1. Audience and Writing Style
Created by Kathryn Reilly

2. Reviewing Audience Intended Audience Actual Audience
This is the ideal audience the author targets when writing the text.
Actual Audience
This is the audience who will actually read or listen to the text.

3. Audience Characteristics
A writer should evaluate several characteristics regarding his or her audience and select an appropriate writing style.
Education level
Prior knowledge of the topic
Interest level in the subject
Motivation for reading/listening to the text

4. Adapting Writing Style
Once a writer has evaluated the audience, he or she should adapt several elements in his or her writing style:
Vocabulary
Sentence Style
Short vs. long
Factual vs. descriptive
Formal vs. informal tone

5. Writing Style Example Let’s say the topic is about Dogs.
The author can vary his or her writing style to meet his audience’s needs.
Audience #1: Elementary School Children
Audience #2: College English Class
Audience #3: Conference of Dog Breeders

6. Writing Style Audience #1: Elementary School Children
Education level: limited
Prior knowledge: limited
Interest level: varied
Motivation: mild to high
Keeping these factors in mind, the vocabulary should revolve around basic words and the sentences should be short and factual. A more informal, friendly approach would be best.

7. Writing Style Audience #2: College English class
Education level: moderate to high
Prior knowledge: average
Interest level: varied
Motivation: moderate
Keeping these characteristics in mind, the vocabulary should include polysyllabic words, and the sentence style should be longer with descriptive phrases. The approach should be more formal.

8. Writing Style Audience #3: Dog Breeders
Education Level: Varied
Prior Knowledge: Advanced
Interest level: High
Motivation: High
Keeping these characteristics in mind, the vocabulary should be content-specific and the sentences should be shorter as this is a business-oriented audience. Both factual and descriptive sentences would be appropriate. The style could have a mix of formal and informal approaches.

9. Writing Style: Dogs For an elementary audience:
Dogs are friendly animals. They make good pets. There are many different types of dogs. Did you know dogs can learn over 100 different words?
For a collegiate audience:
Canines exist as excellent human companions. The diversity in breeds ensures that a perfect match may be made for any individual. Dogs’ ability to execute over 100 common commands demonstrates their intelligence.
For dog breeders:
No pet is more beloved than the dog. Whether a Beagle, Labradoodle or Terrier, each unique dog’s characteristics make it an ideal match for its human owner. Dog lovers know just how intelligent a well-trained dog is: they can remember and act on over 100 commands.

10. Adapting Writing Style
A writer should consciously adapt his or her writing style to meet the needs of the audience.
If the text’s style is too difficult, the audience will lose interest. Likewise, if the text is too juvenile, the audience will lose interest.
Knowing and evaluating the audience increases the likelihood of audience engagement and positive response.