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Chapter 5: Understanding Your Audience 5.1 Multiple Choice 1. Effective public speaking is a. audience-centered. b. message-centered. c. speaker-centered. d. channel-centered. Answer: a. audience-centered. Rationale: Effective public speaking focuses on meeting the needs and interests of the audience. It involves understanding the audience's perspective, tailoring the message to their preferences, and engaging with them to create a meaningful interaction. Therefore, being audience-centered is crucial for successful public speaking. 2. Barb, a sales consultant for a department store, is giving a short talk to freshman college students on the benefits of anti-aging creams. Her presentation has pictures and examples of how the cream works to reduce lines and wrinkles on the skin. The students appeared bored and disinterested in her topic. The reaction of the students suggests that Barb forgot to pay attention to what feature of audience analysis? a. values b. demographic analysis c. psychological profiling d. beliefs Answer: b. demographic analysis Rationale: Demographic analysis involves understanding the characteristics of the audience, such as age, gender, education, and group membership. In this case, Barb likely failed to consider the demographic profile of the freshman college students, leading to a mismatch between her message and the audience's interests. 3. Age, gender, education, and group membership are characteristics of a. demographic analysis. b. audience targeting. c. psychological profiling. d. audience segmentation. Answer: a. demographic analysis. Rationale: Demographic analysis involves studying the characteristics of a population or audience, such as age, gender, education, and group membership. These factors can help speakers tailor their message to be more relevant and effective. 4. If I am exploring the extent to which an audience shares common experiences among their peers, I am probably assessing the demographic variable of a. age. b. gender. c. group membership. d. education. Answer: a. age. Rationale: Age can indicate shared experiences among individuals within a similar age group. Understanding these common experiences can help speakers relate to their audience and make their message more relatable and impactful. 5. Carol is giving information to a group of senior college students about how to withdraw from a class at the college or university. Carol notices that some of the students are falling asleep while others seem bored. What was Carol's mistake in delivering this speech? a. She did not have enough information. b. Her audience analysis was poor. c. She needed more visual aids. d. She did not have the speech in a comfortable place. Answer: b. Her audience analysis was poor. Rationale: Carol's audience analysis was likely poor because she failed to engage the senior college students effectively. She may not have considered their specific needs, interests, and level of understanding, resulting in a lack of engagement and interest from the audience. 6. If a speaker wanted to address an audience about the genres of rap music, what demographic variable would be of most concern? a. education b. age c. group membership d. gender Answer: b. age Rationale: Age is a crucial demographic variable when discussing music genres, as musical preferences often vary significantly based on age. Understanding the age group of the audience can help the speaker tailor their message to be more relevant and engaging. 7. If you were giving a speech on Medicare prescription plans to a general audience, the most important factor to consider when analyzing your audience would probably be a. religion. b. age. c. gender. d. ethnicity. Answer: b. age. Rationale: Age is a crucial factor when discussing Medicare prescription plans, as eligibility and usage often correlate with age. Understanding the age distribution of the audience can help the speaker tailor their message to be more relevant and understandable to the audience. 8. Which of the following is a demographic characteristic of an audience for a speech? a. attitude b. belief c. gender d. size Answer: c. gender Rationale: Gender is a demographic characteristic that refers to the classification of individuals as male, female, or non-binary. Understanding the gender composition of the audience can help speakers tailor their message to be more inclusive and relevant to all audience members. 9. If your audience was made up of a specific religion, you would be a. best advised to keep your arguments simple. b. able to employ more complex arguments. c. best advised to rely on fixed beliefs and values in your appeals. d. able to alter attitudes relatively easy. Answer: c. best advised to rely on fixed beliefs and values in your appeals. Rationale: When addressing an audience with a specific religion, it is advisable to consider their fixed beliefs and values. This approach can help the speaker craft a message that resonates with the audience's worldview and is more likely to be well-received. 