CHAPTER 2 – AUDIENCE
CHAPTER SYNOPSIS: This chapter focuses on audience and different
considerations for revising your document based on those audiences. The type
of audience identified will shape your document’s format, terminology, style, and
technical level. There are several types of audiences, including experts,
technicians, executives, gatekeepers, and non-specialists (laypeople). However,
most documents you create will have multiple audiences: often, a primary audience –
the main audience for the document – and a secondary audience – other audiences that
are likely to read the document, but who are not the main focus. In addition to the type
of audience, you should analyze the audience to identify other factors that can affect
how the document is received, including background, needs and interests, cultures and
values, and demographic characteristics. The rest of the chapter gives strategies to
revise a document’s content for your audience, including changes to the content, style
and format, sentence style, and document design.
2.1 – INTRODUCTION: A key concern of technical communication is the receiver
of the information – the audience. Technical communication is the delivery of
technical information to readers (or listeners or viewers) in a manner that is
adapted to their needs, level of understanding, and background. Your
documents must clearly convey new information to the reader, and you often
need to translate highly technical concepts to a group with differing levels of
technical knowledge – this is a key skill for any technical communicator.
Therefore, the audience is one of the most important considerations in planning,
writing, and reviewing a document. Adapt your writing to meet the needs,
interests, culture, and background of those who will be reading your documents.
There are several types of readers who may use them, each with different
backgrounds, education levels, needs, and interest in the topic. All should be
considered when analyzing the audience for a successful technical document.
2.2. – TYPES OF AUDIENCES: During the planning stages of your document,
you should analyze the audience to identify the type (or types – it is rarely just
one type) of readers. Identifying what type(s) of readers may be interested in
your document will help you create an improved, more effective document.
o COMMON TYPES OF AUDIENCES: The following are several types of
common audiences for technical documents:
EXPERTS: People who know the business or organization (and
possibly the theory and the product) inside and out. They designed
it, they tested it, and they know everything about it. Often, they
have advanced degrees and operate in academic settings or in
research and development areas of the government and
technology worlds (the creators, specialists).
TECHNICIANS: People who build, operate, maintain, and repair
the items that the experts design and theorize about. They have
highly technical knowledge as well, but of a more practical nature
(the hands-on users, operators).
, EXECUTIVES: People who make business, economic,
administrative, legal, governmental, or political decisions about the
products. Executives frequently have little technical knowledge
about the subject. Often, executives will be the primary audience
for documents such as proposals and reports (the CEOs,
committees, hiring managers).
GATEKEEPERS: People who oversee the writer and the
document. They decide if the document is compliant with rules,
regulations, legal obligations, and/or the needs of the writer’s
employer. Think of them as the direct supervisor of the writer –
they confirm that a document will fulfill its purpose for the client, as
well as ensure compliance with the company’s rules, regulations,
and policies. In the classroom, your instructor will often be your
gatekeeper – they ensure you follow the standards and goals of the
assignment (the writer’s supervisors, lawyers, instructors).
NON-SPECIALISTS: People with the least technical knowledge of
the topic. They want to use the new product to accomplish tasks;
they want to understand the new technology, products, or
procedures enough to use them in a particular situation. Or, they
may just be curious about a specific technical matter and want to
learn about it – but for no specific, practical reason (the laypeople).
Audience analysis can become complicated when you consider that you may
have a combination of audience types and backgrounds: mixed audience types,
wide variability within audience, and/or unknown audiences.
o MULTIPLE OR MIXED AUDIENCES: Most documents you write will have
multiple or mixed audiences. Often, it is best to think of these in terms of
the primary audience(s) and secondary audience(s).
PRIMARY AUDIENCE: The primary audience is the main reader of
the document. For example, if you create a set of safety protocols
to be displayed in the laboratory, the primary audience will be the
technicians which use the laboratory. In this example, it is
important to adapt the safety protocols for the technicians to
understand, as unclear steps could lead to physical harm.
SECONDARY AUDIENCE: The secondary audience(s) is made up
of others who may read or be interested in a document, but who is
not the main (primary) reader. In the laboratory example, these
groups could be experts who enforce laboratory regulations and
standards, but also could be non-specialist custodial staff that clean
and maintain the lab. Both of these groups may be interested in
the document – the experts ensure that safety standards are met,
while the non-specialists may need to follow the displayed protocols
in an emergency. Additionally, the secondary audience may be
someone your primary reader consults if your message, report,
proposal, etc. is a request for a specific action. For example, if you
are a salesperson making a pitch to a client, that client may need to
consult their supervisor before agreeing to your terms.
