Lesson 11 — Activity 2:

Communicating for an Audience



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You know that for communication to be effective, it has to have a purpose; that is, there has to be a reason for the communication. However, communication with a very clear purpose still might not be effective if it is not designed to fit the receiver or the audience of the message.

You can probably think of times when you heard a message and were aware of the purpose of the message, but you still did not appreciate or act on the message. Perhaps that was because the message was not communicated to you in a way that appealed to you or interested you.

Consider the following examples of the importance of knowing your audience:

  • Have you ever had to tell a teacher that you were not able to finish an assignment by the due date and that you needed extra time to complete the assignment? Depending on the way you presented your message, you might have been given more time to work on your project or you might have been given a mark of zero!

  • Imagine that you wanted to communicate the message "sit down" to someone. How might that same message be presented if you were talking to your dog? What if you said it to your friend? What if you were telling it to the Principal?

  • Suppose you were coaching a baseball team. Although the basic skills and concepts of the game are the same, you would present your message differently if you were working with a group of five- or six-year-old players or a group of teenaged players.

If you think of your audience when you are planning how best to communicate your ideas, you can improve the chance that your message will be received and understood in a positive way.


Here are some ideas for things to think about to get to know your audience:

  • How old is the audience?

  • Is the audience male, female, or both?

  • Where is the audience from?

  • What does the audience do?

  • What does the audience know about the topic?

  • What attitudes or feelings might the audience have toward the topic?

  • Why might the audience be interested in your topic?

  • What might the audience want to learn about the topic?

The more you know about your audience, the easier it is to communicate your message appropriately.


There are many audiences that you will communicate ideas with every day. If you are aware of your audience, you will be more successful in communicating your message clearly.