Dependence on the Expected Audience
Public speaking itself implies a monologue in front of a particular group of people in order to convey specific facts or to form an influence on this group. That is why determining the audience’s type and composition is necessary when preparing a speech. Common factors that can characterize an audience are age, occupation, level of education, location, or the event’s purpose. The more homogeneous is audience composition, the easier it is for the speaker to achieve the desired result with the speech (Gamble & Gamble, 2018). With heterogeneous groups, the success of the speech becomes more complex, it has to be divided into the theses appropriate for each of the subgroups, and it is also recommended to pay more attention to the more important or numerous target subgroups within the audience.
For example, a report on a particular topic is scheduled for an audience of specialists, scientists, and highly educated listeners. Such a set of people will not accept a speaker who does not understand the topic, does not present new ideas or perspectives on the subject, or presents too many obvious definitions and basic statistics already known by the audience. Conversely, if a speech to young people is planned, it makes no sense to use an instructive tone, try to impose the speaker’s opinion, or flatter. Furthermore, such an audience will react more harshly than others to reproaches of ignorance or incompetence.
Cultural Diversity Importance
The level of cultural intelligence, or the ability to communicate successfully in a multicultural society, is also crucial for the speaker. At the moment, society is intercultural, and the mentality of a particular cultural group in the audience must be considered when preparing for the speech and when delivering it. A successful speaker acknowledges the targeted groups’ basic cultural norms, traditions, or prohibitions. As a result, the audience is broader and more satisfied with the respect shown for their culture.
As an example, individualist and collectivist cultures can be compared. In the case of individualism, audiences are more likely to expect a more specific approach to an issue while tolerating constructive criticism. Collectivist cultures expect softer, more vague statements and prefer high-context communication. However, speakers should avoid stereotypes in the cultural approach as much as possible and get audience feedback to increase their cultural diversity.
Stages of the Listening Process
The first stage is hearing, which involves focusing the listener’s attention on the speaker, concentrating on the material being voiced. An example of this stage can be observed when a toast sounded at the birthday party will be heard by the guests. The second stage is comprehension, which involves precisely realizing the meaning of what is heard and considering it – a set of sounds is formed into a single idea (Gamble & Gamble, 2018). For example, if listening carefully, the student understands the definition provided by the lecturer.
The third stage is memorization, which means that each listener separates the information they can use later. This process is not necessarily conscious, so the lecturer needs to highlight the necessary points for the audience to remember; a politician repeatedly uses the same paraphrased thesis to increase the likelihood that it will stick in the voters’ memory. The fourth stage is an interpretation or a deeper understanding of the meaning of what is said. For example, when the listeners can voice the speaker’s thoughts in their own words, they have heard and interpreted the idea.
In the fifth stage, evaluation, the audience compare the information received with the information they already have and determine their attitude toward it. Stage completion example is the readiness of the person to express agreement or disagreement with the speaker. Moreover, the sixth and final stage is the immediate reaction of the audience to what they have heard, the provision of feedback. Without all the previous stages, it is impossible and can form a general attitude to the speaker and his ideas (Gamble & Gamble, 2018). Examples are questions on the material during the lecture or at the end.
Significance of Empathy in Public Speaking
Empathy is the ability to feel and understand the conversation partners’ emotional state and is expressed in compassion. In the case of dialogue, it is easier to understand the interlocutor through empathy than in public speaking. Speakers should improve their empathy in order to react to possible changes in the emotional background of the audience (Gamble & Gamble, 2018). Being able to put themselves in the listener’s shoes helps to anticipate possible reactions to the monologue or even to get ahead of possible questions by supplementing the speech. For example, politicians during the conference can feel the listeners’ emotions and change the speech course to calm or excite the audience.
Benefits of Concrete Language Usage
The use of concrete language is preferable for a more precise formulation of the final thoughts in the speech. Concreteness makes the speaker’s lecture more transparent and understandable for the audience, making it easier and faster to proceed from the first to the fourth listening stage (Gamble & Gamble, 2018). For example, when reporting on crime rates at a state police convention, one cannot say “in some areas,” as it is essential to be specific in listing the areas. Furthermore, in such an example, the speaker would not say, “Crime is down a little,” but would report the exact percentage. When defending a thesis, the committee as hearers will be spared the need to ask clarifying questions if the thesis speaker is as accurate as possible in wording. Moreover, concrete language helps the speaker concentrate auditory attention on the specific parts of the information.
Reference
Gamble, T. K., & Gamble, M. W. (2018). The public speaking playbook (2nd edition). Sage Publications, Inc.