COM 285
November 6, 2010 Audience Analysis
“Audience analysis gives you the tools you need to shape your product and your message” (Locker & Kienzler, 2008, p. 41). When presenting the company’s quarterly sales information it is important to evaluate the audience so that you can tailor the message to their needs. Considering the characteristics of the audience; the more you know about the audience, the more you can focus your presentation on what they need to know. You will also need to determine which communication channel is the most effective to present this information. It is almost important to understand the diversity of the audience so that you aren’t focusing on one group of people. If you spend the time analyzing your audience you can ensure that your sales presentation is effective.
The more you know and understand your audience the better your message will be; you can start by identifying the characteristics of your audience. According to Locker and Kienzler (2008), the demographic characteristics such as age, sex, race, religion, education level, and income may be relevant when analyzing the audience. Because the sales presentation is for the stakeholders of the company, particularly managers, sales, and the customers, the demographics of the audience may be irrelevant for this case.
When analyzing the stakeholders for this presentation, it is important to evaluate what they have in common and what is important to them. For example, stakeholders have a stake in the company so they want to see the company succeed; the sales data should be detailed enough to see the true performance of the company. Performing an audience analysis can be simplified by focusing on who they are, what their needs and expectations are, and how they will use the information. Managers need the sales information to gauge the performance of the company and to help make decisions on the day-to-day operations. The sales staff can use the
References: Communication Channels. (2011). In Encyclopedia of Business and Finance. Retrieved from http://www.enotes.com/business-finance-encyclopedia/communication-channels Locker, K. O. & Kienzler, D. S. (2008). Business and administrative communication (8th ed.). Boston, MA: McGraw-Hill.