ABSTRACT
If scholars aim to understand public speaking, they must understand audiences. They must study how people receive, interpret, and respond to instances of public speaking. If practitioners aim to influence through public speaking, they must understand their audiences, Thus, this chapter demonstrates the importance of audience analysis and reception studies for public speaking. The chapter first provides an overview of empirical research in the field, with special attention to studies directly addressing audience and reception studies of public speaking. Secondly, the chapter provides methodological suggestions for ways for scholarly audience analysis research in public speaking and some suggestions for how practitioners could utilize audience analysis. The chapter ends with a brief part summarizing the importance of audience and reception studies for public speaking.
