Audience Analysis from the Experts It Depends on Your Type of Speech!

By Judith E. Pearson, Ph.D.

It’s time-proven advice to “Know your audience!” Audience analysis helps you relate your topic to audience needs and interests and may save you from some serious social blunders. For most of us, “Getting to know the audience” means asking a few questions ahead of time and finding out something about our listeners. That’s good advice, but what questions should you ask?

The questions you ask depend on how you want to relate to your audience, the atmosphere you want to create, and the purpose of your speech. These factors set up your audience’s expectations about you and yours about them. To find out more audience analysis, I contacted eight experts, each specializing in a specific type of speech, and asked them how they do it. The eight types of speeches cover a range of presentations that are most familiar to Toastmasters: Inspirational/Motivational Speeches, Informative Speeches, Humorous Speeches, Sales Presentations, Technical Briefings, Political/Persuasive Speeches, Training Programs, and Master of Ceremonies. The speakers I interviewed were:

  • Willie Jolley, a 1999 Toastmasters International Outstanding Speaker, motivational/inspirational speaker, President of Willie Jolley Worldwide, and author of It Only Takes a Minute to Change Your Life!
  • Jeff Davidson, founder of the Breathing Space Institute of Chapel Hill, North Carolina, an informative speaker on management, competition, and communication and award-winning author of over two- dozen books including The Complete Guide to Public Speaking.
  • Tom Antion, humorist, President of Tom Antion and Associates Communication Company of Landover Hills, Maryland, author of Wake ‘Em Up!, and manager of the world’s largest Internet magazine on public speaking.
  • Gregg Baron, President of Success Sciences, Incorporated, Tampa, Florida, a certified management and sales consultant and author of The Sales Professional’s Idea-A-Day Guide.
  • Jim Litchko, President of Litchko and Associates, of Kinsington, Maryland, a consultant, trainer and national expert on Cyber-Terrorism and Internet Security.
  • Joel Blackwell, of Reston, Virginia, a “Grass Roots” consultant to lobbying organizations, and author of Personal Political Power.
  • Jo Condrill, former Toastmasters District 27 Governor, President of GoalMinds, Incorporated, specializing in leadership training, teambuilding, and coaching, and author of Take Charge of Your Life.
  • Joyce Kaye, of Joyce Kaye Comedy Enterprises in Parkland, Florida, a comedy-writer, musician, singer, comic, and Master of Ceremonies for corporate roasts, retirement dinners, award ceremonies, and “Laughercise” workshops.

    Talking to these pros was great fun! They offered a wealth of good general advice and some “insider” secrets as well. Read on to find out what these experts had to say about the best ways to know your audience!

Use Questionnaires

Almost all the speakers I contacted send out questionnaires in advance to meeting planners, training coordinators, or whoever does the booking. The responses help speakers know what to expect about the environment in which they will speak and the people they will be addressing. The questionnaires ask about audience demographics, background, education, age-range, gender, occupations, and ethnic diversity. A technical speaker, such as Jim Litchko, wants to know about the level and range of expertise in his audience. Jo Condrill wants to make sure her training objectives match organizational needs and expectations. Even audience gender counts where humor is concerned. Tom Antion remarked that, “Women laugh easier and let their egos down. Men look around to see who else is laughing.”

Logistics are also an important consideration: Who will be making the introduction for the speech? Where is the location? What is the room layout? You may be surprised to know that the time of day is a significant factor in planning. Tom Antion had something to say about this subject:

Early morning is not a great time for humor. Just deliver your material. You might get some laughter, but don’t plan on it. Mid-morning or brunch is the best time, because you get people at their maximum energy level. They’ve had their coffee and they are ready for fun! Wherever food is involved, at lunch or dinner, you have to compete with distractions. It’s in my contract that if I speak at a meal, the host will announce a ten-minute break for drink refills, desserts, etcetera, before I speak. Then, during my speech, waiters have to stop taking orders and bussing the tables. After lunch is when people typically crash and their sugar levels are low. Get them to stand up and move around during your speech. Get them involved. Use more light-hearted humor, because people can’t concentrate on the heavy stuff. After dinner, some people are tired and by that time, some may have had alcohol. So be careful and have the meeting planner on hand to make sure things don’t get out of hand, in case someone has too much to drink.

