusion about the audience’s attitudes toward the topic. For example, I would identify patterns in the audience, such as their response to questions about the controversial topic and their arguments to support or oppose it.

Communication Approaches to Deliver Bad News

Delivering bad news requires understanding what to expect from the audience; hence, there is a need for audience analysis before delivering the bad news. Therefore, I would use attitudinal surveys to determine the audience’s attitudes toward bad news. The surveys would also include questions about their preferences in communicating bad news. For example, I would ask them whether they prefer written, face-to-face communication or a phone call when receiving or delivering bad news. Another approach that I would use is inference. I would focus on the patterns of behavior exhibited by the audience when they receive bad news based on their choice of words when responding either verbally or in written form.

Conclusion

Audience analysis is an important part of communication because it helps a person manage their audience’s expectations and predict their response to specific messages. Some approaches that can be used when analyzing the audience in written or spoken communication on a controversial topic include direct observation, attitudinal surveys, and inference. Consequently, some approaches that can be used in analyzing the audience in written or spoken communication to deliver bad news include inference and attitudinal surveys.

References

DeCaro, P. (2022, September 8). Audience analysis. Social Sci LibreTexts. https://socialsci.libretexts.org/Bookshelves/Communication/Public_Speaking/Public_Speaking_ (The_Public_Speaking_Project)/05%

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