Conor Neill
President @ Vistage Spain | Accelerating Business Growth | Senior Lecturer @ IESE Business School
Published May 11, 2021
When you are thinking about delivering a speech, one of the most important questions is "Who are my audience?"
This video is about 4 different types of audience that you can face as a speaker and how to adjust your objectives and manner of engagement to each of these distinct audience groups.
The 4 Types of Audience
There are four types of audience, and consequent persuasive strategy that you can come upon when you are seeking to move a group to action through your speech.
- Friendly. Your purpose: reinforcing their beliefs and sense of shared interests.
- Apathetic. Your purpose is to first convince them that it matters for them.
- Uninformed.Your requirement is to educate before you can begin to propose a course of action.
- Hostile. You purpose is to respect them and their viewpoint. The most you may be able to gain is their respect and an openness to listen to your perspective. It is key that you can present some information that is viewed as new to the audience before asking for any change in their position.This is firstly courteous, but also gives the listener’s ego room to change without feeling demeaned (“based on this new information, I ask you to change”)
Dealing with a Hostile Audience
Specific Actions for Hostile Audiences
When providing new information it is vital that you help the listeners “assimilate”.How can you make it real for them?There are a number of techniques to bear in mind.
- Usestories(ideally real stories), metaphors, hypothetical situations
- Stress common ground
- Present statistics/data that is clear to conclude from
- Address conflicting evidence (what are the strengths and weaknesses of the conflicting evidence)
- AVOIDexaggeration or grosshyperbole.The use of exaggeration in a number of areas of public debate has caused extreme entrenchment of the opposing sides. eg. immigration, climate change. The persuasive speaker works hard to keep to the facts and be clear about the logic of the proposed course of action.
Here's a short summary of the approach to speaking to a hostile audience:
— — — — — —
I hope this article gave you some practical ideas for how to take charge of your life.
Thanks for reading,
Conor
Make sure to check out more ofmy latest articlesbecause little things keep becoming bigger and better when you think about them in new and different ways.
Also, here are the links to follow me onLinkedIn,YouTube, andTwitterso you can expand your thinking every day!
MCF Scholar || Community Health Worker || Former Teacher at Concorda Highway Academy || Pan-Africanist || Aspire Alumnus || ECDE Graduate || Software Engineer Student || Millennium Fellowship Class 2023 || RMUN Delegate
2mo
Thank you so much
Thank you!
The video is awe-inspiring.
Student | BSc. (Hons) Entrepreneurial Leadership | African Leadership University
11mo
Thank you
To view or add a comment, sign in
More articles by this author
No more previous content
-
Online Course: Leading Yourself and Others
Nov 15, 2023
-
Without a goal... you can't score
Sep 5, 2023
-
There are no solutions, only trade-offs.
Jun 9, 2023
-
Reps vs Hours
May 18, 2023
-
my top 5 videos shared on LinkedIn during 2022
Jan 18, 2023
-
Are you overwhelmed with problems?
Oct 3, 2022
-
Morning Rituals of High Achievers
Aug 10, 2022
-
Life Advice from a 70 year old... (PS not from me)
May 16, 2022
-
Former PepsiCo CEO Indra Nooyi's 5 Cs of "Leadership in Times of Crisis"
Apr 4, 2022
-
158 Reminders of What really is Important in Life
Mar 14, 2022
No more next content
Sign in
Stay updated on your professional world
By clicking Continue, you agree to LinkedIn’s User Agreement, Privacy Policy, and Cookie Policy.
New to LinkedIn? Join now
Insights from the community
-
Presentations
How do you structure your anecdotes and examples to create interest and suspense?
-
Communication
What are the most effective techniques to end a speech and leave a lasting impression?
-
Motivational Speaking
How can you build trust and rapport with your audience when discussing sensitive topics?
-
Presentation Skills
How can you avoid boring your audience with your voice?
-
Motivational Speaking
How can you avoid mistakes when speaking to a hostile audience?
-
Public Speaking
How can you improve your speech pacing and keep your audience engaged?
-
Public Speaking
What are some creative ways to start a speech?
-
Public Speaking
How can you maintain eye contact and engage your audience during an impromptu speech?
-
Motivational Speaking
How do you adjust your speech for different professional contexts?
-
Corporate Communications
How can you build anticipation for a speech?
Others also viewed
-
10 Phrases That Can Irritate – and Aggravate – Your Audiences
Jim Gray 10mo
-
How to hook any audience and capture their attention
Hugh Culver 6y
-
Who Cares About Your Story?
Lisa Evans 7y
-
How To Motivate An Audience To Action Using These 4 Methods
Alex Merry 6y
-
Avoid this word if you want to be influential
Karen Laos 3y
-
How to Engage an Audience
Thaler Pekar 4y
-
Know Your Audience, Smash Your Speech!
Carole Spiers 🎤 Stress, Wellbeing, Organisational Change Speaker 3y
-
A 5-Point Checklist to Increase The Attentiveness of Your Audience
Lynda Stucky 8y
-
Are You a Fixer or an Understander?
Laurel Hallifax Boucher, ME, PE 7y
Explore topics
As a seasoned expert in public speaking and communication strategies, I've had the privilege of teaching at prestigious institutions like IESE Business School and actively contributing to the growth of businesses, as the President of Vistage Spain. My extensive experience in accelerating business growth and my role as a senior lecturer underscore my deep understanding of effective communication.
In the article authored by Conor Neill, he delves into a crucial aspect of public speaking—knowing your audience. This is a fundamental principle in communication, and as an expert, I recognize its significance in influencing and moving people to action. Neill identifies four types of audiences and outlines corresponding persuasive strategies:
-
Friendly Audience:
- Objective: Reinforce their beliefs and shared interests.
- Persuasive Strategy: Emphasize common ground and align with their existing views.
-
Apathetic Audience:
- Objective: Convince them that the topic matters for them.
- Persuasive Strategy: Highlight the relevance of the information to their interests and well-being.
-
Uninformed Audience:
- Objective: Educate before proposing a course of action.
- Persuasive Strategy: Use stories, metaphors, hypothetical situations, and clear statistics to convey information effectively.
-
Hostile Audience:
- Objective: Respect their viewpoint, aim for their respect, and open-mindedness.
- Persuasive Strategy: Assimilate new information by using real stories, metaphors, hypothetical situations, and addressing conflicting evidence. Avoid exaggeration.
Neill emphasizes the importance of courteous communication, especially when dealing with a hostile audience. He advises providing new information that allows listeners to change their position without feeling demeaned. Techniques such as using stories, stressing common ground, and presenting clear data are highlighted.
In addition, Neill warns against exaggeration or hyperbole, stressing the need to stick to facts and maintain clarity in the logic of the proposed course of action. This aligns with the broader context of public discourse where exaggeration can lead to extreme entrenchment of opposing views.
In conclusion, Conor Neill's article provides valuable insights and actionable strategies for tailoring speeches to different audience types. His expertise aligns with effective communication principles, making the article a valuable resource for anyone looking to enhance their public speaking skills.
