Donna Kain Business Writing Workshop Developed by Frank Hurley and Donna Kain

Donna Kain Audience and Task Analysis Writing Considerations Reviewing Questions What this session covers

Donna Kain A 1. Audience: who is yours? R 2. Reception: what do they want/not want from you? M 3. Message: what do you want to convey? E 4. Effect: what do you want them to think, say, do? D 5. Delivery: what content, tone, style, and organization will be most effective? 5 Critical Questions About Audience

Think about a writing task that you need to do soon or that you have completed recently. Thinking Woman by Jiri HodanJiri Hodan

Donna Kain  What issue, situation, or problem are you responding to specifically?  What do you need to write about? The answers here determine a lot about WHAT you communicate.

Donna Kain  What is the main purpose for your task?  Inform?  Solve a problem?  What else do you (REALLY) need to do?  Give bad news, good news, annoying news?  Persuade?  Start or maintain relationships?

Donna Kain  What outcome do you need from this communication?  What do you want the audience to do based on your communication? The answers determine HOW you communicate.

Donna Kain  An individual? A group?  More than one audience? The answers determine your choices in tone and style.

Donna Kain  What organizational role(s) are involved?  What are THEIR purposes for reading your message ?

Donna Kain  Initial audience person to whom you submit a document, not necessarily the decision maker  Primary audience person for whom your document is actually intended, the decision maker

Donna Kain  Secondary audience(s) other people affected by the information or by decisions based on it  External audience(s) people outside the immediate organization affected by the information; people in other areas (legal, marketing)

Donna Kain  What will the audiences need to do as a result of your message?  How will you make it clear to them what you need them to do now or in the future?  Is your communication responding to someone?  How are you responding to their needs?

Donna Kain  About the topic?  About the company?  Are they comfortable communicating with you? Attitude determines how motivated the audience is to read your message and

Donna Kain  Are you giving them good news or bad?  How will the audience be affected by your message and how might they feel about that?  Will they agree or disagree with you? Do you know?  What might offend them?

Donna Kain  What background will you need to provide?  Does your audience have all the facts they need to understand your message?  Does your audience have the experience and background to understand your message? The audience’s knowledge of the facts and level of experience determine how much background you need to provide.

Donna Kain  Level of education and preparedness  Culture—national, community, organizational  Language  Are you communicating in your audience’s first language? In your first language?  Gender

Donna Kain Chris Jackson Creamo Supplies 100 E. Arlington Blvd Greenville, NC July 30, 2012 Dear Mr. Jackson: We received your invoice dated June 12, The first

Donna Kain Meet Chris Jackson:

Donna Kain  Where will the audiences access and use your communication?  What distractions will the audience face?  What are the audiences’ working conditions.

Donna Kain  Approach and type of communication  Content  Length  Tone  Style  Correctness

Donna Kain  The $2.13 million comma 2002, Rogers Communications Inc. versus Bell Aliant, a telephone company in Atlantic Canada,

Donna Kain Subject to the termination provisions of [the Agreement], [the Agreement] shall be effective from the date it is made, and shall continue in force for a period of five (5) years from the date it is made, and thereafter for successive five (5) year terms, unless and until terminated by one (1) year prior notice in writing by either party.

Donna Kain Can the contract be terminated by either party at any time after providing one year’s notice (ss Aliant argues)? Or, can the contract only be terminated at the end of a five year period (as Rogers argues)? A court ruled in favor of Aliant (reversed on appeal based on original French version)

Donna Kain Getting to know about your key writing tasks Who did you write for? What did you consider as you wrote for this audience? Where/what in your writing sample demonstrates consideration of audience?

Donna Kain Getting to know about your key writing tasks Why do you write to accomplish most often? Who do you write to most often? What types of documents do you write? What do you find most challenging? What would you like to do better?