Considering Audience in Our Communications
This guide is intended to help you develop better communication pieces by considering and learning about the audiences you are communicating with.
Do you agree or disagree with the following statements?
- I speak differently with close friends than I do with my professors.
- When trying to share a complex topic with a child, I may tell a story or make comparisons/analogies so they understand better.
- I would approach a conversation about difficult topic with someone at work differently than I would with someone in my family
If you agree with some or all of these statements, that means you are already considering your audience when you communicate!
What we are referring to when we say “audience” is whoever you are communicating with about a specific issue. Your audience for your professional or environmental communications will differ depending on the kind of work you’re trying to do, the context, and their proximity or involvement with the issue.
Audience is important to consider when communicating because how you say things to different people matters, because there are a ton of different factors going into how your audience will receive the information you’re sharing.
For example, if I wanted to communicate with a local group of concerned neighbors about the impacts of water pollution in my neighborhood, and none of these people are scientists, it may not be very effective for me to show them complicated graphs and statistics to get my point across.
So when should we consider our audience and what should we consider?
Here is a checklist you can use when you are creating your communication pieces to make sure you develop the best communications for your audience:
Considering Audience Types:
I am creating:
- A research report
- A public presentation or talk
- An infographic or website
- A blogpost or video
Who we are addressing will inform how we customize our communications. How I speak to a group of elementary school students will differ vastly from how I would speak to an elected official, and how I speak about an issue with people that represent business interests will differ greatly from how I speak to researchers, community members and other interested/affected parties.
Who will be reading this, or who am I talking to specifically?
- Does the assignment name a specific group of people I am communicating with?
- If specific groups of people are not named, I think I might be communicating with:
- Other researchers, students, or professors
- Local community members or neighbors
- Government officials or policymakers
- Businesses or industry people
- “General audiences” like adults, school students, or people browsing the internet
Who we are addressing will inform how we customize our communications. How I speak to a group of elementary school students will differ vastly from how I would speak to an elected official, and how I speak about an issue with people that represent business interests will differ greatly from how I speak to researchers, community members and other interested/affected parties.
Audience understanding of Issue:
What level of knowledge or understanding does my audience have of this topic?
- Advanced knowledge, I’m talking to other “experts” who have a lot of perspective on the topic
- Good knowledge, they’ve read about it before and have well-formed perspectives on the topic
- Some knowledge, they’ve read or heard about it before, but don’t have strong opinions about the topic
- No knowledge, they haven’t heard much about the topic and don’t have opinions about the topic
Gauging how much your audience knows about a topic will inform what baseline information you need to establish. If your audience knows nothing about the topic you will need to include quite a bit of background information on a topic, whereas if your audience knows quite a bit about a topic, you can start talking about more nuanced aspects of a topic sooner.
What are the demographics of my audience?
- I am talking to children
- I am talking to young adults and professionals
- I am talking to a group of mixed age groups
- My audience is largely from urban areas
- My audience is largely rural
- My audience is largely from a specific profession
These are some examples of audience groups you may communicate with. There are a number of other demographic factors you may take into consideration. What professions are common among your audience members, what cultural contexts are important to consider, what socioeconomic factors may influence your audience’s perspective. How you communicate around a topic will differ depending on the demographics of your audience.
Modes of Communication
Where and how do I intend to communicate with this group?
- I’m creating an oral presentation that will be given in person or online
- I’m creating a written report that will be read by a select group of people
- I’m creating a website, blogpost or online article that anyone can access
- I’m creating a video that people can access into the future
The kind of communication product you are creating will look differently depending on your intended audience. Consider this and the next question as you develop your communication piece. For example, is a youtube video the most effective way to communicate with a rural elderly community that does not have access to the internet? You may end up having to shift the kind of communication piece you create depending on your audience.
What kind of access does my audience need to receive my communication?
- Does my audience need a computer or smartphone to access my communication?
- Does my intended audience have access to this resource?
- Does my audience need access to an academic journal to read my report?
- Does my audience need to travel to listen to my presentation?
- What might be the easiest format for my audience to consume this information?
Considering access issues that may prevent your audience from receiving your message is important. For example, if you prepare a slideshow presentation and arrive at a community meeting and find you are expected to give a talk outdoors and cannot use your slides, how would you need to adjust? Finding these things out before you create your communication piece can go a long way in ensuring your communication will be most effective.
