Preparation part 1: selecting the topic and understanding your audience

2. Understanding Your Audience

Why do we need to know who we will be talking to? Firstly, we will be able to choose the message of our presentation, and secondly, we will be able to adjust the tone and style of our speech.

What are some of the things we should know about our audience before we start preparing our speech?

First of all, we need to know why the audience has gathered to listen to us. Is it an open lecture at the university, free for all to attend? Or is it an obligatory meeting in the workplace? (Some people may attend it not because they are interested, but because it is their duty to do so.)
Second, it is also good to know some basic demographic data about our audience: what is their age, gender, education level, occupation and economic status? Sometimes you may want to consider learning about their ethnicity and religious affiliation.
Third, consider if you know anything about the listeners’ attitudes, beliefs and values. The important thing to realize is that attitudes can change, whereas beliefs and values rarely do. (publicspeakingproject.org). If the purpose of your speech is to change people’s attitudes about a certain idea, you might want to know what they presently think about the subject.
Fourth, you need to know the languages spoken by the audience, and, indeed, if they speak the language of the presentation well; otherwise, you may need to adjust the level of difficulty to fit their proficiency level.
Finally, consider if the audience knows you personally and if they are going to be friendly towards you.

Naturally, it is not always necessary to consider all of the above questions before you prepare your speech. Also, you may not have time in advance to study your audience, or learn much about it. In some situations, formal surveys are conducted beforehand, but most speakers only get a general idea about who they will be talking to. In some cases, you may have to ask the audience some questions at the beginning of your presentation. This way you will learn something about them, and also establish some initial rapport. Then you will be able to adjust your message accordingly.