UNDERSTANDING YOUR AUDIENCE

Understanding Your Audience

Understanding Your Audience

Introduction

Sometimes, having a great idea to write about can give your blog posts a boots, but most time it's not enough. In order to establish a good, effective level of communication with your readers you should consider a few essential factors that could improve your writings and clear their path to your readers' minds. When blogging on a certain topic, you'll be automatically considered either a specialist, or an enthusiast. While enthusiasts have more premises to write using a natural tone, specialists tend to overuse industry specific language which could make it hard to spread ideas through a general audience. (Barnlund, 2012)

Communicating effectively isn't all about how well we make our points, although that is often the approach we take. Effective communicators are exceptional listeners. As Stephen Covey suggested, they "seek first to understand." They consider the opinions, beliefs and concerns of the intended audience and give them an opportunity to share those thoughts. They listen attentively, asking for clarification as needed and avoiding the temptation to break in with their own thoughts and ideas.

Understanding your audience is hugely important! Whether you are sending out an email campaign, composing a social media strategy or even writing a blog, it doesn't make a difference. If you don't know who you are talking to, your message will not be heard.

Knowing your audience—their beliefs, attitudes, age, education level, job functions, language and culture—is the single most important aspect of developing your speech. Your audience isn't just a passive group of people who come together by happenstance to listen to you. Your audience is assembled for a very real reason: They want to hear what you have to say. In public speaking, the audience is the entire reason you are giving the speech; thus, the audience is the most important component of speechmaking.

Effective communication requires continuous improvement and that means being open to feedback from others. Importantly, business communicators should seek to use the tools that their audience is most comfortable with and to communicate at times and in places that the audience prefers. Asking for feedback after a communication about how well the message was delivered and what might be improved during the next interaction or presentation can be a good way to ensure continuous improvement and effective communication in a variety of settings.

Discussion

Consideration implies “stepping into the shoes of others”. Effective communication must take the audience into consideration, i.e, the audience's view points, background, mind-set, education level, etc. Make an attempt to envisage your audience, their requirements, emotions as well as problems. Ensure that the self-respect of the audience is maintained and their emotions are not at harm. Modify your words in message to suit the audience's needs while making your message complete.

The more you know and understand about your audience and their needs, the better you can prepare your speech. For example: Bob Mullins, a local bank officer, was preparing for a speech at the Rotary Club in Dallas, Texas on “finding the ...