4.1: Understanding Your Audience's Stance

Learning Objectives

1. Categorize and characterize audiences as receptive, neutral, or hostile based on their likely stance toward a persuasive message.
2. Develop and articulate specific strategies for adapting a persuasive speech to effectively engage and influence receptive, neutral, and hostile audiences.

Types of Audience

When choosing a topic for your persuasive speech, it is crucial to consider the composition of your audience. Because persuasive speeches are intended to influence or reinforce an audience’s thoughts or behaviors, speakers must consider what and how the audience thinks, feels, and does. Your audience might be ambivalent about your topic, or they may be strongly opposed, in strong agreement, or somewhere along the spectrum. In persuasive speeches, it matters where they fall on this continuum. For instance, if you want to argue that abortion should be illegal and your audience is composed of pro-life advocates, your speech might seem like you are preaching to the choir. But if your audience is made up of staunch pro-choice activists, your speech would be raising a significant objection to a set of beliefs, values, attitudes, and actions the audience was already committed to. Generally speaking, there are three types of audience when it comes to persuasive message reception:

Receptive Audiences

Persuasive speakers will not generally address an audience that already fully agrees with them and is behaving in the way they would like, because that audience no longer needs to be persuaded. However, you may find yourself in situations that allow you to appeal to a receptive audience that is open to the point you are trying to make. For example, parents are generally interested in keeping their children safe. If you seek to persuade them that they should work with their kids to prevent them from being taken advantage of on social networking sites, they are likely to welcome what you have to say. Although they are already convinced that it is important to keep their children safe, this audience may not yet be persuaded that they have the need or ability to keep their kids safe in an online environment. In order to persuade this receptive audience, you should first attempt to foster identification with them by highlighting things you have in common. If you are a parent you might say something like, “I have two children and one of my biggest concerns is making sure they are safe.” If you are not a parent you might say, “one of the things I appreciate most about my parents is that I know they are always trying to keep me safe.” With these statements, you not only relate to the audience but also demonstrate that you share a common concern. Next, offer a clear statement of purpose and tell the audience what you would like them to do in response to your message. Offer practical steps that they can take even if the steps must be carried out later (this is called Immediate Action). Having them act on your message before leaving reinforces their already favorable response to what you are asking (Beebe & Beebe, 2003).

"If you would persuade, you must appeal to interest rather than intellect". Benjamin Franklin

Neutral Audiences

Most of the groups that a persuasive speaker addresses are neutral audiences. These audiences are not passionate about the topic or speaker, often because they do not have enough information or because they are not aware that they should be concerned. Beebe & Beebe (2003) explain that the challenge in addressing a neutral audience is to foster their interest in your proposition. Begin by gaining their attention. To do this, you might offer a story or statistic that relates the topic directly to the dominant demographic in the audience. If you are trying to convince first-year college students to avoid credit card solicitors on campus, you might start with something like, “I know those t-shirts the credit card vendors are handing out are stylish and, best of all, free! But that t-shirt could cost you thousands of dollars before you even graduate.” Rather than beginning with a diatribe on the evils of debt, which many of them may not yet have experienced, you relate to their desire for a free t-shirt and a common belief they are likely to share, that “free” should not translate to “expensive.” If you cannot relate the topic directly to the audience, another approach is to relate the topic to someone they care about, like a family member or friend. Keep in mind that, while the receptive audience may be eager to respond immediately, the neutral audience may simply be more concerned about the topic or more inclined to consider the behavior change you are advocating (Beebe & Beebe, 2003). In this case, consider offering resources for more information, or a few minor steps they can take when they are ready.

"I swore never to be silent whenever and wherever human beings endure suffering and humiliation. We must always take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented". Ellie Wiesel

Hostile Audiences

Unfortunately, some audiences may be resistant or even hostile to your persuasive speech. A hostile audience may take issue with your topic or with you as a speaker. In this case, your primary goal is to persuade the audience to listen to what you have to say (Beebe & Beebe, 2003). Once they are willing to listen, then you will have the ability to change their minds in the future. However, if the audience is opposed to your proposition, there are a few steps that you can take to encourage them to at least hear you out. If the audience is not likely to agree with your proposition, wait until later in the speech to offer it. Opening with a clear statement of purpose, which a receptive audience welcomes, will make an unreceptive audience more hostile to your goals. For example, if you begin by telling business owners that you think they should pay workers more, they are likely to think of all the reasons that will threaten their livelihood rather than listening to your message. Instead, begin by highlighting issues on which you agree. You might open with a discussion of the challenges businesses face in attempting to retain quality workers and increase productivity.

Once you have identified areas of agreement, you can offer your proposition as a way of addressing your shared goals. To promote a wage increase, explain that a study of more than 10,000 workers and managers in a variety of industries demonstrated that companies who pay their workers more were also more motivated to invest in new technology, enhance their management techniques, better train workers, and better deliver their services, all of which lead to higher productivity and increased profits (Applebaum & Bernhardt, 2004). Focusing on areas of agreement will make the audience more receptive to your proposition, but they will still hold some reservations. Acknowledge those reservations (through a mental dialogue) and demonstrate that you have given them ample consideration. Cite credible evidence that supports your proposition in light of those reservations. Showing that you understand and respect their opposing position is the most important step toward encouraging a hostile audience to at least hear you out.

"I have spent many years of my life in opposition, and I rather like the role". Eleanor Roosevelt

Exercises

1. Consider the specific audience you anticipate addressing for your upcoming persuasive speech. Based on the chapter, which of the three audience types (receptive, neutral, or hostile) do you believe they will most closely resemble? Identify one specific strategy from the chapter that you will prioritize implementing in your speech's introduction or early main points to adapt to this audience type, and explain how it will directly help you achieve your persuasive goal.
2. For your upcoming persuasive speech topic, create a brief adaptation plan for two different audience scenarios (even if they aren't your primary anticipated audience)
   • Scenario A: Your audience is Neutral.
     • What specific attention-gaining technique (e.g., a relevant story, a surprising statistic) would you use in your introduction to foster their interest?
     • What would be your realistic primary goal for this audience by the end of your speech (e.g., to make them more aware, to consider the issue further, to take a small initial step)?
   • Scenario B: Your audience is Hostile.
     • What initial common ground or area of agreement would you highlight before stating your main proposition to encourage them to listen?
     • What would be your realistic primary goal for this audience by the end of your speech (e.g., to simply hear you out, to understand your perspective, to reduce their initial opposition slightly)?

References

Beebe, S. A., Beebe, S. J., & Ivy, D. K. (2003). Communication: Principles for a lifetime (2nd ed.). Pearson.

Image Attributions

People Watching at a Room.

Photo by Antenna(opens in new window) on Unsplash(opens in new window)

Adapted from:

LibreTexts. (n.d.). 16.03: Approaching Audiences. In Competent Communication (Chapter 16: Persuasive Speaking). Social Sci LibreTexts.