Technical Communication: Process and Product Eighth Edition Sharon Gerson and Steven Gerson Copyright © 2014, 2012, 2008 Pearson Education, Inc. Chapter 4: Audience Recognition

2 Technical Communication: Process and Product, 8/e Sharon Gerson and Steven Gerson Copyright © 2014, 2012, 2008 Pearson Education, Inc. Learning Objectives Recognize that high ‐ tech readers understand acronyms, abbreviations, and jargon Understand that low ‐ tech readers need glossaries or parenthetical definitions of technical terms Recognize that lay readers usually will not understand technical terms and often need extended definitions Consider issues of diversity, such as gender, race, religion, age, and sexual orientation

3 Technical Communication: Process and Product, 8/e Sharon Gerson and Steven Gerson Copyright © 2014, 2012, 2008 Pearson Education, Inc. Learning Objectives (continued) Communicate with multiple audiences who have different levels of technical knowledge by considering the amount of technical content and terms you should include in your document Know that the definition of a technical term usually includes its type and distinguishing characteristics but can also include examples, descriptions, and procedures

4 Technical Communication: Process and Product, 8/e Sharon Gerson and Steven Gerson Copyright © 2014, 2012, 2008 Pearson Education, Inc. Learning Objectives (continued) Communicate with multicultural audiences by defining terms, avoiding jargon and idioms, considering the context of the words you use, avoiding cultural biases, avoiding slash marks, being careful with humor, and allowing space for translation Avoid sexist language Get your audience involved in the text, by using pronouns, the reader’s name, and revealing audience benefit

5 Technical Communication: Process and Product, 8/e Sharon Gerson and Steven Gerson Copyright © 2014, 2012, 2008 Pearson Education, Inc. Audience Recognition and Involvement To compose effective technical communication, you should achieve both audience recognition and audience involvement: Audience Recognition: Knowing whom you are writing to in your technical correspondence Audience Involvement: Drawing your audience into your writing and keeping them interested

6 Technical Communication: Process and Product, 8/e Sharon Gerson and Steven Gerson Copyright © 2014, 2012, 2008 Pearson Education, Inc. Audience Recognition To achieve audience recognition, explore these three audience variables: 1. Knowledge of subject matter 2. Personality traits 3. Issues of diversity

7 Technical Communication: Process and Product, 8/e Sharon Gerson and Steven Gerson Copyright © 2014, 2012, 2008 Pearson Education, Inc. Audience Recognition (continued) Audience recognition table:

8 Technical Communication: Process and Product, 8/e Sharon Gerson and Steven Gerson Copyright © 2014, 2012, 2008 Pearson Education, Inc. Audience Recognition: Knowledge of Subject Matter Audiences fall into four categories of knowledge: 1. High-tech audiences: Are experts in the field you are writing about Share your level of understanding and will understand high tech jargon, acronyms, and abbreviations Require minimal detail regarding standard procedures or scientific, mathematical, or technical theories Need little background information regarding a project’s history or objectives

9 Technical Communication: Process and Product, 8/e Sharon Gerson and Steven Gerson Copyright © 2014, 2012, 2008 Pearson Education, Inc. Audience Recognition: Knowledge of Subject Matter (continued) 2. Low-tech audiences: Are familiar with the technology you are writing about, but are peripheral to the subject matter Understand some abbreviations, jargon, and technical concepts May need follow-up explanations of abbreviations, jargon, and technical concepts May need definitions of technical concepts May need more background information

10 Technical Communication: Process and Product, 8/e Sharon Gerson and Steven Gerson Copyright © 2014, 2012, 2008 Pearson Education, Inc. Audience Recognition: Knowledge of Subject Matter (continued) 3. Lay audiences: Are unfamiliar with your subject matter and terminology Won’t understand your in ‐ house jargon, abbreviations, or acronyms Will need background information 4. Multiple audiences: Are a combination of high-tech, low-tech, and lay readers, so define your terms, provide background information, and provide detailed explanations