10. If you were giving a speech on animal overpopulation to members of the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), the most important factor to consider when analyzing your audience would probably be a. age. b. religion. c. ethnicity or cultural. d. group membership. Answer: d. group membership. Rationale: Group membership, in this case, being members of PETA, is the most important factor to consider when analyzing the audience. Understanding their shared values, beliefs, and goals as animal rights activists can help the speaker tailor their message to be more persuasive and impactful. 11. If your audience was made up of elementary school children, you would be a. best advised to keep your arguments simple. b. able to employ more complex arguments. c. best advised to rely on fixed beliefs and values in your appeals. d. able to alter attitudes relatively easy. Answer: a. best advised to keep your arguments simple. Rationale: Elementary school children have limited attention spans and may not fully understand complex arguments. Therefore, it is best to keep the arguments simple and straightforward to ensure they are understood and engaged. 12. The key to the importance of demographic analysis lies in a. simply finding out the specific traits shared by the audience members. b. deciding if any of the traits identified will affect the listener's ability or willingness to listen. c. finding out where all the various segments of your audience acquired their values. d. deciding if any of the traits identified will help you select a topic for your speech. Answer: b. deciding if any of the traits identified will affect the listener's ability or willingness to listen. Rationale: The importance of demographic analysis lies in understanding how the characteristics of the audience, such as age, gender, education, and group membership, can impact their ability or willingness to listen to the message. This understanding helps speakers tailor their message to be more effective and relevant to the audience. 13. When you examine specific characteristics of an audience such as beliefs, attitudes, and values, you are identifying a. demographic analysis. b. psychological profiling. c. audience segmentation. d. audience targeting. Answer: b. psychological profiling. Rationale: Psychological profiling involves examining specific characteristics of an audience, such as beliefs, attitudes, and values, to understand their mindset and tailor the message accordingly. This helps speakers connect with the audience on a deeper level and make the message more persuasive and impactful. 14. When you carefully analyze your audience to gain clues about how they think and feel, you are engaged in a. demographic analysis. b. psychological profiling. c. audience segmentation. d. needs assessment. Answer: b. psychological profiling. Rationale: Psychological profiling involves analyzing the audience to gain insights into how they think and feel. This analysis helps speakers understand the audience's perspective and tailor their message to resonate with them effectively. 15. All of the following are characteristics of psychological analysis EXCEPT a. values. b. gender. c. beliefs. d. attitude. Answer: b. gender. Rationale: Gender is a demographic characteristic, not a psychological characteristic. Psychological analysis focuses on beliefs, values, attitudes, and other internal factors that influence behavior and decision-making. 16. The second goal of psychological profiling is to identify audience a. beliefs. b. values. c. behavior. d. attitudes. Answer: d. attitudes. Rationale: The second goal of psychological profiling is to identify the attitudes of the audience. Attitudes are the predispositions to respond favorably or unfavorably toward something, which can influence how the audience receives and reacts to the message. 17. Which of the following is most clearly an attitude? a. Smoking causes lung cancer. b. Smoking makes people look more sophisticated. c. Smoking is more common among less educated people. d. Smoking is declining in popularity. Answer: b. Smoking makes people look more sophisticated. Rationale: An attitude is a predisposition to respond favorably or unfavorably toward something. "Smoking makes people look more sophisticated" reflects a positive attitude toward smoking, indicating a favorable perception of its effects. 18. Which of the following is a psychological characteristic of an audience for a speech? a. age b. values c. education d. group membership Answer: b. values Rationale: Values are psychological characteristics that reflect the core beliefs and principles that guide individuals' behavior and decision-making. Understanding the values of the audience can help speakers connect with them on a deeper level and make the message more meaningful and persuasive. 19. The third component of psychological profiling is audience a. values. b. religion. c. group membership. d. education. Answer: a. values. Rationale: The third component of psychological profiling is identifying the values of the audience. Values are deeply held beliefs and principles that guide behavior and decision-making, making them crucial for understanding the audience's perspective and tailoring the message accordingly. 