How Knowledgeable Is Your Audience?

Listeners differ greatly in the knowledge they have. Some listeners will be quite knowledgeable about a given topic; others will be almost totally ignorant. Mixed audiences are the most difficult to address. Treat audiences that lack knowledge of your topic very carefully. Never confuse a lack of audience knowledge with a lack of ability to understand.

- Don't talk down to your audience. No one wants to listen to a speaker putting them down.

- Don't confuse a lack of knowledge with a lack of intelligence. An audience may have no knowledge of your topic but be quite capable of following a clearly presented, logically developed argument. Try especially hard to use concrete examples, audiovisual aids, and simple language. Fill in background details as required. Avoid jargon and other specialized terminology that may not be clearto someone new to the subject. In short, never underestimate your audience's intelligence, but never overestimate their knowledge. Conversely, audiences with much knowledge also require special handling – because their response may well be "Why should I listen to this? I already know about this topic."

- Let the audience know that you're aware of their knowledge and expertise. Try to do this as early in the speech as possible. Emphasize that what you have to say will not be redundant. Tell them that you'll be presenting recent developments or new approaches. In short, let them know that they will not be wasting their time listening to your speech.

- Emphasize your credibility, especially your competence in this general subject area.

Analyzing and Adapting during the Speech

In addition to analyzing your audience and making adaptations in your speech before delivering your speech, devote attention to analysis and adaptation during the speech.

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