Week 12- Being aware of and adapting to a diverse audience

Question 1

What is audience member diversity?

Answer 1

Key terms:
Demographics
-age, gender, sex, gender, ethnicity

psychographics - different views, values , and beliefs b/t and amongst people
-personality
-background

Question 2

What is audience adaptation?

Answer 2

Tailoring your message to different audience members

key concept: frame of reference
an individuals unique knowledge or experience , perspective , and values

adapt to it
key goals:
message meaning - your message is understand and well received
ex. football
American sport vs. futbol vs. medical term
not all words may be seen the way you intend it to

message inclusivity - your audience connect and feel included with your speech

ex. raise your hand or stand up, or say opposite sex excludes other sexual orientations
ex. stores saying “happy holidays” during winter

reminder “Meaning are in people not in words”

Question 3

What are some key considerations?

Answer 3

Speech content- word choice, phrases, names references
ex. US - individualistic vs other countries
want to make individualistic points but have to consider community

Speech delivery - amount of eye contact, emotion, gestures

Speech visual aids - what you are showing and accessible to audience members

Question 4

What are some obstacles ?

Answer 4

Egocentrism - the inability to get out of your own mindset and into that in your audience “it’s all about you”

The key: audience centeredness- to become other oriented the ability to adapt your speech or message to diverse listeners

Question 5

Pulling It All Together: An Exercise in Adapting Your Speech to a Diverse Audience

Answer 5

• excludes gender identities

-diversity and American dream have different meanings

-handout -vision/ reading disabilities

-gesture, can be interpreted differently from other cultures / socialization

-9-5 job, other have more jobs/ schedule

• the grind, others wouldn’t understand the phrase

-suburb home - not have home or ideal homes

-family, not everyone has a “traditional” family

-policemen/ conservative values- different political
affiliation, acknowledge people don’t have the same sense of security towards policemen, ex poc
- policemen- excludes women, other gender orientations, can be diminishing

-church/god, have other religions , or atheist

-citizen , other are not

-founding fathers/ government- don’t have respect for it ex. native Americans, Hawaiians , poc

Question 6

What are some general guidelines?

Answer 6

1. Learn and Continue to learn!
2. Use variety of things to appeal to different people
3. Focus on what we share in common

closing thought
be “P.C”
strive to be personally caring/ connecting to every audience member