Chapter 5. Analyzing Your Audience and Purpose © 2010 by Bedford/St. Martin's1 Determine four important characteristics of your audience Who are your readers? Why is the audience reading your document? What are your readers’ attitudes and expectations? How will your readers use your document?

Chapter 5. Analyzing Your Audience and Purpose © 2010 by Bedford/St. Martin's2 Consider six factors about your most important readers: the reader’s education the reader’s professional experience (Wayne Otto article: Faxed) the reader’s job responsibility the reader’s personal characteristics the reader’s personal preferences the reader’s cultural characteristics

Chapter 5. Analyzing Your Audience and Purpose © 2010 by Bedford/St. Martin's3 Your readers have attitudes and expectations: attitudes toward you attitudes toward your subject expectations about the document

Chapter 5. Analyzing Your Audience and Purpose © 2010 by Bedford/St. Martin's4 Why and how will your reader use your document? Why is the reader reading your document? How will the reader read your document? What is the reader’s reading skill level? What is the physical environment in which the reader will read your document?

Chapter 5. Analyzing Your Audience and Purpose © 2010 by Bedford/St. Martin's5 Understand seven major cultural variables that lie on the surface political economic social religious educational technological linguistic

Chapter 5. Analyzing Your Audience and Purpose © 2010 by Bedford/St. Martin's6 Use these strategies for writing for readers from other cultures: Limit your vocabulary. Keep sentences short. Define abbreviations and acronyms in a glossary. Avoid jargon unless you know your readers are familiar with it. Avoid idioms and slang. “Gobbledygook”  generator.html generator.html Use the active voice whenever possible—later!

More to Consider Levels of Formality: Writing in a style that your audience expects and that fits your purpose is key to successful writing. In-Group Jargon: Jargon refers to specialized language used by groups of like-minded individuals. Only use in-group jargon when you are writing for members of that group. You should never use jargon for a general audience without first explaining it. (ReadibilityPowerPoint)Jargon(ReadibilityPowerPoint) Slang and idiomatic expressions: Avoid using slang or idiomatic expressions in general academic writing.idiomatic Deceitful language and Euphemisms: Avoid using euphemisms (words that veil the truth, such as "collateral damage" for the unintended destruction of civilians and their property) and other deceitful language.Deceitful language and Euphemisms Biased language: Avoid using any biased language including language with a racial, ethnic, group, or gender bias or language that is stereotypical.  Girl fails bias test Girl fails bias test Chapter 5. Analyzing Your Audience and Purpose © 2010 by Bedford/St. Martin's7

Non-Sexist language Writing in a non-sexist, non-biased way is both ethically sound and effective. Non-sexist writing is necessary for most audiences; if you write in a sexist manner and alienate much of your audience from your discussion, your writing will be much less effective. Chapter 5. Analyzing Your Audience and Purpose © 2010 by Bedford/St. Martin's8

Generic Use 9 The generic use of MAN and other words with masculine markers should be avoided. Original: mankind Alternatives: humanity, people, human beings Original: man's achievements Alternative: human achievements Original: man-made Alternatives: synthetic, manufactured, machine-made Original: the common man Alternatives: the average person, ordinary people Original: man the stockroom Alternative: staff the stockroom Original: nine man-hours Alternative: nine staff-hours

Occupations Avoid the use of MAN in occupational terms when persons holding the job could be either male or female. Original: chairman  Alternatives: coordinator (of a committee or department), moderator (of a meeting), presiding officer, head, chair Original: businessman  Alternatives: business executive, business person Original: fireman  Alternative: firefighter Original: mailman  Alternative: mail carrier Original: steward and stewardess  Alternative: flight attendant Original: policeman and policewoman  Alternative: police officer Original: congressman  Alternative: congressional representative Chapter 5. Analyzing Your Audience and Purpose © 2010 by Bedford/St. Martin's10

Historically Some jobs have been dominated by one gender or the other. This has lead to the tendency for a person of the opposite gender to be "marked" by adding a reference to gender. You should avoid marking the gender in this fashion in your writing. Original: male nurse  Alternative: nurse Original: woman doctor  Alternative: doctor Chapter 5. Analyzing Your Audience and Purpose © 2010 by Bedford/St. Martin's11

Chapter 5. Analyzing Your Audience and Purpose © 2010 by Bedford/St. Martin's12

Chapter 5. Analyzing Your Audience and Purpose © 2010 by Bedford/St. Martin's13 Determine your purpose Ask yourself: What do I want this document to accomplish? What do I want readers to know or believe? What do I want readers to do?