20. A very effective way of conducting an analysis of a community is a. surveying them through interviewing. b. seeking out researched information about the community. c. asking local politicians about them. d. looking for participants through local newspapers. Answer: a. surveying them through interviewing. Rationale: Surveying through interviewing allows for direct interaction with community members, providing valuable insights into their thoughts, opinions, and needs. This method can help gather comprehensive and detailed information about the community, facilitating a more effective analysis. 21. A speaker can handle hostile audiences using the following strategies EXCEPT a. establishing good will. b. developing positive credibility. c. arming your audience with misguided information. d. offering principles of judgment. Answer: c. arming your audience with misguided information. Rationale: Handling hostile audiences involves building rapport and credibility, offering principles of judgment that resonate with the audience, and establishing goodwill. Providing false or misguided information is unethical and can further alienate the audience. 22. All of the following are aspects of the speech for which you can use psychological profiling EXCEPT a. framing your ideas. b. choosing your supporting materials. c. phrasing your ideas. d. adapting your values. Answer: d. adapting your values. Rationale: Psychological profiling involves understanding the audience's beliefs, attitudes, and values to tailor the message effectively. Adapting your values to match those of the audience may compromise your integrity as a speaker and is not a recommended practice. 23. If a speaker has a fixed belief about the specific ethnic group in which he/she is delivering a speech, the speaker is using what type of belief? a. alienation b. stereotypes c. facts d. ethics Answer: b. stereotypes Rationale: Stereotypes are fixed beliefs or oversimplified ideas about a particular group of people. Using stereotypes can lead to unfair judgments and biases against that group, hindering effective communication. 24. As you develop your speaking goals, it is important to consider which of the following characteristics? a. demographic analysis b. psychological analysis c. both demographic and psychological analysis d. cultural aspects Answer: c. both demographic and psychological analysis Rationale: Developing speaking goals involves considering both demographic (e.g., age, gender, education) and psychological (e.g., beliefs, attitudes, values) characteristics of the audience. This comprehensive analysis helps speakers tailor their message to be more effective and impactful. 25. Using audience segmentation to target different groups in your audience is most likely to help you in developing your a. purposes. b. goals. c. appeals. d. supporting materials. Answer: c. appeals. Rationale: Audience segmentation involves dividing the audience into distinct groups based on shared characteristics. By targeting different groups with tailored appeals, speakers can make their message more relevant and persuasive to each segment of the audience. 26. Audience segmentation is a. motivating the audience. b. targeting the audience. c. dividing the audience into groups. d. establishing good will to the audience. Answer: c. dividing the audience into groups. Rationale: Audience segmentation is the process of dividing the audience into distinct groups based on shared characteristics such as demographics, psychographics, or behaviors. This allows speakers to tailor their message to each group for better communication effectiveness. 5.2 True/False 1. The audience analysis is NOT considered until after the speaker has chosen a topic. Answer: False Rationale: Audience analysis is an integral part of speech preparation and should be considered before choosing a topic. Understanding the audience helps the speaker select a relevant and engaging topic that resonates with the listeners. 2. Even though you may be speaking on the same subject, tailor your communication to each individual audience. Answer: True Rationale: Tailoring your communication to each individual audience ensures that your message is relevant and engaging to the specific group you are addressing. This approach acknowledges the diversity and unique characteristics of each audience. 3. Experienced speakers still need to analyze the audience. Answer: True Rationale: Audience analysis is important for speakers at all levels of experience. Even experienced speakers need to understand the demographics, interests, and preferences of their audience to deliver a successful speech. 4. Because of the diversity of the American population, you must assume that everyone does NOT think and act exactly like you do. Answer: True Rationale: The diversity of the American population means that people have different backgrounds, beliefs, and perspectives. It is important for speakers to recognize and respect these differences when communicating with their audience. 5. Any characteristic of the audience has the possibility of being important to the speaker. Answer: True Rationale: Every characteristic of the audience, including demographics, psychographics, and situational factors, can be important to the speaker depending on the context of the speech. Understanding these characteristics helps the speaker tailor their message for maximum impact. 