Audience

The Key to the Workplace Writing Kingdom

Audience

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Every single assignment in the course requires an in-depth audience analysis.

FUTURE IMPLICATIONS

Students learn to assess the many needs of multiple audiences – which is an essential soft skill.

MULTIPLE AUDIENCES

This sequence takes the entire first week of instruction – this is a foundational concept.

THE FIRST WEEK

Audience (along with purpose) is the key to defining the content and tone of each document. It’s the most important!

THE KEY

The When and Why

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DAY 1:

Intro to Audience

DAY 2:

Audience Analysis & Research

.

• Who is your audience? • How do you find out

more? • What must you know

about them?

DAY 4:

Multiple Audience, Purpose &

Culture

• How do you capture the needs of all involved?

• What about secondary & tertiary audiences?

• What about multiple purposes?

• What about cultural consideration?

DAY 3:

Content & Tone

• Do you use a direct or indirect approach?

• What content will your audience need?

• What tone will help you best achieve your purpose?

Audience Lesson Series Overview

• Why does it matter? • How does it work with

purpose?

Introduction to

AudienceDay 1 Lesson

4

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• What are their attitudes and expectations?

WHAT

• How will your readers use this information?

HOW

• Who are your readers?

WHO

• Why are they reading your document? (PURPOSE!)

WHY

Before You Start

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Why Audience & Purpose Matter Audience (Who & What)

Purpose (How & Why)

Tone & Content

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The Tiger Mike Memos

Tiger Oil, Texas, 1970s

These memos are famous. How famous?

Edward Mike Davis

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Exercise

Is the purpose achieved

?

• Who is the

audience?

• What is the

purpose?

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NOTE:• Specifically, what kind of workers

is he referencing? What are their attitudes, needs, and opinions going to be?

• Nailing down the actual purpose can be difficult. Take time with this.

NOTE• Make a short list of the ways Tiger

Mike failed to address his audience in a way that would fulfill that specific purpose.

Note• Make a list of the ways this memo

could be reworded, restructured, and revised to achieve the purpose. This is harder than it sounds!

Who is the audience?What is the purpose?

Where did good old Edward Mike go

wrong?

How could you reframe this to achieve your

purpose?

But Wait.. THERE ARE MORE!Take the 5-minute Tiger Mike Challenge!