7. Get to Know Your Audience

The purpose of this exercise is to build empathy and deepen your connection around what matters most to your audience.

Building empathy helps you to create a connection with your audience, which is critical to build relationships grounded in trust. Conducting an audience empathy exercise will help to increase insight into any audience you are asking to conduct an action (like signing a petition, making a donation, etc.) or any audience you will be asking to absorb your message. Sometimes, the general public will be the audience (as in the case of a mural), however the audience still has a general geography and other characteristics that segment them and allow you to explore them from an empathetic viewpoint. When developing complex messaging, it is easier to picture a person in your mind and develop messaging as if you are speaking to that person. Creating an audience persona can help you better understand an audience’s mindset and behaviors, including those who may be against your issue.

The Exercise

1. Using seven different flip chart pages, write each of the following categories across the top in large letters: Think, Feel, Do, See, Goals, Barriers, Opportunities.

2. Distribute sticky notes and markers to the team.

3. Present the first category and ask the team to brainstorm ideas for five minutes on that category. Proceed in this fashion for each of the categories, presenting the following questions for consideration, relative to the campaign issue.

» Think - What does the audience think about? What are their beliefs? What are their attitudes? What questions do they have? What do they value? What do they ponder?

» Feel - What does the audience feel about this issue and in general? What do they want? What are their motivations? What are their triggers? What are their worries? What makes them happy? What gets them excited?

60-90 minutes

- Flip charts

- Sticky notes

- Markers

- Online collaboration tool, like Miro (optional)

Notes:

7. Get to Know Your Audience (continued)

» Do - What does this audience do? Describe their day. What actions do they take? What are some of their behaviors? What activities do they do that align with the campaign issue? Where and how are they likely to encounter your campaign messages?

» See - What does this audience see? Describe their environment. What tools do they use? What trends are in their lives? Who do they see? What tools do they use to get through their day?

» Goals - What are the audience’s goals? What do they want to accomplish? What are they seeking? What does success look like for them, both relative to the campaign issue, and in general?

» Barriers - What barriers exist for this audience? What keeps them from reaching their goals? What barriers may keep you from connecting with the audience?

» Opportunities - What opportunities exist with this audience? In what ways does this audience align with the campaign issue? What opportunities exist to engage with them considering the campaign issue? What opportunities does this audience have that other audiences may not?

4. After the group has considered one of the categories above, have them present their notes aloud, consolidating any duplicates. Repeat this process until all seven of the categories have been considered.

5. (Optional, time permitting) To deepen your understanding, an Audience Persona can be developed. An Audience Persona is a detailed description of your typical target audience member. To create an Audience Persona, after completing the activity described above, work to address the following considerations below.

» Name - Name your sample person. It is much easier, more natural, and more realistic if you pick a name for that person. Throughout the rest of the exercise, only refer to this person by name.

» Typical Day - Identify 5-6 actions that the person takes throughout the day that could be relevant to your campaign. Think about things like career, transportation, free time activities, family, and any other elements that help to define their typical day.

» Behavior - Identify 5-6 behaviors that are typical for this person. What behaviors do they have that help to contribute to their passions? Think about adjectives that describe the person and then the behaviors which contribute to those adjectives.