6. Demographic and psychological analysis are the same. Answer: False Rationale: Demographic analysis focuses on observable characteristics such as age, gender, and education, while psychological analysis delves into beliefs, attitudes, and values. While both are important for audience analysis, they are distinct concepts. 7. Demographic analysis is the study of observable characteristics in groups of people. Answer: True Rationale: Demographic analysis involves studying the characteristics of a group of people, such as age, gender, education, and income. These characteristics are observable and can provide valuable insights into the audience. 8. Age is a demographic characteristic of audience analysis. Answer: True Rationale: Age is a key demographic characteristic that can influence the audience's preferences, interests, and understanding of the message. Understanding the age of the audience helps the speaker tailor their message to be more relevant and effective. 9. Demographic audience analysis is the most important form of audience analysis. Answer: False Rationale: While demographic analysis is important, it is not necessarily the most important form of audience analysis. Psychological analysis, which includes understanding the beliefs, attitudes, and values of the audience, is also crucial for tailoring the message effectively. 10. The size of the audience is a demographic characteristic of the audience. Answer: False Rationale: The size of the audience is not a demographic characteristic but a situational factor. Demographic characteristics pertain to the observable traits of the audience members, while situational factors relate to the context of the speech, such as the size of the audience or the location of the speech. 11. Group membership is a demographic audience analysis characteristic. Answer: True Rationale: Group membership, such as belonging to a specific cultural, social, or professional group, is a demographic characteristic that can influence the attitudes, beliefs, and values of the audience. Understanding group membership helps speakers tailor their message to be more relevant and effective. 12. Identifying what your audience already thinks and feels is a part of demographic audience analysis. Answer: False Rationale: Identifying what your audience already thinks and feels is a part of psychological audience analysis, not demographic analysis. Demographic analysis focuses on observable characteristics such as age, gender, and education. 13. Psychological profiling is a process of dividing your listeners into psychological groups based upon their fundamental beliefs, attitudes, and values. Answer: True Rationale: Psychological profiling involves understanding the fundamental beliefs, attitudes, and values of the audience to categorize them into psychological groups. This helps speakers tailor their message to each group for better communication effectiveness. 14. The first task of psychological profiling is understanding your audience's beliefs. Answer: True Rationale: Understanding the beliefs of the audience is the first step in psychological profiling. Beliefs are fundamental to how people perceive and interpret information, making them a key factor in tailoring the message effectively. 15. Because both facts and opinions are matters of belief, it is sometimes hard to differentiate between them. Answer: True Rationale: Beliefs encompass both facts (which can be proven true or false) and opinions (which are subjective and based on personal judgment). Since both are based on belief, it can be challenging to differentiate between them, especially when individuals hold strong opinions about certain facts. 16. It is possible to have a fixed belief that is NOT true. Answer: True Rationale: Fixed beliefs are deeply held convictions that individuals may hold even in the face of contradictory evidence. These beliefs may not always align with reality or truth, highlighting the importance of critical thinking and open-mindedness. 17. "Classical music is a genre of music" is an example of a belief. Answer: True Rationale: "Classical music is a genre of music" is a statement that expresses a belief about the classification of music. Beliefs can be factual statements or opinions that individuals hold to be true. 18. Attitudes are emotionally neutral. Answer: False Rationale: Attitudes are not emotionally neutral; they are predispositions to respond favorably or unfavorably toward something. Attitudes are influenced by emotions, beliefs, and values, making them inherently subjective and emotional. 19. Beliefs are supported with varying degrees of external evidence. Answer: True Rationale: Beliefs are convictions that individuals hold to be true. These beliefs can be supported by varying degrees of external evidence, ranging from empirical data to personal experiences and cultural influences. 