Summary

President Obama was praised for the speech he gave to the nation after a madman gunned down innocent people, including a United States congresswoman. The speech was a success chiefly because he took into consideration the audience that he was addressing. He was addressing the families of the victims who were present as well as stunned nation that was listening.

Being audience-centered does not mean that the speaker must abandon personal beliefs or values. The speaker, like Obama, can be true to self while adapting the words for the audience. Answering three questions will keep three main points to audience-centering in focus. To whom are you speaking? What do you want the audience to take away from the speech? How can you accomplish this goal?

Even though the classroom is a somewhat artificial audience, it is a good testing ground for...