![]() Some companies develop audience profiles to help guide their communications. AudienceĪdvise decision makers direct subordinatesīecome informed choose options make decisions Consider the needs of that future audience as well. Consider also that technical writing often has a long “life-span” – a document you write today could be filed away and reviewed months or even years down the road. What do they already know? What do they need to know? Considering what they are expected to do with the information you provide will help you craft your message effectively. Consider what their various purposes might be, and how you can best help them achieve these goals. Keep in mind that your different audiences may also have different purposes in reading your document. Figure 1.3.2 Understanding your relationship to your audience. Is your audience internal (within your company) or external (such as clients, suppliers, customers, other stakeholders)? Are they lateral to you (at the same position or level), upstream from you (management), or downstream from you (employees, subordinates)? Who is the primary audience? Who are the secondary audiences? These questions, and others, help you to create an understanding of your audience that will help you craft a message that is designed to effectively communicate specifically to them. Audience Analysis is possibly the most critical part of understanding the rhetorical situation. This examination should also include your role within the organization, as well as your position relative to your target audience.ĪUDIENCE refers to your readers/listeners/viewers/users. ![]() These elements will influence how you craft the message, whether positively or negatively. It is important to examine your own motivation for writing and any biases, past experiences, and knowledge you bring to the writing situation. WRITER refers to you, the writer/creator/designer of the communication. In this case, you want the reader to agree to explore the idea further, or approve funding for further research and development, which would fall under the general purpose of writing to persuade. For example, your purpose may be to propose an innovative solution to a specific problem. Within those general purposes, you will find a myriad of specific purposes. There are three general purposes for communication in the workplace: 1) to create a record, 2) to give or request information, and 3) to persuade. Ask yourself what you hope the reader(s) will do/think/decide/ or how they will behave as a result of reading the text. Determining your purpose requires that you engage in Task Analysis - that is, determine what you hope to accomplish by writing this document. To define a “rhetorical situation,” ask yourself this question: “who is talking to whom about what, how, and why?” There are five main components: ![]() The “rhetorical situation” is a term used to describe the components of any situation in which you may want to communicate, whether in written or oral form. So how do you get your reader to understand what you need quickly and efficiently? Start by doing a detailed Task and Audience Analysis - make sure you understand the “rhetorical situation.” Before you begin drafting a document, determine the needs of your rhetorical situation (See Figure 1.3.1). It is common knowledge in the workplace that no one really wants to read what you write, and even if they want to or have to read it, they will likely not read all of it. 1.3 Understanding the Rhetorical Situation ![]()
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