Writing for your audience, a PPT Presentation

"Writing for your audience".

1. Writing for Your
Readers
What three questions should you ask
yourself before writing any document?
1.Who’s my audience?
2.What’s the context?
3.What’s the purpose?

2. 1. Who is my audience?
•Who’s going to read this document?
•What’s this person’s background
knowledge?
•What’s my relationship with my audience?
(context)
•Why are they going to read it? What do
they want to learn from it? (purpose)

5. Consider this:
You need to tell the following people about
your weekend. How would what you tell
them differ?
•Your calculus professor
•Your mother
•Your best friend

6. How do you choose an appropriate
document?
1.Determine your relationship with your
reader. (What’s the context?)
2.Determine the purposeof your
document (Are you thanking someone?
Are you reporting information? Are you
requesting something?)

7. 2. What’s the context?

8. 3. What’s the purpose?
•Why are you writing this document?
•To inform
•To persuade
•To make a recommendation
•To make a request
•???

9. Homework 2.1
Write a thank-you letter to the professional
you interviewed as part of homework 1.
1.Who’s my audience?
2.What’s the context?
3.What’s the purpose?

10. Homework 2.1
You will be graded on how well you address
audience, purpose and context. Be sure to
include the following:
•Addresses (if appropriate)
•Date
•Salutation
•Body –Be sure to personalize the letter
•Closing
On your transmittal sheet, you may want to tell me about
your relationship with your interviewee so I know whether
or not to expect a formal or informal thank-you letter.

11. Addressing your
Audience’s needs
1.Determine who your readers are.
2.Determine the context.
3.Determine what the purpose is –your writing
purpose and their purpose for reading.
4.Outline the problems –what your readers
want/need.
5.Outline the associated solutions –how you will
respond to the problems.

12. Audience Purpose Problem Solution
You
Collegues
Client
3
rd
Party

13. Audience Purpose Problem Solution
You
Collegues
Client
3
rd
Party

14. Audience Purpose Problem Solution
You To inform?
To persuade?
Collegues
Client
3
rd
Party
This is your
WRITINGpurpose

15. Audience Purpose Problem Solution
You To inform?
To persuade?
Collegues Quality Control
Client
3
rd
Party
This is their
READING
purpose

16. Audience Purpose Problem Solution
You To inform?
To persuade?
Collegues Quality Control
Client Does the writer
address my
needs?
3
rd
Party

17. Audience Purpose Problem Solution
You To inform?
To persuade?
Collegues Quality Control
Client Does the writer
address my
needs?
3
rd
Party Does the writer
address my
needs?

18. Audience Purpose Problem Solution
You To inform?
To persuade?
Collegues Quality Control
Client Does the writer
address my
needs?
•Not enough seating
•Inadequate parking
facilities
•Too many points of
access
3
rd
Party Does the writer
address my
needs?

19. Audience Purpose Problem Solution
You To inform?
To persuade?
Collegues Quality Control
Client Does the writer
address my
needs?
•Not enough seating
•Inadequate parking
facilities
•Too many points of
access
3
rd
Party Does the writer
address my
needs?
•Lack of security
•Inadequate fire
access

20. Audience Purpose Problem Solution
You To inform?
To persuade?
Collegues Quality Control
Client Does the writer
address my
needs?
•Not enough seating
•Inadequate parking
facilities
•Too many points of
access
•Provide 1000 new
seats.
•Provide on and off-
site parking options
•Consolidate points
of entry
3
rd
Party Does the writer
address my
needs?
•Lack of security
•Inadequate fire
access

21. Audience Purpose Problem Solution
You To inform?
To persuade?
Collegues Quality Control
Client Does the writer
address my
needs?
•Not enough seating
•Inadequate parking
facilities
•Too many points of
access
•Provide 1000 new
seats.
•Provide on and off-
site parking options
•Consolidate points
of entry
3
rd
Party Does the writer
address my
needs?
•Lack of security
•Inadequate fire
access
•Create new walls
and gates
•Provide fire lane
access on all sides
of the building

22. Homework 2.2
Write a description of your client for the Avanti
Project (Mark Ross). This description should be
no more than 200 words. Consider these things:
•What’s your client’s education background?
•Is he a major decision maker?
•What’s his role in the company?
•What does he know about your field of
expertise?
•Does he have a lot of technical expertise?
•Why does this person care about what you
write?
\

23. Homework 2.2
Create a table outlining the potential readers for
the Avanti Project. Consider the
problems/concerns/issues associated with the
project and the types of solutions you might be
able to provide.