Audience Analysis Paper Brittany Grigsby Business Communications/COM/285 May 17, 2010 Geri Markley Audience Analysis Paper The key to approaching your audience is to first know them. First, know their characteristics; know what communication channels to use, the diversity of the audience, and most of all how would you ensure your message is effective. Identification of Audience Characteristics Before conducting a meeting you should consider the audience’s characteristics.
Such as, educational and professional background, knowledge and experience levels, English language ability, and reading situation if reading is involved in the meeting (, 2000). For their educational and professional background try gathering information about their reading ability and willingness to read. College graduates and/or students should be able to read and comprehend better than those who only have a grade school or high school audience. Know the job requirement of each employee. Do not confuse a title with a professional function.
Remember any professional can be a manager. Job functions and implies the levels of the jobs (, 2000). Also consider knowledge and experience levels. For example, try using professional and educational backgrounds when determining the knowledge and experience of an audience. Sometimes it is best to categorize your audience as novice, intermediate, and expert. Novices are not very knowledgeable and fear a certain subject. They prefer basic concepts and procedures and would rather get things done quickly in order to get quick results.
Intermediate Audiences have some knowledge and experience. And Experts are very knowledgeable (, 2000). Another thing to remember is English-Language Ability. Some employees have graduated from and U. S. University but are from other countries; English may be their second or third language (, 2000). What communication channels are appropriate? When conducting a meeting you are using nonverbal communication so there are several channels that have to be remembered. You gestures show a lot during oral communication.
Facial expressions for example, you have to consider the way you look because your audience may get the wrong idea. If you have frowns they may think you are upset about a situation or if you are smiling during an emotional meeting they may think you are taking it as a joke. In conversation, nonverbal messages provide insight into what another person is thinking and feeling but may not be saying (Bowman, 2002). Among the most important components in organizational communication are space, time, kinesics, and appearance. ; Space meaning, the amount of space between you and the individuals. People who cross their arms or legs often claim that they do so only because the position is more comfortable. But notice your own body the next time you’re in a perfectly comfortable discussion with a good friend. You’ll probably find that you naturally assume open body positions. The fact that so many people in organizational settings adopt closed positions may indicate that many people feel at least slightly uncomfortable in school and on the job” (Locker & Kienzler ). Bowman (2002), “Differences in conceptions of space and time may also cause problems.
In some cultures, people in conversation stand very close to one another, while those in other cultures prefer more personal space. Even when a person is consciously aware of such differences, it may be difficult to avoid an unconscious tendency to move closer or farther away based on the norms of one’s own culture. If you grew up in the United States, you probably learned that time is money and that you should avoid wasting it, spend it wisely, and save it when possible” (Understanding Communication Channels, para. ).
What are some considerations to keep in mind given the diversity of the audience? In any group or organization you are going to work with people that have different backgrounds and working styles that are different from yours. People from small towns and rural areas have different types of friendliness than those from big cities. There are differences in everyone, such as gender, race, religion, ethnicity, class, age, sexual orientation, and physical ability. Even those who share the same characteristics are different in personality types (Locker & Kienzler,). Another pitfall of group differences is that people who sense a difference may attribute problems in the group to prejudice, when other factors may be responsible. In fact, a body of research shows that ethnically diverse teams produce more and higher quality ideas. Research has also found that over time, as group members focus on their task, mission, or profession, cultural differences become less significant than the role of being a group member” (Locker & Kienzler ). How would you ensure that your message is effective?
Three characteristics for an effective message are it must be appropriate, useful, and persuasive. Appropriate meaning it must be appropriate according to the audience subject need of the receiver and environment. For the message to be useful you should ask yourself, “Is my information needed by my audience? ” In order for it to persuasive you should use psychology and appeals. First of all know the reason you are communicating; analyze your audience according to how you know them; organize them according to their audience type, whether they are hostile, friendly, or indifferent.
There are also four steps to use in order for your message to be more effective; gather information, organize your information, be clear, and use the proper channel (, ). If you are faced with a business communication problem think of a solution that will solve the problem and meet the needs of the people involved (Locker & Kienzler). Other ways to make sure your message is effective is to first make sure the message is clear meaning; do not make the audience guess what your intentions are. Next, make sure the message is complete; all of the audience’s questions are answered.
Third, make sure your information is accurate. Fourth, make sure it saves the receiver time; make sure the style, organization, and impact help the reader understand the message quickly and can act soon as possible. Finally, build goodwill; it communicates a good relationship between the communicator and the receiver (Locker & Kienzler ). Conclusion When addressing an audience identify the cultural, economic, and situational difference that may be affecting each individual. Everyone one in your audience is different, so know the different gestures and body languages you should or should not use.
Make your message effective; keep it clear, accurate, timely, and make sure it builds goodwill. References (2000). Audience Analysis. Retrieved from http://core. ecu. edu/engl/henzeb/5780/audanal. htm Bowman, P. (2002). Business Communications: Managing Information and Relationships. West Michigan University. Retrieved from http://homepages. wmich. edu/~bowman/channels. html Locker, K. , & Kienzler, D. (). Business and Administrative Communication (8th ed. ). New York, New York: McGraw-Hill. (). . Retrievedfromhttp://faculty. kfupm. edu. sa/MGM/danielm/new%20Three%20CHARACTERISTICS%20OF%20AN%20EFFECTIVE%20MESSAGE. htm
