Audience analysis worksheet

An audience analysis is a process you use to identify and understand your audience. It
establishes a clear, detailed, and realistic picture of the audience to make sure the information
you provide to them is at the appropriate level. As a result, messages are more likely to resonate
with the audience and lead to the desired outcome. Use this worksheet to guide your analysis.

Environment basics
How many people will you be presenting to?
What is the meeting environment? (In-person conference room, Teams meeting, hybrid; large
room, small room, AV equipment, and so on)

Audience analysis
The more you know about your audience, the more successful you will be. Document as much
as you can using the following questions to help you understand who you are presenting to and
how to tailor your message.

Who they are

• Start with the basics of who will be in your audience.
• What are the demographics of the audience? (Age, gender, level of authority, experience
with the topic, and so on)
• Why do they care about this issue?
• What is personally at stake for them?

Their relationship to the topic

• What are their key concerns?
• What do they already know about this topic?
• What do they already think about this topic?

What they know about you

• Why are they listening to you now?
• What do they already think about you?

Additional considerations for meeting with senior leaders

• Who is the main decision maker?

• Who is the secondary decision maker?
• What is their communication style?
• How do they like to take in information?
• Who else influences this decision?
• What are the politics around this decision?