Which term describes considering the audience's needs and expectations before delivering a speech?

• A. Briefing
• B. Audience Analysis
• C. Burden of Proof
• D. Body

Answer: (B)

Understanding who your audience is and what they need before you speak is audience analysis. This practice shapes every aspect of a speech by considering listeners’ knowledge, interests, beliefs, and expectations, so the message feels relevant and persuasive. By analyzing the audience, you decide what to aim for, choose examples and evidence that will resonate, adjust the level of detail and language, and plan how to present ideas in a way that aligns with listeners’ concerns. It also informs your delivery choices—tone, pacing, and even visuals—to better connect and anticipate questions or objections. You might gather this information through prior surveys, seating and demographic cues, or quick observations at the event. In contrast, a briefing is simply delivering specific information to someone, the burden of proof concerns who must prove a claim (often in argument or law), and the body is the main portion of the speech, not the preparatory step of understanding the audience.