11 Technical Communication: Process and Product, 8/e Sharon Gerson and Steven Gerson Copyright © 2014, 2012, 2008 Pearson Education, Inc. Defining Terms When you need to define terms for low-tech, lay, or multiple audiences, you can do so: parenthetically in a sentence in an extended paragraph in a glossary as online help with a pop ‐ up definition

12 Technical Communication: Process and Product, 8/e Sharon Gerson and Steven Gerson Copyright © 2014, 2012, 2008 Pearson Education, Inc. Defining Terms (continued) Parenthetical Definitions: Simply provide the definition or the acronym in parenthesis: CIA (Cash in Advance) or Cash in Advance (CIA) Sentence Definitions: Definitions in sentence form, which must include term, type, and distinguishing characteristics: HTTP (hypertext transfer protocol) is a set of rules for the secure transfer of files, including text, graphics, videos, and sound on the Internet.

13 Technical Communication: Process and Product, 8/e Sharon Gerson and Steven Gerson Copyright © 2014, 2012, 2008 Pearson Education, Inc. Defining Terms (continued) Extended Paragraph Definitions: In addition to including term, type, and distinguishing characteristics, also consider including examples, procedures, and descriptions: A video card (graphics accelerator card, display adapter, or graphics card) is a type of printed circuit board that can be inserted into an expansion slot of a computer's motherboard. The video card creates and outputs images to a display. Functions of a video card can include video capture, MPEG ‐ 2 and MPEG ‐ 4 decoding, TV output, or the ability to connect multiple monitors.

14 Technical Communication: Process and Product, 8/e Sharon Gerson and Steven Gerson Copyright © 2014, 2012, 2008 Pearson Education, Inc. Defining Terms (continued) Glossaries: If not provided parenthetically, in a sentence, or in an extended paragraph, provide readers with a glossary at the end of your document:

15 Technical Communication: Process and Product, 8/e Sharon Gerson and Steven Gerson Copyright © 2014, 2012, 2008 Pearson Education, Inc. Defining Terms (continued) Online help/Pop-up Definitions: If your document is online, provide definitions as pop-ups or links:

16 Technical Communication: Process and Product, 8/e Sharon Gerson and Steven Gerson Copyright © 2014, 2012, 2008 Pearson Education, Inc. Audience Recognition: Personality Traits In addition to considering their knowledge of the subject matter, consider these aspects of your audiences personality traits: Audience’s Perceived Personality. Are they slow to act, eager, receptive, questioning, organized, disorganized, oppositional? Audience’s Attitude or Position Regarding the Topic. Are they negative, positive, noncommital, informed, uninformed?

17 Technical Communication: Process and Product, 8/e Sharon Gerson and Steven Gerson Copyright © 2014, 2012, 2008 Pearson Education, Inc. Audience Recognition: Personality Traits (continued) Audience’s Preference Regarding Style. Will he, she, or they accept contractions? Should you use first names, last names, or position titles? Is short and to ‐ the ‐ point better? Is long and detailed better? Desired Audience Response. Do you want the audience to consider this idea and pass on a recommendation? Do you want the audience to act now? Do you want the audience to confirm what has been suggested? Do you want the audience to reject some options but act on others? Do you want the audience to file this information for future reference?

18 Technical Communication: Process and Product, 8/e Sharon Gerson and Steven Gerson Copyright © 2014, 2012, 2008 Pearson Education, Inc. Audience Recognition: Issues of Diversity Diversity includes “gender, race/ethnicity, religion, age, sexual orientation, class, physical and mental characteristics, language, family issues, [and] departmental diversity” (Grimes and Richard 8). Respecting diversity is vital in the workplace because: - It is the law - It is the right thing to do - It is good for business - It keeps companies competitive

19 Technical Communication: Process and Product, 8/e Sharon Gerson and Steven Gerson Copyright © 2014, 2012, 2008 Pearson Education, Inc. Audience Recognition: Issues of Diversity (continued) Multiculturalism refers to multiple cultures with different customs, primary languages, communication styles, and more—not only within the United States but across the World Multiculturalism raises challenges when working in teams and translating materials into multiple languages

