Related to but distinct from questions surrounding demographic characteristics such as race, religion, and political affiliation are those that concern the social and economic background of an audience member or group. Socioeconomic status is a measure of where individuals stand in relation to other people in terms of financial resources, education, and occupation. As a speaker, it’s important to consider your audience’s socioeconomic status and how it might influence their individual and collective concerns. For example, in the 2012 presidential election, both Barack Obama and Mitt Romney recognized that middle-class voters would largely decide the election and often tailored their messages specifically to them.8 But four years later, as candidates prepared for the 2016 race, the term middle class seemed to have disappeared from their speeches.9 One possibility suggests that the term middle class used to be associated with homeownership, a job, children’s college funds, and maybe money for retirement—accessible parts of the American dream. But after what has been called the Great Recession (which began at the end of the first decade of the twenty-first century), being a member of the middle class is now associated with a lower standard of living, difficulties in finding jobs without special technical training, and houses lost to bank repossessions. The number of people within this group has grown substantially, and now the term tends to remind people who identify as middle class of their financial plight. Instead of using the term middle class, presidential candidates in their speech rhetoric took to referring to middle-income people as “the millions of people who aren’t rich” (Marco Rubio), “working families” (Bernie Sanders), or “hard-working men and women across America” (Ted Cruz).

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Financial Resources. It is likely that the experiences of people who come from wealth and privilege will be different from those who are poor and have fewer resources and options. For this reason, a person who has always been financially comfortable may have very different concerns than a person who is struggling financially. A speech extolling the benefits of using online coupon sites like Groupon and Living Social, for example, might be of more interest to a lower-income group than it is to an affluent group. Conversely, a speech on stock market investing might fail to capture the attention of students with little or no money to invest.

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Negotiating your path through assumptions about socioeconomic status can be tricky business: labels like rich, poor, and middle class are relative terms that carry little real meaning. You can, however, analyze your audience to get an idea of their collective economic status. For example, for a speech focused on whether it was ethical and appropriate for regents of the state university system to increase student tuition, Eleanor considered the following facts: many of her classmates had attended community colleges before transferring to the four-year state university; the majority worked to pay for all or part of their tuition; and due to work obligations, a large portion attended class part-time and would need five or six years to graduate. Eleanor concluded that these aspects of her audience’s background would undoubtedly affect their attitudes about the cost of education and what they would be willing to spend.

Education and Occupation. Your audience’s level of education and occupation also can influence their reaction to your speech. For example, suppose many of your listeners are already familiar—through formal education or life experience—with the facts you plan to present in your speech. If you’re aware of this familiarity beforehand, you’ll know that you won’t have to provide extensive background information in your speech. But if your audience is unlikely to have had exposure to your topic through formal schooling or life experience, you’ll need to provide more explanation and examples to help them understand your presentation.

Consider the story of Roy, a civil engineer responsible for civic projects, such as building new bridges and highways. To get approval for his projects, Roy often made presentations about zoning issues to a civilian commission. While doing careful analysis of his audience’s educational backgrounds, Roy realized that the commission members actually knew very little about the necessary zoning issues. They lacked formal training in zoning, and because they served only brief two-year terms, no one ever served long enough to acquire extensive knowledge about the relevant issues. Roy therefore kept his speeches simple, explaining or avoiding technical terms. To help his listeners decide how to vote, he explained how issues currently before them compared with issues on which they had voted in the past.

Listeners who lack background in your subject might also benefit from presentation aids that clarify the points you’re making. Carefully repeating your main points also can help your audience members understand your presentation by giving them time to absorb and process the information.

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