GE-4 PURPOSIVE COMMUNICATION

ALFREVILYN G. DASIG, LPT, M.E.

Faculty, College of Engineering

We Innovate. We Build. We Serve.

UNIT 2
COMMUNICATION FOR GENERAL PURPOSES

Lesson 8
CONNECTING WITH THE AUDIENCE
Intended Learning Outcomes

At the end of the lesson, students should be able to:

1. Explain audience dynamics;

2. Use audience analysis strategically;
3. Apply some principles in connecting with the audience;
4. Evaluate strategies used by the speakers in connecting with the audience;
and
5. Reflect on a learning experience.
Warm-up

1. Form four groups

2. Arrange the chairs using this set-up:

3. Assign a number to each member. Number 1 will take the front seat facing the
members.
Warm-up

4. Each member should be given two chances to ask “Number 1” challenging

questions (Sample questions: Have you ever lied to your parents? If yes, why did
you do that? Can you tell us the time when you cheated in class? Do you feel
insecure with any of our classmates? What are your flaws or weaknesses?).
However, obscene or morally inappropriate questions are not allowed to be
asked.
5. After two minutes, Number 2 will take the front seat and so on.

Processing questions:
How does it feel to be asked with challenging questions?
What are your reactions?
Do you feel comfortable?
Self-Audit (Individual, written - Quiz Notebook)
Usually Sometimes Seldom Never
3 2 1 0
1. I can easily identify the purpose of my audience when they
listen to my speeches.
2. I can identify the needs of my audience.
3. I know what my audience like and dislike when listening to
speeches.
4. I know my audience in terms of their age, socio-economic
status, education, and other demographic profile.
5. I can identify the level of understanding of my audience.
6. I feel relaxed and composed when I am asked with
challenging questions.
7. I know how to handle a hostile audience.
8. I don’t show my frustrations and disappointments with my
audience especially in times of lapses.
9. I am polite with my audience.
10. I know when my audience feels bored, confused, excited
or interested in my speech.
TOTAL
GRAND TOTAL
Self-Audit (Individual, written - Quiz Notebook)

Interpretation:

Score Level of Proficiency

28-30 Advanced
25-27 Proficient
23-24 Approaching Proficiency
21-22 Developing
20 and below Beginning

This sums up your level of proficiency or ability to connect with audience.

INPUTS

I. BUILDING CONNECTIONS WITH THE AUDIENCE

II. AUDIENCE ANALYSIS
III. SOME TIME-TESTED PRINCIPLES
I. BUILDING CONNECTIONS WITH THE AUDIENCE

Suppose you are a newly elected mayor and your administration is

undergoing a major reorganization. You assemble your staff and employees to
present this reform. Now, in your speech, how will you inspire your audience to
embrace this change and help your administration achieve its goal?

As a speaker, before you can inspire your audience, you have to strive to
establish a connection with them. In the example above, you as a mayor should
address the concerns or needs of your staff and employees first so that they will
be receptive to your conveyed message. These concerns include stability of their
jobs, pay, workplace, and growth, among others. You will not get the support that
you aim for if any of your staff or employee is worried about his/her job during the
process of change.
I. BUILDING CONNECTIONS WITH THE AUDIENCE

The initial step in building connection with the audiences is to

know them, which can be achieved through audience analysis.
II. AUDIENCE ANALYSIS

Audience analysis can be defined as a process of looking into the behavior, values,
beliefs, or even the culture of the audience. This can be done before your presentation. By
doing so, you will know what and what not to say, how to say it, and when to say it.

Some pertinent observations are as follows:

✓ If you speak to a younger audience like your classmates, generally, they are interested in
dynamic and innovative presentations with appropriate and effective use of visuals aids.
✓ Adult listeners are responsive to current issues relevant to them.

Audience analysis is usually done by identifying the demographic profile of your audience.
However, situational and psychological factors can also be considered.
II. AUDIENCE ANALYSIS

Demographic Situational Psychological

Description This refers to the age This refers to speech This refers to values,
range, male-female situations including time, beliefs, attitudes,
ratio, educational place, occasion, preferences, cultural and
background and audience size, and racial ideologies and
affiliations or degree context. needs of your
programs taken, audience.so
nationality, economic
status, academic or
corporate designations.
Relevance So, when you prepare Make the necessary
your speech, you can adjustments. Consider
tailor fit your language, time, for example.
manner of delivery, non- Imagine you are
verbal cues, and even scheduled to speak
humor. early in the morning.
Hence, you should know
that you need to be
more alive and
enthusiastic to affect
your audience’s
condition to listen to you.
II. AUDIENCE ANALYSIS

Below is a sample worksheet which you can use to know your audience better.

Audience Analysis
Name
Description
Age range
Male-female ratio
Educational background
Educational institution
Place of residence (city, province, town)
Marital status
Economic status (Household income
above P30,000 or below P30,000)
Language spoken
Religious affiliations/beliefs
III. SOME TIME-TESTED PRINCIPLES

1. Consider the needs of your audience. Psychologist Abraham Maslow identified the hierarchy of
human needs as shown below. You can use this framework to deepen your understanding of your
audience.
III. SOME TIME-TESTED PRINCIPLES

In your speech, asking the following questions can be essential to tapping and building onto the
needs of your audience.

