Difference between revisions of "Audience"

Latest revision as of 10:52, 20 April 2008

COMP3040 > The Writing Process

Introduction

If you are a university student then most of the writing you do is targeted to your professor. The professor usually already has a general or better understanding of the topic. The purpose of this section is to show you how to determine your audience, and how to write for that audience.

Analyzing Your Readers

A Cardinal Rule to remember:

Write for you reader, not for yourself.

This is very important for technical fields such as science and technology because many of you readers have little or no knowledge about your field. It is very important that you avoid making the assumption that the user already has an understanding of your topic.

There are two keys to preventing this:

• Examine the main obstacles that the user faces.
• Adapt a strategy for overcoming these obstacles.

Remember your job is not to write so you can be understood, but to write so that no one in audience can possibly misunderstand.

This sections highlights:

• Problems that readers have when it comes to understanding technical writing.
• Techniques suggested preventing these problems.
• The main classifications of technical readers.

Obstacles for Readers

Readers stumble upon different obstacles while reading.

The four most common are:

1. Readers are always interrupted.
2. Readers are impatient.
3. Readers lack the technical knowledge.
4. Most documents have more than one reader.

Readers Are Always Interrupted

If you are a professional in your field, the chance of being able to sit and read without any interruptions is pretty slim. Your reading might be interrupted by phone calls and meetings, and by the time you get back to the report you were reading, the details may have been forgotten.

Readers Are Impatient

If the writing is vague or unorganized, readers tend to lose patients. Readers want to be able to grasp the point of a document right away.

Readers Lack Your Technical Knowledge

In College or University you are probably writing for a professor who has knowledge about the subject you are writing about. In your career, however, you are writing for people who have little or no technical background. They expect to read a technical document with its subject conveyed in an easy to understand manor. The objective of your writing is for the reader to learn from your reports. If you write over their heads you will not accomplish this objective.

Most Documents Have More Than One Reader

In the business world decision making authority is usually shared between different people. So, it is your job to write for many individuals, most of whom have a busy schedule, are impatient and have a technical background different from yours.

Ways to Understand Readers

Try to find out exactly what information the reader needs.

Technical writing is heavily dependent on audience analysis.

Follow these four steps to determine your readers’ needs:

1. Write Down What You Know about Your Reader.
2. Talk with Colleagues Who Have Written to the Same Reader
3. Find Out Who Makes Decisions
4. Remember That All Readers Prefer Simplicity

Write Down What You Know about Your Reader

Write down the answers for the following question, this will help in building a framework for analyzing your audience.

1. What is the reader's technical or educational background?
2. What main question does this person need answered?
3. What main action does this person want to take?
4. What features of this person’s personality might affect his or her reading?
5. What features does this reader prefer in Format, Style, and Organization?

Talk with Colleagues Who Have Written to the Same Reader

Ask around the office or check company files to see who else might have written to your targeted audience. You might find that your colleagues are your best source of information about your readers.

Find Out Who Makes Decisions

Identify the decision maker and their needs; structure the document with them in mind.

Remember That All Readers Prefer Simplicity

Readers from all technical backgrounds prefer to read a report that is concise and simple.

Remember that:

“For every word you lose, you gain a reader.”

Types of Readers: Technical Levels

Now you have learned about problems that readers face and the solutions to these problems. It is time to complete the audience analysis stage. The following section shows you how to classify readers by two main criteria: knowledge and influence.

You must answer the following two questions about every potential reader you might have.

• How much does this reader already know about the subject?
• What part will this reader play in making decisions?

Answer these questions to plan your document.

Technical writing in your profession requires you to convey technical ideas in a language that non technical people will understand. If you have several readers this can be complicated if each reader has a different level of knowledge about the subject. You must identify each reader’s technical background.

Here are four categories to help you classify each reader’s knowledge of the topic:

1. Managers
2. Experts
3. Operators
4. General Readers

Managers

For most when they become managers they are removed from the technical aspects of the job, and their focus is now on managing people, setting budgets and decision making of various kinds. So a writer should assume that managers will not be familiar with some technical points and provide them with the following:

• Background information
• Definitions of technical terms
• List and other format devices that highlight points
• Clear statements about what is supposed to happen next

Experts

Experts need the following:

• A thorough explanation of technical details
• Data placed on tables and details
• Reference to outside sources used in the writing process
• Clearly labeled appendices for supporting information

Operators

Operators may be salespeople, technicians in a field crew, or assembly line workers, pretty much anyone that puts the ideas in your document into practice.

Operators need the following:

• A clear table of contents for locating sections relate to them
• Easy-to-read listing for procedures and instructions
• Definition of technical terms
• A clear statement of exactly how the documents affect their work

General Readers

General readers usually have little technical knowledge or background about your topic. For example, a store owner might read a report on increasing sales and profit.

General Readers need the following:

• Definition of technical terms
• Frequent use of graphics
• A clear distinction between facts and opinions

General readers need to be assured that all important details are explained and not obscured by overly technical language.

Types of Readers: Decision-Making Levels

There are three levels that you can use to classify your audience during the planning process. It is important that you pay very close attention to those intending to use your report to make a change.

Audience can be classified using the following three levels:

• First-Level Audience: Decision Makers
• Second-Level Audience: Advisors
• Third-Level Audience: Receivers

First-Level Audience: Decision Makers

The role of a decision maker is to act on information and translate that information into action.

e.g In your report you propose a new ventilation system , it is the role of that decision maker  to decide whether to accept  the idea.

Be concise and clear when stating important points , this helps the decision maker to make a decisions.

Second-Level Audience: Advisors

This second level audience is often comprised of experts such as Financial Advisors, Accountants, and Engineers. A second-level audience's job is to read the report and give advice to those who will decide.

Third-Level Audience: Receivers

Third level audience is usually comprised of those who use the report to follow guidelines or instructions. A third-level audience only receives the information contained in the document once it has been approved.

E.g. An operator might receive instructions after it has been approved by an expert on how to operate new machinery so that it is more efficient.

References

Pfeiffer, William S. and Jan Boogerd. Technical Writing: A Practical Approach. 4th Canadian Edition. Scarborough: Prentice Hall, 2007.