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1. Running head: AUDIENCE ANALYSIS
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Audience Analysis
Edward Charfauros
Business Communications COM/285
June 26, 2011
Joyce Harada

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Audience Analysis
Within the world of business mastering effective communication is crucial to strive in a
competitive market. An in-person meeting to address quarterly sales by a DEF Company has
been called to meet with stakeholders, managers, salespeople, and customers. In order for
effective communication to take place with the group, an audience analysis should be conducted
to obtain the attention of the audience. The intention of this paper is to analyze the audience’s
characteristics, channels of communication, and other measures in delivering effective messages.
To realize the quarterly sales report the representative speaker of the company maybe interpreted
differently by the various groups within the audience and perhaps misinterpreted.
According to the book: business and administrative communication, eighth edition (2008)
authored by Locker and Kienzler, everything that you put on the page is a choice: the appearance
of a document can guide your readers’ attention, build goodwill, and establish rapport with them,
just as much as the text on the page can (In The News: Design at the Wall Street Journal, section,
p. 151).
A speaker requires preparation when dealing with an important diverse audience when
revolving any revenue related-issues. Ensuring that documents are ready for presentation to
verbalize when speaking is extremely important. The documents the company will share with
the audience require careful scrutiny during the preparation phase that will match each select
group within the audience, or simplified for comprehension by the audience.
Considering Audience Characteristics
Meeting in-person with an audience is valuable and worth the time spent for any
company representative. Determining the audience characteristics allows the speaker to choose
the ideal format, information/arguments, and style when writing and speaking is key in retaining

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the attention of the audience. The audience’s characteristics allow the representative speaker to
understand the identity and personality brought into the situation in which the speaker is
speaking. Characteristics to consider when evaluating the audience in preparation for the inperson meeting: gender, age, ethnicity, religion, and cultural landscape where the meeting is
taking place. In the case of reporting the quarterly sales report, the audience concerns must also
be considered because of the audience stakes with the company.
The audience has much to gain during such meetings by: gaining an update on the
company’s status, information on the company’s direction, reestablishing a workable level of
rapport, and rebuilding credibility. To ensure maximum benefit careful assessment and planning
should be done prior to the face-to-face meetings.
Appropriate Communication
The well-established and planned formal communication channel is appropriate in the
case of reporting the quarterly sales report. Formal communication typically channels
“downward” from the executive level toward directors down to managers ending with staff.
“Upward” beginning with staff typically through forms of data and reports goes to managers
onward to executives. Data and reports are put together in prescribed templates with a set
schedule for presentation. The style of data, report, and visual aids associated with this type of
report is important for historical value and future purposes. Any communication focusing on a
company’s direction and strategy originates from the company executives remaining
professional. Although informal communication in the workplace does satisfy a variety of
needs. Informal communication is casual, relaxed, unorganized, improperly managed, and not
restricted to approvals as a path of distribution.
The Diversity of The Audience

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Every person is unique with a complexity of individuality deep-rooted in his or her own
contexts and experiences that define their personality. As a result, perception from the audience
will vary from a variety of perspectives expecting to interact in a variety of different ways. So
conducting research on the audience is important when preparing for the meeting. Knowing the
audience assists in identifying five stories when creating visual aids and writing the final public
report for the audience to retain.
Ages of the audience, topic familiarity (concept explanation, word definition, and
terminology has to be considered), and educational background are some of the considerations
the speaker should remember about the diversity of the audience. Beyond these basic
considerations are others, such as select individuals with disabilities and cultural background. In
the case of presenting the quarterly sales report the audience’s cultural background is important
because how the audience will perceive physical appearance, posture, hand gestures, and voice
tone. Because the in-person meeting revolves around the company’s quarterly sales report
conveying messages must be welcoming and inviting. Stories, related cases, and examples
should remain unbiased, and should only relate to historical facts of data pertaining to the quarter
sales reports.
Message Effectiveness
Possessing a positive attitude, the proper knowledge, respectful body language, and
controlling the background noises are all very important. Keeping the message clear, concise,
simple, and as natural as possible to be vivid when delivered will eventually ensure effective
communication is successful. Including determining the meeting date and start time and
speaking and presentation time in advance. This allows DEF Company to prepare the proper
location to share the quarterly sales report, and allows the speaker to rehearse comfortably.

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Thinking ahead by answering the following questions during preparation organizes the
speaker to convey the company’s intended messages. Who will be spoken to? What are the
audience interests, preconceptions, and values? What do the audience share in common with one
another making them unique? What is the speaker communicating? How does the speaker know
if the audience as received the message successfully?
Convert the audience as hearers into listeners by informing the audience if necessary on
why they should listen and what disposes them to listen with the value of what will be said.
Choose words and nonverbal cues wisely. Timing for contributions to be seen and heard
relevant to the issue is a must. Visiting the room to ensure if the furniture requires rearranging.
Checking for availability on the visibility, audio, and visual aids. Plan a beginning to be concise,
a middle to be brief, and an end for questions and answering with appropriate support using short
easy-to-understand examples, which will assist in demonstrating the message.
Conclusion
Determining the audience characteristics is key in gaining the attention of the audience.
Characteristics to consider when evaluating the audience in preparation for the in-person
meeting: gender, age, ethnicity, religion, cultural landscape, and location. In this quarterly sales
report the subject to address is the audience concerns because of the audience stakes with the
company. Informal communication is too casual and relaxed for a path of distribution in
presenting the quarterly sales report, so formal communication is the channel to use. Audience
age, topic familiarity, and educational background are considerations because of the diversity of
the audience. Conveying an effective message through knowledge and body language while
keeping the message clear, concise, simple, and as natural as possible to be vivid when delivered
will eventually ensure effective communication is successful.

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Reference
Locker, K. O., Kienzler, D. S. (2008). Business and Administrative Communication: Eighth
Edition. Published by McGraw-Hill/Irwin, a business unit of The McGraw-Hill
Companies, Inc. ISBN: 978-0-07-352503-7. MHID: 0-07-352503-0.

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Reference
Locker, K. O., Kienzler, D. S. (2008). Business and Administrative Communication: Eighth
Edition. Published by McGraw-Hill/Irwin, a business unit of The McGraw-Hill
Companies, Inc. ISBN: 978-0-07-352503-7. MHID: 0-07-352503-0.