Why and how you should get to know your audience before a speech

Every speech has a goal—usually it involves modifying the way your audience thinks and acts.

You can do that effectively only if you know your audience, but how is that possible when you won’t meet most of them until the day of the speech?

Fortunately, there are ways you can “meet” your audience before shaking any hands.

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Determine what you want to know about your audience—and why. Everything you’re learning should be geared toward making your audience journey as smooth as possible. (That’s the audience’s journey from what they believe, know and feel now, and what you want them to believe, know and feel at the end of your speech.)

Some of what you want to know should be specific to the event itself:

You’ll also want to go deeper, answering questions such as:

Now that you know the information you’re looking for, let’s start tracking it down.

Start with the event organizer. Knowing the audience is part of her job, and she’ll probably be able to provide an overview of what (and whom) to expect.