How to Know Your Audience as a Writer and Speaker
Whenever you write an academic paper, you are writing to an audience whether you are conscious of doing so or not. You may write your paper for your teacher or professor, but your assignment might cause you to consider a different audience, such as the CEO of a company, or a research director at a scientific academy. Thinking about who your audience is when you write a paper and presenting that information as a speaker can help you improve your writing and public speaking skills.
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Instructions
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Read over your writing or presentation assignment; oftentimes when your instructor wants you to present a speech, he will require a written component showing your research. Look to see if your instructor has provided you with a specific audience to address your paper or speech to; for example, if you are giving a presentation on a new product, your audience might be the Research and Development team at a corporation.
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Consider what your audience will already know when you write your paper and present it. If you are writing a research paper about how the disappearance of keystone predators in the Appalachian Mountains has upset the balance in the ecosystem for a biologist in the field, he will already be familiar with the jargon you use; you will not have to define terms like "keystone predator" and "ecosystem." Knowing your audience will help you determine what details and information you need to have in your paper and presentation, and what elements you can leave out.
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Research your audience and what they will be expecting to hear about in your paper and presentation. If you are not familiar with the inner workings of a marketing firm, for example, researching the core values and goals of marketing firms in general will help you construct a more precise, informative paper.
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Practice reading your paper and making your presentation aloud, imagining that the audience you are writing for is sitting before you. Picture yourself in the boardroom or abroad in the field you are writing within while you speak. Visualizing your audience will help you make a stronger presentation in the classroom.
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