✓ Will the message of my speech contribute to the professional growth and fulfillment of my
audience?
✓ Will my audience feel more important or act more responsibly after my speech?
✓ Will my audience deepen their sense of inclusiveness when I engage them in active
participation?
✓ Will the freedom of my audience be suppressed?
✓ What are they thinking?
✓ What do they want to hear?
III. SOME TIME-TESTED PRINCIPLES

2. Identify your audience size and set-ups. Coordinate with area personnel, conference
committee or the ones knowledgeable about details, so that you can make necessary
adjustments to your speech. The set-up should complement the size or number of audience. It
can be a large group or a small group. In dealing with a large group, you need more effort in
terms of gestures, eye contact, and body movements. Your interaction with the audience also is
affected by the size: the smaller the size, the higher the chance you will be interactive with you
audience.

Presentation expert Marie Wallace described different room set-ups for presentation and training.
▪ Large Group (generally with 40 or more participants)
III. SOME TIME-TESTED PRINCIPLES
III. SOME TIME-TESTED PRINCIPLES

▪ Small Group (generally below 40 participants)

III. SOME TIME-TESTED PRINCIPLES

3. Smile and be polite. Smiling and greeting your audience are the kindest things that you can do
to your audience. Your audience will feel more comfortable and not intimidated when you do so.
In most cases, smiling is one way to gain respect from your audience.

4. Use pronoun “we” or “you” frequently. This is to minimize the gap between you and the
audience. Remember, your speech is about your audience, not you.

5. Use only those examples which your audiences are already familiar with. Make sure your
examples are simple and relatable. When you introduce a new concept or item, it is imperative
that you explain it very clearly based on the level of understanding of your audience.

6. Use layperson’s terms in your word choice. Related to the above principle, avoid words or
phrases that only you can understand. Adapt to the language of your audience
III. SOME TIME-TESTED PRINCIPLES

7. Reinforce your verbal message through effective use of non-verbal communication skills.
Remember, effective use of non-verbal cues will make you become a more interesting and
dynamic speaker.

8. Feel what your audience feels; think what they think. This is related to the psychological factor
in audience analysis. Once you are familiar with the beliefs, values, cultures, and needs of your
audience, relate to them. If you see them as a happy audience, show them happiness, too. If they
see you as a credible speaker, prove to them that you are one.

9. Win your audience’s hearts. Make them feel important. What most effective speakers do
usually is they address the audience as “Sir” or Madam” and use empowering and positive words
such as young and beautiful, indefatigable spirit, bright and talented, or dynamic and effective.
Connecting with your audience is building relationship, one that is harmonious.
III. SOME TIME-TESTED PRINCIPLES

10. Open casual conversations with your audience before and after your speech. Before and after
your presentation, move around and welcome, greet, and thank your audience. This is also a
good strategy in knowing the people who will be listening to you.

11. Watch your words. Use words that are not offensive or biased.

12. Listen attentively to feedback after your speech. One way of doing this is to look in the eyes
of the person giving the feedback on your speech.

13. Acknowledge and appreciate positive reactions. Simple words such as “Thank you.”, “Much
appreciated.”, “Lovely to hear that from you” can stir positive emotions in your audience.

14. Allow audience participation when necessary. This is one way to engage and sustain the
attention of your audience.
III. SOME TIME-TESTED PRINCIPLES

15. Use humor appropriately and effectively. Use humor naturally and with caution. Never use
green jokes or toilet humor. Be sensitive to your audience.

16. Approach disruptions of your audience contextually and adapt to the situation. For positive
disruptions such as adding to your ideas or saying yes to your arguments, just ride along. For
negative interruptions such as embarrassing you or showing inappropriate behavior, just relax
and keep composed.

17. Deal with hostile audience or hecklers positively. Follow what the presentation master,
Rodolfo de los Reyes does whenever there are hostile audiences, “Hold your fire; cling to your
positives. Public speaking is not a warfare. Positives provide permanent power.”

18. Handle questions effectively. The best way to do this is to anticipate possible questions from
your audience . Also expect some who will ask irrelevant questions. To deal with them, politely
ask them to clarify or rephrase their questions.
 Thank you!

We Innovate. We Build. We Serve.

Performance Tasks

1. Video viewing and taking down notes of the 2015 OSCAR Award winner Graham Moore’s acceptance speech
through this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xbNJq90t0Wk.
Instructions: While viewing it, take note of the reaction of the audience to his speech, the problems the speaker
encountered as regards audience connection, and the strategies the speaker used to overcome these problems.

I. Reaction of the Audience

II. Problems
(encountered by the speaker)

III. Strategies
(used by the speaker to
overcome the problems)
Performance Tasks

2. Speech Strategies to ensure connection with audience

Instructions: Assume that you have been invited to deliver a speech on being a relevant member of a community.
Explain the strategies that you will do to ensure your connection with the following types of audience. Use the table
below.
Audience Strategies
Out-of-school Youth

Senior Citizens

Housewife/Househusband
I-Reflect

Reflect on the learning that you gained from this lesson by completing the given chart.
What were your misconceptions What new or additional learning
about the topic prior to taking have you gained from this
up this lesson? lesson in terms of skills,
content, and attitude?
I thought… I learned that…
Photo retrieved from https://stock.adobe.com/search?k=congratulation