Audience Analysis and Accommodation Dr. Anne Watt Rose-Hulman Inst of Tech

Introduction n Rhetorical Situations (the rhetorical triangle) n Importance of analyzing who your audience(s) is/are, and then crafting your communication to best meet their needs as well as your goals

Communication Situations Writer/Purpose Audience Topic Context Context Genre

First, analyzing your audience: n Consider reader types. n Consider reader’s use for document. n Consider reader’s attitudes and motivations. n Consider reader’s educational and technical levels

Consider reader types: n Initial Reader n Primary Reader n Secondary Reader n External Reader

Consider reader’s use for document: n Why does this reader want this document? n What purpose will this document serve for the reader?

Consider reader’s attitudes and motivations: n How does this reader feel about you or your team? n How does this reader feel about the subject matter? n How receptive or resistant is this reader likely to be?

Consider reader’s technical level: n Educational level? n Professional experience? n Expert? Professional nonexpert? Technician? Equipment operator? Student? n What level of material can this reader handle without difficulty?

First, analyzing your audience. Second, accommodating your audience.

Accommodating your audience: n Consider arrangement. n Consider choice of voice. n Consider use of questions. n Consider politically correct language. n Consider control of emotional responses.

Consider arrangement: n Make useful for and appealing to audience n Easy to follow and clearly revealed through forecasting, transitions, and review. n Careful placement of thesis: Up front? In middle? At end?

Consider choice of voice: n First person singular “I” n First person plural “we” n Second person “you” n Third person/ objective voice: he/she, they, it, one, people, engineers, patients.

Consider use of questions: n Rhetorical questions n Structuring questions n To build dialogue

Consider politically correct language: n Avoiding stereotypes (re: race, gender, sexual orientation, region, socioeconomic status, etc.) n Choosing least offensive terms n Using gender-neutral language

Consider control of emotional responses: n Appeals to emotions and values n Might wish to avoid certain emotional responses and/or evoke others. n Possible need to frame examples

Review: Analyzing your audience n Consider reader types. n Consider reader’s use for document. n Consider reader’s attitudes and motivations. n Consider reader’s educational and technical levels

Review: Accommodating your audience n Consider arrangement. n Consider choice of voice. n Consider use of questions. n Consider politically correct language. n Consider control of emotional responses.

In conclusion: Questions to ask n 1) What image do I want to create of myself or my team as the writer? n 2) What image do I want to create of my audience? n 3) What image do I want to create of the relationship between myself as writer and my audience?