After reading this chapter, why do you think it is necessarily more advantageous to tailor your message to your specific audience? Is it ever better to make a general speech message you can apply identically in any audience situation?

When a speaker uses negative stereotypes of any demographic characteristic (race, gender, ethnicity) in a speech, does the fact that it was done for humorous effect excuse the speaker in the eyes of audience members who might be offended by the statements?

If your classmates are to be your primary audience for your speech, how can you use class time to perform informal audience analysis? How might the timing of your speeches (both day of week and time of day) over the course of the semester affect your knowledge of your audience?

What kinds of situational adjustments do you make in everyday conversation? How can you apply these strategies to a speech?