If an organization (or corporation) hosts your speech, ask additional questions about the organization; its mission, goals, motto, history, achievements, and challenges. Are they growing, or downsizing? Who are the key people who will be in the audience and what are their titles, roles, and responsibilities? Who are the heroes in this organization? What are some of the “war stories”? Are there any sensitive topics to steer around? What have they liked and not liked about previous speakers? What is the dress code? With this information, you can tailor your speech to the organization’s culture, philosophy, challenges, strengths, and needs. If your speech is part of a larger event, such as a conference, ask about the event; the theme, purpose, the location and program agenda. Will there be media coverage? Are other activities going on at the same time as your speech?

The experts send their questionnaires via mail or email. Jeff Davidson advises a follow-up phone interview for clarification on the questionnaire responses, or if the questionnaire isn’t returned at all.

Find out what the audience wants and what will win them over! Jeff Davidson asks his sponsors, “What would you like to get from my presentation? What would make it among your best ever?” To Willie Jolley, the most important questions are, “How do you want people to feel when my presentation is finished?” and “If there’s one thought you want people to have when they leave, what is it?”

Do Your Research

With research, your can learn even more about the organization that is hosting your speech and about their members. Visit the organization’s web site. Read the biographies of the leaders. Look at their newsletters, press releases, organizational charts, sales figures, brochures, and press clips. Talk to colleagues or friends who know about this organization. Here’s a smart tip from Jeff Davidson. “I ask for the speaker evaluation form, if they have one, as it plays a large role in whether I get rebooked.”

If your speech is political, do some research on the opposition, as Joel Blackwell advised:
An audience at a political speech may be divided on the issues. You have to know where they stand. Know the opponent’s arguments as well as your own. Find someone who is happy to tell you why they disagree with you. Look at what your opponent is saying and doing. Read their campaign literature. Then talk about what you are for, rather than what you are against. Emphasize the positive. People don’t vote for you because of where you stand on the issues…They vote for you based on whether they like you or not. It’s less what you say and more who you are!

Tom Antion said that even a humorist needs to do some research:
When I speak to an organization, I get copies of their newsletters and trade publications. I sift through them and brew over them. As an outsider, I can play dumb. It’s hilarious, because I show people how funny their industry seems to an outsider, and how their jargon can have different meanings and double entendres. Once I spoke to an organization of pharmacists. I ordered a copy of their journal and I just about busted a gut laughing! There was a very serious, in-depth article about the effects of a chemical on the flatulence of cows! I said, “Who measures this sort of thing? How do they do it? What are their job qualifications?” You don’t need canned jokes. Just keep your eyes open—humor is everywhere!

Why is this research so important? Gregg Baron had the best answer:
The up-front work is not just about being prepared. It’s about the audience knowing I have taken the time to understand who they are and what’s special about them!….The answers are in the questions you ask. The highest leverage you have in business is your ability to think in advance. The more information you can gather, the more time you have to think, plan, and optimize your moment of opportunity!

Conduct Phone Interviews

Another strategy is to conduct phone interviews with a sampling of audience members. Trainer, Jo Condrill, notes that phone interviews create “allies” in your audience before you’ve even set foot on the platform. Here again, the questions you ask are based on your type of speech.

Sales presentations, for example, require unique questions about the organization’s needs and decision-making process. Gregg Baron had this to say:
I ask … about employee performance. “What makes this audience effective, and what prevents them from being as effective as possible?” I ask about the buying process. “Tell me about the process your organization uses to make a decision about this kind of product or service and to invest in this kind of solution.” I shape my presentation around their decision process. I ask what solutions they are considering, to identify the competition…For direct competition, I play up the advantages of my solution. For indirect competition, I ask, “What is appealing about that direction and how does it fit your business plan? How does it solve your problem, without unintended outcomes?” Then I show how my solution avoids unanticipated negative outcomes. I ask, “Who are the stakeholders in the solution? Are they concerned about cost, timing, or quality? What else might affect their decision?” My goal is to establish credibility, rapport, and comfort with me.

Comic and emcee, Joyce Kay, uses interviews to gain insights about the people she will be introducing or roasting:

For a retirement ceremony or roast, I ask about the guest of honor. I produce a custom piece of material based on that person’s life. It is nostalgic and humorous. I ask about their childhood, marriage, talents, and lifestyle. Maybe they like golf, or they’re a great dancer! I ask about habits. Does he smoke a cigar and everyone hates it? If he has a motto, I use it to get the audience involved. If his motto is “Teamwork,” I have the audience shout “Teamwork! Teamwork!” as the guy walks up on stage. I also want to know how he reacts to humor. Is he easy-going, or sensitive?

