Discussion

Drawing from Chapters 3, 4, and 5 of Keith and Lundberg’s Public Speaking: Choices and Responsibility, consider the interconnectedness of audience analysis, speaker’s choices and responsibilities, and the development of a clear topic and purpose. Reflect on the following questions and provide a detailed response:

1.Audience Analysis (Chapter 3): How does a thorough understanding of your audience influence the choices you make as a speaker? Provide an example of a situation where knowing your audience deeply impacted your approach to a speech.

2.Speaker’s Choices and Responsibilities (Chapter 4): What are some key responsibilities you have as a speaker in terms of the content you present and the manner in which you present it? How do these responsibilities shape your ethical choices?

3.Topic and Purpose (Chapter 5): How do you determine an appropriate topic and purpose for your speech, considering your audience and your responsibilities as a speaker? Discuss the process you would go through to ensure your topic is relevant and engaging for your audience.

In your initial post, address all three questions in a cohesive response. Use specific examples from the text to support your discussion and ensure your post is at least 250 words. Cite any references in APA 7 format.

Example of an Initial Post Structure:

1.Understanding the Audience:

Explanation of how audience analysis affects speech choices.

Example illustrating the impact of audience understanding.

2.Speaker’s Responsibilities:

3.Selecting Topic and Purpose:

Process for determining an appropriate topic and purpose.

Your Audience (Chapters 3, 4)
Now Danielle must think about the nature of her audience. She can think about her audience
in general terms, especially the obstacles that might prevent members from being blood
donors already. Some students are busy with schoolwork plus jobs or family or all three.
Other students may be uninterested. Either way, Danielle knows that her speech has to be
entertaining and informative, and that it must give the audience a reason to show up at the
blood donation station and be poked with a needle for little or no compensation.
After she takes these general issues into account, she might think more specifically about the
actual group she will address: Is it a random sampling of students in a course, a volunteer
group, or a campus social group? At this point, Danielle will need to think about why people
are in the audience in the first place and then to think about how she can use the picture of the
audience that she is developing to motivate them to give blood. Finally, she’ll probably
realize that a couple of specific fears about blood donation might come into play with any
audience: Some people are afraid of blood, and some people are horrified by needles. She’ll
have to take those fears into account at some point in her speech. In addition, some people
fear (wrongly) that they can get a disease just from giving blood.
Her issue—the blood supply—is one that concerns us all, so it is a public issue. What kind of
public is her audience of college students relative to the issue of blood donation? Despite all
the differences in students (older, younger, urban, rural, male, female), can she find a
common characteristic that gives them a reason to say yes to blood donation?
Here is where Danielle’s rhetorical creativity comes in. She can describe the audience to
themselves. They are busy college students, yes—but they also are people who might get sick
or injured and need some blood at the hospital. “Potential blood-bank users” may not be how
the students think about themselves, but it’s a true description, and it’s relevant to Danielle’s
purpose: It transforms the audience into a public, with a mutual interest in blood donations.
Another possible public would be “people who value public service.” Many college students
either fall into this group or wish they did, and Danielle can give them the opportunity to
perform a public service.
Danielle will have to speak in a way that helps the audience listen and to want to listen. This
includes the use of tone, pacing, and transitions to keep the audience involved. Danielle also
will have to present arguments in a balanced way that takes into account the needs,
expectations, and predispositions of the audience. She also will have to present herself as a
person who is open to and respectful toward the opinions of the audience members. She will
have to give all the evidence needed for them to make an informed decision, and to provide
concrete steps for them to take if they choose to donate blood. Finally, Danielle should allow
the audience time to ask questions, if this is appropriate, and to answer the questions in a
clear, engaging, and nonconfrontational way.
Your Goals (Chapter 5)
Danielle has to assess the situation. In this case, she already has a topic (sometimes that’s not
the case). What are her goals? She should clearly distinguish between her personal goals
(what she wants to accomplish) and her goals with the audience (what she wants her speech
to accomplish). She can’t just say, “Hey, donate blood, because if I get in good with the blood
bank people, I’m set for an internship, and that would be a big résumé booster.” That’s her
personal goal; she will benefit if she can get more blood in the blood bank by recruiting more
donors. Her goal with the audience would be to persuade the students to donate blood
voluntarily through the campus program. But this goal has some inherent challenges: Why
donate blood on campus for a few cookies when you might be able to get money somewhere
else for selling your blood plasma. Danielle would like to get students to want to show up at
one of the campus sites. She doesn’t have to control or manipulate them or make them into
better people; she just has to get them to see why it would be right to donate. Danielle wants
to choose a goal that is appropriate not only to the situation but also is defensible.