20 Technical Communication: Process and Product, 8/e Sharon Gerson and Steven Gerson Copyright © 2014, 2012, 2008 Pearson Education, Inc. Audience Recognition: Issues of Diversity (continued) To communicate effectively with multicultural audiences, whose first language may not be English, keep in mind the following: Define acronyms and abbreviations Avoid jargon and idioms Distinguish between nouns and verbs Watch for cultural biases/expectations Be careful when using slash marks Avoid humor and puns Realize that translations may take more or less space

21 Technical Communication: Process and Product, 8/e Sharon Gerson and Steven Gerson Copyright © 2014, 2012, 2008 Pearson Education, Inc. Audience Recognition: Issues of Diversity (continued) Consider paper size Avoid figurative language Be careful with numbers, measurements, dates, and times Use stylized graphics to represent people

22 Technical Communication: Process and Product, 8/e Sharon Gerson and Steven Gerson Copyright © 2014, 2012, 2008 Pearson Education, Inc. Audience Recognition: Issues of Diversity (continued) To communicate effectively with diverse audiences, keep in mind the following: Respect your audience’s cultural diversity Avoid ageist language Avoid biased language about people with disabilities Avoid sexist language –Don’t ignore women or treat them as secondary –Don’t stereotype –Don’t use sexist pronouns –Don’t use gender tagged nouns

23 Technical Communication: Process and Product, 8/e Sharon Gerson and Steven Gerson Copyright © 2014, 2012, 2008 Pearson Education, Inc. Audience Involvement To achieve audience involvement, strive for a personalized tone and emphasize reader benefits. Personalized tone. Use these techniques to make your audience feel included: –Use Audience-centered pronouns. Emphasize your audience over yourself. Use “you/your” to address the reader, or “we/us/our” when speaking to a group. Avoid placing emphasis on “I/me/my” –Use names. Use people’s names to speak to them directly Reader benefit. Use these techniques to make your audience feel: –Explain the benefit. –Use positive words.

24 Technical Communication: Process and Product, 8/e Sharon Gerson and Steven Gerson Copyright © 2014, 2012, 2008 Pearson Education, Inc. Chapter Highlights 1. High ‐ tech readers understand acronyms, abbreviations, and jargon. However, not all of your readers will be high tech. 2. Low ‐ tech readers need glossaries or parenthetical definitions of technical terms. 3. Lay readers usually will not understand technical terms. Consider providing these readers with extended definitions.

25 Technical Communication: Process and Product, 8/e Sharon Gerson and Steven Gerson Copyright © 2014, 2012, 2008 Pearson Education, Inc. Chapter Highlights (continued) 4. In addition to considering high ‐ tech, low ‐ tech, and lay audience levels, you also should consider issues of diversity, such as gender, race, religion, age, and sexual orientation. 5. Multiple audiences have different levels of technical knowledge. This fact affects the amount of technical content and terms you should include in your document.

26 Technical Communication: Process and Product, 8/e Sharon Gerson and Steven Gerson Copyright © 2014, 2012, 2008 Pearson Education, Inc. Chapter Highlights (continued) 6. The definition of a technical term usually includes its type and distinguishing characteristics but can also include examples, descriptions, and procedures. 7. For multicultural audiences, define terms, avoid jargon and idioms, and consider the context of the words you use. Avoid cultural biases, avoid slash marks, be careful with humor, and allow space for translation.

27 Technical Communication: Process and Product, 8/e Sharon Gerson and Steven Gerson Copyright © 2014, 2012, 2008 Pearson Education, Inc. Chapter Highlights (continued) 8. Half of your audience will be female, so you should avoid sexist language. 9. To get your audience involved in the text, personalize it by using pronouns and the reader’s name. 10. Show your reader how he or she will benefit from your message or proposal.