Successful Communication: Understanding Your Audience

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When you anticipate the needs of your audience, you increase your chances of obtaining successful communication. (McGraw-hill Higher Education, 2010, p. 25) We are constantly communicating to our audience about who we are and our message through various means; how we stand, how we dress, how we use our language: fast, slow, or with our word selections; and as well with our non verbal behaviors. (McGraw-hill Higher Education, 2010, p. 25) The audience takes in all the visual and audible cues we present them, or do not present them with, as one overall message. The audiences experiences, education, culture, along with many other additional factors, will determine how they perceive and interpret your message. (McGraw-hill Higher Education, 2010, p. 25) The listener is also providing information back to the speaker through “feedback,” indicating if they are participating in the interaction, with non verbal clues, like nodding their heads, or pursing their lips. “Through [this] process, both sender and receiver construct meaning together. Genuine communication occurs when both parties agree on the meaning and significances of the symbols they are exchanging .” (McGraw-hill Higher Education, 2010, p. 25) For every interaction your goal should be to strive for successful communication, no matter if it is an audience of one, one hundred or one thousand. Once you understand who your audience is, it helps you formulate and prepare appropriate communication methods that help you achieve shared meaning. There are several ways you can analyze your potential audience, both before or during an interaction, to encourage shared meaning is taking place.
“Audience analysis is fundamental to the success of any message: to capture and hold an a...

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... one setting, or one to one hundred speaking interaction.

Works Cited

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