Now that you know the kind of information to look for when analyzing an audience, how do you actually uncover it? Unlike a professional pollster, you cannot survey thousands of people and apply sophisticated statistical techniques to analyze your results. On a smaller scale, however, you can use the same techniques. These include interviewing, surveying, and consulting published sources. Often, it takes just a few questions to get some idea of where audience members stand on each of the demographic factors. In the classroom, you can poll classmates and conduct brief interviews with them.
Interview Audience Members
An interview is a face-to-face communication for the purpose of gathering information. Interviews, even brief ones, can reveal a lot about the audience’s interests and needs. You can conduct interviews one on one or in a group, in person, or by telephone, e-mail, or videoconference. Consider interviewing a sampling of the audience, or even just one knowledgeable representative of the group that you will address. As in questionnaires (see “Survey the Audience,” which follows), interviews usually consist of a mix of open- and closed-ended questions. (See Chapter 9 for more on conducting interviews.)
Survey the Audience
Surveys can be as informal as a poll of several audience members or as formal as the pre-speech distribution of a written survey, or questionnaire—a series of open- and closed-ended questions. Closed-ended questions (also called structured questions) supplied by the interviewer are designed to elicit a small range of specific answers:
“Do you smoke cigarettes?”
Yes______ No ______ I quit, but I smoked for ______ years
Answers will be “Yes,” “No,” or “I smoked for x number of years.”
Closed-ended questions may be either fixed-alternative or scale questions. Fixed-alternative questions contain a limited choice of answers, such as “Yes,” “No,” or “For x years” (as in the preceding example). Scale questions—also called attitude scales—measure the respondent’s level of agreement or disagreement with specific issues:
“Flag burning should be outlawed.”
Strongly agree______ Agree ______ Undecided ______ Disagree______
Strongly disagree______
Scale questions can be used to measure how important listeners judge something to be and how frequently they engage in a particular behavior:
“How important is religion in your life?”
Very important______ Important______ Moderately important______
Of minor importance ______ Unimportant______
“How frequently do you attend religious services?”
Very frequently______ Frequently______ Occasionally______ Never______
Open-ended questions (also called unstructured questions) are designed to allow a respondent to elaborate on his or her opinion as much as they wish:
“How do you feel about using the results of DNA testing to prove innocence or guilt in criminal proceedings?”
Open-ended questions, which begin with a “how,” “what,” “when,” “where,” or “why,” are particularly useful for probing beliefs and opinions. They elicit more individual or personal information about audience members’ thoughts and feelings. They are also more time-intensive than closed-ended questions, so use them sparingly if at all in written questionnaires.
Often, it takes just a few fixed-alternative and scale questions to draw a fairly clear picture of audience members’ backgrounds and attitudes and where they fall in demographic categories. You may wish to use Web-based survey software, such as SurveyMonkey or QuestionPro, to generate surveys electronically using premade templates and distribute them via e-mail.
Sample Audience Analysis Questionnaire
Part I: Demographic Analysis
| 1. What is your age? | ______years | |
| 2. What is your sex? | ______Male | ______Female |
| 3. Please indicate your primary heritage: | ||
| ______Native American | ______African American | |
| ______Asian American | ______European | |
| ______Latino | ______Middle Eastern | ______Other |
| 4. Please indicate your level of formal education: | ||
| ______High school | ______Some college | |
| ______College degree | ______Other (please specify) | |
| 5. What is your approximate annual income range? | ||
| ______less than $10,000 | ______$10,000–$24,999 | |
| ______$25,000–$49,999 | ______50,000–$74,999 | |
| ______$75,000–$100,000 | ______over $100,000 | |
| 6. With which political party are your views most closely aligned? | ||
| ______Democratic | ______Republican | ______Neither (Independent) |
| 7. Please check the box below that most closely matches your religious affiliation: | ||
| ______Buddhist | ______Christian | |
| ______Hindu | ______Jewish | |
| ______Muslim | ______Not religious | ______Other (please specify) |
| 8. How would you characterize your religious involvement? | ||
| ______Very religious | ______Somewhat religious | ______Not very religious |
| 9. How would you characterize your political position? | ||
| ______Liberal | ______Conservative | ______Moderate |
Part II: Analysis of Attitudes, Values, and Beliefs on a Specific Topic
Indicate your answers to the following questions about stem cell research by checking the appropriate blank.
| 10. It is unethical and immoral to permit any use of stem cells for medical research. | ||
| ______Strongly agree | ______Agree | ______Undecided |
| ______Disagree | ______Strongly disagree | |
| 11. Do you think the government should or should not fund stem cell research? | ||
| ______Should | ______Should Not | ______Neutral |
| 12. Rather than destroy stem cells left over from in vitro fertilization, medical researchers should be allowed to use them to develop treatments for diseases. | ||
| ______Strongly agree | ______Agree | ______Undecided |
| ______Disagree | ______Strongly disagree | |
| 13. What kind of cells come to mind when you think of stem cell therapy? | ||
| _____________________________________________________________________ | ||
| 14. Which of the following has had the biggest influence on your thinking about stem cell research? | ||
| ______Media reports | ______Opinions of friends and family | |
| ______Your religious beliefs | ______Personal experience | |
Consult Published Sources
Yet another way to learn about audience members is through published sources. Organizations of all kinds, from social and professional groups to businesses and educational institutions, publish information describing their missions, goals, operations, and achievements. Sources include websites and related online articles, brochures, newspaper and magazine articles, and annual reports.
Although published opinion polls won’t specifically reflect your particular listeners’ responses, they can provide valuable insight into how a representative state, national, or international sample feels about the issue in question. (Polls also provide an excellent source of supporting material for your speech.) Consider consulting these and other polling organizations: