Audience Analysis Dr. Shelley Thomas ENGL 3100

Overview Benefits of Audience Analysis Goals of Audience Analysis Types of Readers

Benefits of Audience Analysis Understanding who will read and use your document helps the writer determine –Type of document –Content, organization, and emphasis –Style of writing –Format, visuals, and layout

Audience and Technical Writing Write in a “reader-friendly” style –Define terms –Structure sentences purposefully and clearly Select information based on readers’ informational needs –Content –Style –Format

Goals of Audience Analysis Tell the readers what they need to know (details) Show readers what is easier seen than read (graphs and charts) Organize information purposefully (cohesion) –Include signals to guide readers –Use familiar organizational patterns Forecast statements, general to specific, comparison/contrast, to name a few

Goals of Audience Analysis (con’t) Express information directly and concisely (style) Present information so readers can process it quickly, easily, and accurately (format)

Audience Considerations Primary audience –Those who will use the document to take an action or to make a decision –Those to whom a document is addressed Secondary audience –Forwarded from primary audience (committee, reviewers, etc.) –Unforeseen readers

Types of Readers Lay Reader –Person reading outside his field of expertise Decision Maker –Executive reading to make an informed decision Expert –Person very knowledgeable about the subject matter—reading to deepen her knowledge about the subject

Type of Readers (con’t) Technician –Employee who reads to perform a task or improve skills Operator –Person who uses information to perform a task

Lay Readers Read for learning and interest Have more interest in practice than theory Need help with science and mathematics Require background and definitions Need simplicity Learn from simple graphics

Decision Makers Read to make decisions Have more interest in practice than theory Need plain language and simple graphics Expect implications, conclusions, and recommendations expressed clearly Read selectively—skimming and scanning Have self-interests as well as corporate interests

Experts Read for how and why things work Need and want theory Will read selectively Can handle mathematics and terminology of the field Expect graphics to display results Need new terms defined Expect inferences and conclusions to be clearly, but cautiously, expressed and well supported

Technicians Know the inner workings of the product Read for “How-To” information Expect emphasis on practical matters –Parts described and numbered –Graphics show a process or task May have limitations in mathematics and theory May expect theory of a higher level

Operators Read to discover how to use the product Expect a clearly written process or task Will read selectively Need terms defined Do not need to understand “inner workings”

But … Write the document to the more general audience Use signposts, table of contents, page numbers, headings, bulleted lists to help the reader access necessary information What if the audience includes more than one category?

Writer’s Mission Tailor each document to a targeted audience