Tom Antion uses phone interviews to find additional sources of humor:

I get a cross-section of people from different departments. I call and tell them who I am. They think, “Whoa! The program speaker is calling me?” I reassure them I’m not a management spy—I just want to do a great job on stage and I want their help. This builds rapport, it gives me the inside scoop on the organization, and these folks are more likely to laugh during my presentation. I ask about their work challenges. If I hear the same things over and over, there is potential there for big laughter!

…Here’s my famous asterisk technique! It’s the reason I NEVER have hecklers. I ask the meeting planner for a list of audience members and say, "Put an asterisk beside anyone who could be trouble—someone who’s always griping, say.” If it’s “Jerry,” I call Jerry. “Jerry—can you give me a hand? You’ve been around a while and I need your opinion…” I butter him up! Now, what’s the chance that he’s going to heckle me? He’ll rave about me! So if you are ever in my audience and I see an asterisk next to your name…hmmmmm!

Mix With the Audience

On the day of your presentation, arrive early and mix with audience members beforehand. Joyce Kaye advises that you “mingle” with the audience before your speech, and get a “sense of their culture.” Mixing will give you additional anecdotes for your speech, and, again, create a friendly attitude in the audience when it’s time for you to take the platform. Joel Blackwell gave this advice about political speeches:

Before my speech, I work the crowd and “press the flesh.” I ask people what is on their minds and weave that into my speech. I pull someone out of the audience. I interview them and make their story a part of my speech. I tell politicians, “Grip people with a good story! Get the drama behind the issues…the story of a living, breathing human being…specific details--names, dates, and places!”

Even technical briefer, Jim Litchko, said that meeting with audience members one-on-one enhances his delivery and his reception:
I arrive about 90 minutes early to set up. As attendees arrive, I talk to them. I ask, “What do you do for this company? What do you want to know?” If they tell me about a security problem, I incorporate similar case studies into my talk. If someone offers an opinion on security, I incorporate that, giving them credit for the idea. It helps me connect with the audience in an open, positive way.

Tom Antion, targets organization leaders for his “warm-up.”

If the head honcho doesn’t laugh, no one else will. Their minds are elsewhere—on the sales budget, or something. I get to the CEOs ahead of time and coach them. I say, “Look, you hired me. People take their cues from you. If you want people to have a good time, you act like you’re having a good time!”

Keep Analyzing the Audience From the Platform

Audience analysis doesn’t stop when your speech finally begins. The speakers I talked to told me that they continue to analyze the audience from the platform by calibrating the audience’s reaction and response. Joyce Kaye says, “I throw out a one-liner and see how they react. If they like it, I keep going. If not, I ‘wing it.’” Willie Jolley put it this way:

I learned early on to judge the feel of the room. I go in with a plan, but I remain flexible. I watch their body language, because I want people on the edge of their seats! I listen for the laughter. I want them “wowed!” I may bring in more humor, or tell a story, or sing a song. You have to “know when to hold them and know when to fold them.” My audience analysis is continuous. I read the audience to know when to give my message that little extra spin. It’s like a pool player putting that bit of “English” on the billiard ball! It comes with practice. You have to be in the arena! The more you speak the better you get!

Be Sensitive to Feelings

Finally, audience analysis is also about sensitivity to your listeners’ feelings. Part of the success in learning about your audience lies in understanding how to get your message across in ways that acceptable and appealing to them. Here’s what Joyce Kaye said about sensitivity to one’s audience:

With an organization, you walk softly. I never insult anyone. These people aren’t professional entertainers! When I introduce people, some of them are shaking in their shoes because they have to get up and say something! Comedians think in threes. If my audience wants a serious business presentation, I give excitement, enthusiasm and energy! If they want to have fun, I keep them alert, awake, and anticipating my next introduction!

Take Your Speech On the Road!

Speaking to new audiences is an exciting challenge that will sharpen your speaking skills, expand your networking opportunities, and spread your message. As you can judge from the advice of these experts, audience analysis is an art! Your presentation will stand out when you tailor your topic to your audience! So take your speech on the road! Just be sure you know what type of speech you are giving and analyze your audience accordingly!



This Article originally appeared in the February 2003 issue of The Toastmaster.

Judith E. Pearson, Ph.D. is a Licensed Professional Counselor, writer, and speaker with a counseling and coaching practice in Springfield, Virginia, specializing in hypnotherapy and Neuro-Linguistic Programming. Her web site is www.engagethepower.com.