Brittany Grigsby
Business Communications/COM/285
May 17, 2010
Geri Markley
Audience Analysis Paper
The key to approaching your audience is to first know them. First, know their characteristics; know what communication channels to use, the diversity of the audience, and most of all how would you ensure your message is effective.
Identification of Audience Characteristics
Before conducting a meeting you should consider the audience’s characteristics. Such as, educational and professional background, knowledge and experience levels, English language ability, and reading situation if reading is involved in the meeting (, 2000).
For their educational and professional background try gathering information about their reading ability and willingness to read. College graduates and/or students should be able to read and comprehend better than those who only have a grade school or high school audience. Know the job requirement of each employee. Do not confuse a title with a professional function. Remember any professional can be a manager. Job functions and implies the levels of the jobs (, 2000).
Also consider knowledge and experience levels. For example, try using professional and educational backgrounds when determining the knowledge and experience of an audience. Sometimes it is best to categorize your audience as novice, intermediate, and expert. Novices are not very knowledgeable and fear a certain subject. They prefer basic concepts and procedures and would rather get things done quickly in order to get quick results. Intermediate Audiences have some knowledge and experience. And Experts are very knowledgeable (, 2000).
Another thing to remember is English-Language Ability. Some employees have graduated from and U.S. University but are from other countries; English may be their second or third language (, 2000).
What communication channels are appropriate? When conducting a meeting you are
References: (2000). Audience Analysis. Retrieved from http://core.ecu.edu/engl/henzeb/5780/audanal.htm Bowman, P. (2002). Business Communications: Managing Information and Relationships. West Michigan University. Retrieved from http://homepages.wmich.edu/~bowman/channels.html Locker, K., & Kienzler, D. (). Business and Administrative Communication (8th ed.). New York, New York: McGraw-Hill. (). . Retrievedfromhttp://faculty.kfupm.edu.sa/MGM/danielm/new%20Three%20CHARACTERISTICS%20OF%20AN%20EFFECTIVE%20MESSAGE.htm