20. Your audience will hold attitudes about your speech subject before you begin to speak. Answer: True Rationale: Audience members often come to a speech with preexisting attitudes, beliefs, and values related to the speech subject. Understanding these preexisting attitudes can help speakers tailor their message to address any potential biases or concerns held by the audience. 21. Values are more likely to be fixed beliefs than variable ones. Answer: True Rationale: Values are deeply held beliefs that guide behavior and decision-making. Unlike attitudes, which can change more easily, values are often stable and less susceptible to change, making them more likely to be fixed beliefs. 22. Even when speaking to a highly diverse audience, a speaker needs to establish common ground: shared values that organize and influence the beliefs and attitudes of the listeners. Answer: True Rationale: Establishing common ground with the audience, especially in a diverse group, helps build rapport and credibility. Shared values provide a foundation for understanding and can help bridge differences in beliefs and attitudes. 23. A good technique to help disarm a hostile audience is to use humor. Answer: True Rationale: Using humor can help defuse tension and create a more positive atmosphere, making the audience more receptive to the message. However, it is important to use humor appropriately and avoid offending or alienating the audience further. 24. A speaker can use good will, areas of agreement, principles of judgment, and a multisided presentation to disarm a hostile audience. Answer: True Rationale: Disarming a hostile audience involves building rapport and credibility, finding areas of agreement, appealing to shared principles of judgment, and presenting a balanced view of the topic. These strategies can help defuse hostility and make the audience more open to the speaker's message. 25. Audience analysis means ignoring your own beliefs and attitudes while adopting the audience's. Answer: False Rationale: Audience analysis involves understanding the beliefs, attitudes, and values of the audience to tailor the message effectively. It does not require ignoring your own beliefs and attitudes but rather adapting your message to resonate with the audience's mindset. 26. Psychographics is the ability to understand consumer behavior based only on psychological profiling. Answer: False Rationale: Psychographics refers to the study of consumer attitudes, beliefs, values, and lifestyles to understand consumer behavior. It involves more than just psychological profiling and includes a broader range of factors that influence consumer decisions. 27. Audience analysis will help you to shape your specific purposes and determine which are most appropriate to your listeners. Answer: True Rationale: Audience analysis helps speakers identify the specific needs, interests, and preferences of the audience, allowing them to tailor their specific purposes and message to be more relevant and engaging to the listeners. 28. Audience segmentation means that the speaker can divide the listeners into subgroups. Answer: True Rationale: Audience segmentation involves dividing the audience into distinct subgroups based on shared characteristics such as demographics, psychographics, or behaviors. This helps speakers tailor their message to each group for better communication effectiveness. 5.3 Short Answer 1. Define demographic analysis. Answer: Identifying the observable characteristics of groups of people such as age, gender, education, and group membership. 2. List the demographic characteristics that a speaker should examine in an audience. Answer: The demographic characteristics that a speaker should examine are age, gender, education, group membership, and cultural and ethnic background. 3. Define psychological profiling. Answer: Identifying what your audience already think and feel. 4. Where do beliefs come from? Answer: Beliefs may come from firsthand experience, public opinion, supporting evidence, from authorities, or even from blind faith. 5. Define attitude and give an example of an attitude. Answer: The answers may vary, however, an attitude is a tendency to respond positively or negatively to a person, thing, or idea. An example of an attitude is "I like purple hair." 6. Explain why values are more basic than beliefs or attitudes. Answer: Values provide the basis from which beliefs and attitudes are formed. 7. List the two ways that a speaker can discover information about the audience. Answer: (1) surveying your listeners and (2) assessing listeners’ identities. 8. Name the three assessing listeners’ identities along with an example that a speaker can do if he/she is not closely tied to an audience that he/she will address. Answer: (1) role, (2) affiliation, (3) personal characteristics 9. List seven strategies for handling hostile audiences. Answer: (1) Establish good will; (2) Start with areas of agreement; 3) Offer principles of judgment; (4) Develop positive credibility; (5) Use experts and supporting material to which your audience will respond; (6) Disarm your listeners with humor; and (7) Use a multisided presentation. 