Audience Analysis

Randy

COM 285

9 Nov 2010

Anthony

In the business world there will be many occasions when a team member will provide a quarterly sales presentation to company stakeholders. These stakeholders may consist of various levels of management, from department heads to the general manager. Expect salespeople to be present in force, as they are primary point and lead in making sales. More importantly though is the customer and odds are the customer will be well represented in this meeting. In preparation several factors must be considered in order to determine the format and plan presentation.

Age, race, religion, hometown, occupation, and why they are listening to you should all be considered when preparing for the presentation. All of these items contribute to the value system of the audience and it is helpful to have an understanding of where their values were developed to be able to connect. This helps to determine what priorities and practices may have shaped the culture they were raised as children and where they may be as adults. When making a presentation for stakeholders there is a high likelihood the audience will be a diverse group. The customers, salespeople, and managers although working together for the common goal of the business, will likely be in attendance for different reasons and also hold different beliefs and practices. The speaker must be aware and display sensitivity to these cultural differences and make note that one value, belief or practice is not more right or not more wrong. Greater audience understanding equates to greater audience success and in turn is the measure of a successful speaker. A successful speaker will learn to love the audience and speak to their needs and desires and will chose the most appropriate channel to clearly communicate.

Every speaker, once the topic has been clearly identified and an audience analysis is complete, must chose the most effective channel for communicating the message. Choosing the...