114 6.5 AnAlyzing your Audience
• Use facial expressions to express emotions.
• Have rules for etiquette.
• Experience empathy.
• Value some degree of collaboration or cooperation.
• Experience conflict and seek to manage or mediate it.
Of course, not all cultures have the same beliefs about death or the same way
of dividing up labor, but people in all cultures address these issues.
Intercultural communication scholars Larry Samovar and Richard Porter
suggest other commonalities among people from all cultures. They propose that
all humans seek physical as well as emotional and psychological pleasure and
confirmation and seek to avoid personal harm.^16 Although each culture defines
what constitutes pleasure and pain, it may be useful to interpret human behav-
ior with these general assumptions in mind. People also realize that their bio-
logical lives will end, that to some degree each person is isolated from all other
human beings, that we each make choices, and that each person seeks to give life
meaning. These similarities offer some basis for developing common messages
with universal meaning.
Identifying common cultural issues and similarities can help you to estab-
lish common ground with your audience. If you are speaking about an issue on
which you and your audience have widely different views, identifying a larger
common value that is relevant to your topic (such as the importance of peace,
prosperity, or family) can help you to find a foothold so that your audience will
at least listen to your ideas.
rELy On vISuAL MAtErIALS thAt trAnScEnD LAnguAgE DIFFErEncES
Pictures and other images can communicate universal messages—especially
emotional ones. Although there is no universal language, most listeners, regard-
less of culture and language, can comprehend visible expressions of pain, joy,
sorrow, and happiness. An image of a mother holding the frail, malnourished
body of her dying child communicates the ravages of famine without elaborate
verbal explanations. The more varied your listeners’ cultural experiences, the
more effective it can be to use visual materials to illustrate your ideas.Quick check
Adapting to Diverse Listeners
• Focus on a target audience without losing or alienating the rest of your listeners.
• use diverse supporting materials that reflect a balance of logical and emotional
support.
• use visual aids.
• Appeal to such common values as peace, prosperity, and family.