10. If you were going to give a speech to a specific community about recycling, how will psychological factors affect the speech message? Answer: The members of the community are composed of demographically different types of people. Each of the members will have different beliefs, attitudes, and values that will affect how they will interpret what the speaker will say. The speaker will have to use psychological profiling to frame the ideas, choose the appropriate supporting materials, and phrase the ideas so that they are appropriate to the audience. 11. How can psychological profiling assist in analyzing the audience? Answer: Psychological profiling can help the speaker frame ideas, choose appropriate supporting materials, and phrase the ideas in the speech. 12. What three aspects of your speech can be aided by psychological profiling? Answer: Psychological profiling can help the speaker make decisions about (1) the ideas, (2) supporting material, and (3) phrasing of the speech. 13. What is the primary goal of audience analysis? Answer: The primary goal of audience analysis is to discover the demographic and psychological characteristics of your listeners that are relevant to your speech purposes and ideas. 14. What is a stereotype? Answer: A stereotype is a fixed belief that all individuals in a group are the same. 15. What is audience segmentation? Answer: Audience segmentation is dividing the audience into a series of subgroups or "target populations." 5.4 Essay Questions 1. A young minister, well accepted by his congregation after two years in its service, notices that the church's membership has been declining recently. What should the minister think about when addressing the congregation on this problem? Answer: A successful answer will draw from the entire chapter, with an emphasis on using audience analysis in the preparation of the presentation to the congregation. Attention should be paid to audience segmentation, setting purposes and audience responses realistically, and selecting reasons that will be most effective with each subgroup identified. 2. Explain why the characteristics in demographic analysis are important in the delivery of a speech. Answer: The characteristics in the demographic analysis such as age, gender, education, group membership, and cultural and ethnic background can affect a listener's reception of a speaker's message. Each variable will therefore help determine the goals and appeals that will be used in the speech. They will determine how the speaker will frame the ideas used, the appropriate supporting materials to employ, and how the speaker will say his/her message. 3. You have been asked to speak at a campus rally opposing tuition increases. While students will likely dominate the audience, you can reasonably expect faculty, administrators, and even a few people from the community to be there. Applying the concept of audience segmentation, identify at least three meaningful subgroups and one reason to support your proposal for each subgroup. Explain why you think these reasons would work for these subgroups. Answer: The answer should address issues of using audience analysis in speech preparation with special emphasis on relating reasons to beliefs, attitudes, and values that are likely to be shared in each subgroup. For example, an appeal to students might focus on the added burden of higher tuition on already tight budgets. An appeal to faculty and administration might focus on the need to fulfill the state's obligation to fund public education and how higher tuition restricts access. Community interests might result in an argument that increased tuition could result in lower enrollments and have an impact on the economic health of the community. 4. You have recently returned from a foreign exchange visit in Sweden. Your sponsors have asked you to address the local meeting of the Rotary Club to seek its support for future exchange visits. Rotarians tend to be men and women in business and the professions and while most tend to be between the ages of 45–65, ages range as low as 25 and as high as 75. Economically they tend to be in the middle and upper income levels. Target your audience and make a realistic determination as to what you can accomplish with a 30-minute presentation. Be sure to address your specific purpose, areas of audience interest, the audience's capacity to act, and the degree of change you can expect. Explain how you arrived at your conclusions. Answer: The answer should address application of demographic analysis and psychological profiling as applied to audience segmentation. Specifically, the answer should reflect the material related to setting purposes and audience responses realistically, as well as audience segmentation. 5. What is psychographics and how can it be used in audience analysis? Answer: Psychographics is a process that marketers or advertisers can use to determine the emotions and values that motivate consumer choices. Psychographics can be used in audience analysis because it is based on demographic and psychological profiling. When a marketer analyzes an audience, he/she is better able to understand what appeals to the target audience. Test Bank for Principles of Public Speaking Kathleen M. German, Bruce E. Gronbeck, Douglas Ehninger, Alan H. Monroe 9780205857548, 9780205843893
