Audience analysis is the process of collecting information about the intended audience to ensure that the information provided to them is at the appropriate level. It involves identifying the audience and adapting communication to their interests, level of understanding, attitudes, and beliefs. Audience analysis can be performed for various types of communication, including oral, written, or visual communication. There are different types of audience analysis, including demographic, psychographic, unbranded, and competitor audience analysis.
Performing audience analysis is important because it helps to ensure that the communication is effective and relevant to the audience. It can be challenging to identify the audience and their needs, but using a multi-pronged approach to conduct the analysis is recommended by most professionals. The analysis can use several independent strategies that work together, such as reader knowledge of the topic and reader cognitive comprehension.
Adapting communication to an audience is not the same as simply telling them what they want to hear. Audience analysis does not mean ‘grandstanding’ or ‘kowtowing’ to a public. Rather, adaptation guides the stylistic and content choices a speaker makes for a presentation. It is important to strike a balance between over-adapting and under-adapting to the audience.
In summary, audience analysis is the process of collecting information about the intended audience to ensure that the communication is effective and relevant to them. It involves identifying the audience and adapting communication to their interests, level of understanding, attitudes, and beliefs. There are different types of audience analysis, and using a multi-pronged approach is recommended.
