W4 Readings: B&B Ch. 5,9

Question 0

demeanor

Answer 0

+ or - attitudes towards the speaker or topic

Question 1

audience characteristics

Answer 1

the unique nature of the audience

Question 2

demographic information

Answer 2

char. of audience members into social groups

Question 3

history

Answer 3

prior speaking experience with a given audience

Question 4

homogeneity

Answer 4

less diversity in the demographic make-up of an audience

Question 5

interaction

Answer 5

talking to one or more members of the audience as a sample of the entire audience

Question 6

observation

Answer 6

the careful listening and scrutiny of audience behaviors and chars.

Question 7

summary data

Answer 7

info collected about a group of individuals who are similar to the audience. Useful to make inference about an audience’s attitudes.

Question 8

4 main characteristics of an audience

Answer 8

1) size
2) history
3) homogeneity
4) demeanor

Question 9

What to know about your audience

Answer 9

1) their knowledge about your topic
2) interest in your topic
3) attitudes toward your topic
4) attitudes toward you

Other info from demographics, aud. opinions, observation of audience, and interaction w/ the audience can be collected

Question 10

demographic info is only useful if:

Answer 10

it helps the speaker make an inference about the audience’s knowledge about the topic, interest in the topic, attitudes toward the topic, or attitudes toward the speaker.

Question 11

What can be changed on the basis of an audience analysis?

Answer 11

Everything!

• purpose
• organization
• main points/arguments
• supporting material
• factors of interest
• stylistic choices

Question 12

Fundamental principle of persuasion

Answer 12

audiences vary greatly, and a message that works well with one audience can fail completely with another.

Question 13

apathetic audience

Answer 13

a group that is indifferent toward the speaker and/or the topic

Question 14

hostile audience

Answer 14

a group that is antagonistic toward the speaker

Question 15

motivated audience

Answer 15

group that has positive attitudes toward the speaker and/or topic

Question 16

multiple audience

Answer 16

group consisting of members with varied attitudes toward the speaker and/or topic

Question 17

strategies for hostile audiences

Answer 17

1) introduce humor or defuse hostility
2) call for a fair hearing (listen to me before judging!)
3) emphasize common ground
4) refute - attitudes toward you as speaker
5) acknowledge past mistakes
6) express understanding and respect for the audience’s position
7) reassure the audience
8) refute the audience’s neg. attitudes to the topic
9) moderate the persuasive goal
10) neutralize hostile Qs

Question 18

strategies for apathetic audiences

Answer 18

• show how the aud. is affected
• show how real people are affected
• est. common ground
• adopt new approach
• share startling piece of statistics
• invite aud. participation

Question 19

strategies for motivated audiences

Answer 19

• reinforce similarities w/ the audience
• convey respect for the audience
• use vivid description/imagery
• use extended narratives
• attend to the rhythm of the speech

Question 20

strategies for multiple audiences

Answer 20

• focus on part of the audience
• provide unequal attention to the different components in a multiple audience
• balance attention among the different components of the aud.