Adapting to your Audience 6.4 103
characteristics and preferences, you are looking for general ways in which they
are alike or different. Sometimes the only common ground you may find is that
both you and your listeners believe that the issue you are addressing is a serious
problem; you might have different views about the best solution. If, for exam-
ple, you were addressing a group of people who were mostly against increas-
ing taxes to pay teachers higher salaries but you were in favor of a tax increase,
you could establish common ground by noting that both you and your listeners
value education and want high-quality teachers in the classroom.
When you meet someone for the first time, you may spend time identify-
ing common ground: people you both know or places you’ve both visited. In
this way, you begin to establish a relationship with this person. A relationship
is an ongoing connection you have with another person. As a public speaker,
establish a relationship with your audience by identifying, from your audience
analysis, what you have in common with the listeners.Quick check
Analyzing Audience Information
look for:
• Similarities among listeners
• differences among listeners
• common ground with listenersAdapting to Your Audience
6.4 Identify and use strategies for adapting to your audience.
Audience adaptation is the process of ethically using information you’ve gathered
when analyzing your audience to modify your message in a way that helps your
audience clearly understand your message and helps you achieve your speaking
objective. If you only analyze your audience but don’t use the information to cus-
tomize your message, the information that you’ve gathered will be of little value.
Using your skill to learn about your listeners and then to adapt to them can help you
to maintain your listeners’ attention and make them more receptive to your ideas.
Here’s an example of how analyzing and adapting to others works: Imagine
you live in an apartment complex that doesn’t allow pets without the landlord’s
approval. You see an adorable cocker spaniel puppy that you’d like to buy. In fact,
you’ve already named him Martin. Before you bring Martin home, however, you
need not only your landlord’s approval but also your roommate’s blessing.
When trying to convince your landlord, you say, “I’ve always paid the rent
on time and never caused a problem. I will also pay an extra security deposit if I6.4