Before you begin any kind of communications planning, think of your audience. Who are you wanting to reach? Why are they your target group? The better you know your audience the better your chances of successfully developing and delivering your message (or even knowing what your message should be). If your audience is small and/or very well defined (i.e., a particular governmental agency) then this task may be straightforward. However, chances are that you will be dealing with a larger and more amorphous collective often known as ‘the public’. If there is one key take home message for this section let it be this: there is no such thing as “the public”. As scientists we often think of the ‘the public’ as a homogenous group when really, they are a mosaic of individuals with different knowledge bases, different lived experiences, different values, different goals, etc. For this reason, it is important to spend some time and effort on audience analysis (also known as “understanding your audience”). Below are some characteristics and considerations that you can use to better understand your audience.

• Group size: Collaborative forms of communication are usually only feasible for smaller groups. The group size also impacts the medium you select. For example, a small group size could warrant a presentation or meeting, while a larger group might require communications disseminated through social and news media.
• Personal characteristics (age, gender, culture, religion): All of these will impact how people view the world, what is important to them, how they receive, process, and react to information, etc. However, it is important to remember that ‘rough categories’ are not the only determinants of how someone receives a message. Aspects of someone’s lived experience will also characterize how they engage with your messaging; however, these qualities are much harder to describe.
• Education level: This will help you to tailor the language and level of detail. Generally, aim for language free of scientific jargon to reach the largest group of individuals. You can test the grade level of the language you are using online here.
• Language: Are there multiple languages spoken by the audience or is their preferred language different than your own? You may need to bring in translators to adequately convey your messaging in the desired language.
• Experience with the issue in question: How much does your audience already know and what will you have to educate them about?
• Attitude towards the issue: Is there likely to be apathy, outrage, or hot button words and concepts?
• Experience with and attitude towards you and your organization: Do people know you, trust you, and find you credible?
• Individuals or organization that they trust: Could you recruit those people to be your spokesperson and/or participate in the communication process?
• Expectations: What will your audience expect from you? Can you deliver on those expectations?
• Information sources: Where do people tend to get their information from? It is ideal if you can use their preferred medium (i.e., social media, traditional media, podcasting, etc.).
• Intersection of issue and audience: Is there some feature of the audience that impacts the effect of the issue on them as compared to other groups? For example, people living in under-served areas may have fewer resources to cope with or mitigate risk compared to those living in more affluent areas.

Other characteristics to consider: Turnover within the community in question, occupation, geography, presence of organized groups (e.g., activists)

Audience analysis

Audience analysis is any communication research conducted on a target audience to gather information about their media habits, attitudes, interests, behaviors, preferences, demographics etc. But how do you obtain this information? You could, for example, collect data directly from segments of your target audience using interviews, surveys, and focus groups. Alternatively, you could use indirect sources such as internet searches, social media, and census or other administrative data. There are also some ‘outside the box’ information sources, such as political groups, which may be willing to share data on their constituency, particularly if they feel that your message will bring a benefit to the community. Often, you will have to use multiple data sources to both develop and verify your audience profile.

Audience testing

Now that you have gathered information on your target audience, it’s important to test your communications strategy on a subset of this group (this is an example of ‘pre-testing’ from section 1.2). This is because implementing any communication strategy is expensive, so piloting aspects of this strategy prior to full dissemination can help to minimize costs and iron out any bugs in your tactics. Be sure to collect feedback from the pilot group and incorporate this feedback into the final communications materials, where possible.

Intersectionality

Another way to help you think about audience is the concept of intersectionality. Intersectionality is the foundation to understanding how multiple identities and experiences exist and interact within an individual or group of people. The term was first coined by Kimberlé Crenshaw over 30 years ago to describe how social identities intersect. We can visualize intersectionality as a unique series of Venn diagrams, with circles representing distinct identities that overlap with one another (as in this illustration by Sylvia Duckworth).  These identities may be political or social, religious, of gender identity, race, experience, physical, or any form of disability, and they can interact in such a way as to illuminate discrimination, disadvantages, privileges, and/or prejudices within a societal framework.

Intersectional communication recognizes that the person as a whole is more than the sum of their identities. How these identities interact and intersect create a unique experience. Including and welcoming intersectional identities in your communication practice both makes your communication more inclusive (Canfield et al. 2020) and more effectively targets a message to a specific audience. By carefully considering audience identities, communicators can create materials that reflect the concerns and needs of the audience. Further, the more engaged and welcome the audience may feel, the more likely they are to provide honest, effective feedback that can be used to further improve messaging.

Beyond considering intersectionality, what are some steps you can take to incorporate diverse identities into your communications?

Because intersectional work is intertwined with efforts to address and improve equity, inclusivity, and diversity, intersectional communications will benefit from applying inclusive, equitable practices. Where possible, collaborate with those with experience and expertise in equity, diversity, and inclusion to help incorporate diverse perspectives into the communications process and identify biases that could be a barrier for your audience.

Another way to incorporate intersectionality into your practice is to center the voices of those most affected by the issues that you are communicating about. For example, if you are discussing the risks of hurricanes in the southern United States, then communications would be strengthened by sharing the experiences of residents of the areas most affected. By centering the voices of those affected by an issue, the message better reflects audience concerns, which in turn enhances relevance, engagement, and action.

Incorporating intersectionality is ultimately about understanding your audience! It requires that you identify your target audience, as well as use commonly inclusive practices such as polling (social media and in-person), interviews, and surveys to understand who they are and what they care about.

Takeaways