Download Choosing Channels to Reach Your Audience

Chapter Two
Adapting Your Message to Your
Audience
By:
Latoya Kelly
Chuck Woody
Brennen Heinz
Robert Sanders
•Gatekeepers
•Primary Audience
•Secondary Audience
•Auxiliary Audience
•Watchdog Audience
•
•
•
Individuals
Groups
Organizational culture and the discourse
community.
•
A communication channel is used in
projecting messages.
• Be specific and very detailed
• New technology has made TV
communication nearly impossible.
• Newspapers, podcasts, and weather.
• How will the audience react to the message?
• People may ignore messages that do not involve
themselves.
• How much information does the audience need?
• Be clear, give plenty of examples, and keep
information in small chunks.
• What obstacles must you overcome?
• Avoid angering the audience.
• Try finding common ground.
What Positive Aspects Can You Emphasize?
 Your message should benefit the reader.
 Find Common interest, values, and goals that relate to the Audience.
What are the Audience’s Expectations about the Appropriate Language, Content,
and Organization of Messages?
 The writer should adapt their style to the reader’s preferences.
 Make sure there are no “red flag” words that would offend the reader.
 Give the reader enough detailed information, but know when enough is
enough.
How will the Audience use the Document?
 Understanding how your audience will use the document will enable you
to choose the best pattern of organization and the best level of detail.
•
•
Audience Analysis is a powerful tool
It is Important because the target audience
can provide feedback to the source.
•
•
•
•
Adapt benefits to the audience
Stress intrinsic as well as extrinsic motivators
Prove benefits with clear logic and explain
them
Phrase benefits in you-attitude
•
•
•
Identify the needs, wants, and feelings that
motivate
Identify the objective features of your
product or policy
Show how the needs can be meet with the
features