CHAPTER SYNOPSIS: This chapter focuses on audience and different
considerations for revising your document based on those audiences. The type
of audience identified will shape your document’s format, terminology, style, and
technical level. There are several types of audiences, including experts,
technicians, executives, gatekeepers, and non-specialists (laypeople). However,
most documents you create will have multiple audiences: often, a primary audience –
the main audience for the document – and a secondary audience – other audiences that
are likely to read the document, but who are not the main focus. In addition to the type
of audience, you should analyze the audience to identify other factors that can affect
how the document is received, including background, needs and interests, cultures and
values, and demographic characteristics. The rest of the chapter gives strategies to
revise a document’s content for your audience, including changes to the content, style
and format, sentence style, and document design.
2.1 – INTRODUCTION: A key concern of technical communication is the receiver
of the information – the audience. Technical communication is the delivery of
technical information to readers (or listeners or viewers) in a manner that is
adapted to their needs, level of understanding, and background. Your
documents must clearly convey new information to the reader, and you often
need to translate highly technical concepts to a group with differing levels of
technical knowledge – this is a key skill for any technical communicator.
Therefore, the audience is one of the most important considerations in planning,
writing, and reviewing a document. Adapt your writing to meet the needs,
interests, culture, and background of those who will be reading your documents.
There are several types of readers who may use them, each with different
backgrounds, education levels, needs, and interest in the topic. All should be
considered when analyzing the audience for a successful technical document.
2.2. – TYPES OF AUDIENCES: During the planning stages of your document,
you should analyze the audience to identify the type (or types – it is rarely just
one type) of readers. Identifying what type(s) of readers may be interested in
your document will help you create an improved, more effective document.
o COMMON TYPES OF AUDIENCES: The following are several types of
common audiences for technical documents:
EXPERTS: People who know the business or organization (and
possibly the theory and the product) inside and out. They designed
it, they tested it, and they know everything about it. Often, they
have advanced degrees and operate in academic settings or in
research and development areas of the government and
technology worlds (the creators, specialists).
TECHNICIANS: People who build, operate, maintain, and repair
the items that the experts design and theorize about. They have
highly technical knowledge as well, but of a more practical nature
(the hands-on users, operators).
, EXECUTIVES: People who make business, economic,
administrative, legal, governmental, or political decisions about the
products. Executives frequently have little technical knowledge
about the subject. Often, executives will be the primary audience
for documents such as proposals and reports (the CEOs,
committees, hiring managers).
GATEKEEPERS: People who oversee the writer and the
document. They decide if the document is compliant with rules,
regulations, legal obligations, and/or the needs of the writer’s
employer. Think of them as the direct supervisor of the writer –
they confirm that a document will fulfill its purpose for the client, as
well as ensure compliance with the company’s rules, regulations,
and policies. In the classroom, your instructor will often be your
gatekeeper – they ensure you follow the standards and goals of the
assignment (the writer’s supervisors, lawyers, instructors).
NON-SPECIALISTS: People with the least technical knowledge of
the topic. They want to use the new product to accomplish tasks;
they want to understand the new technology, products, or
procedures enough to use them in a particular situation. Or, they
may just be curious about a specific technical matter and want to
learn about it – but for no specific, practical reason (the laypeople).
Audience analysis can become complicated when you consider that you may
have a combination of audience types and backgrounds: mixed audience types,
wide variability within audience, and/or unknown audiences.
o MULTIPLE OR MIXED AUDIENCES: Most documents you write will have
multiple or mixed audiences. Often, it is best to think of these in terms of
the primary audience(s) and secondary audience(s).
PRIMARY AUDIENCE: The primary audience is the main reader of
the document. For example, if you create a set of safety protocols
to be displayed in the laboratory, the primary audience will be the
technicians which use the laboratory. In this example, it is
important to adapt the safety protocols for the technicians to
understand, as unclear steps could lead to physical harm.
SECONDARY AUDIENCE: The secondary audience(s) is made up
of others who may read or be interested in a document, but who is
not the main (primary) reader. In the laboratory example, these
groups could be experts who enforce laboratory regulations and
standards, but also could be non-specialist custodial staff that clean
and maintain the lab. Both of these groups may be interested in
the document – the experts ensure that safety standards are met,
while the non-specialists may need to follow the displayed protocols
in an emergency. Additionally, the secondary audience may be
someone your primary reader consults if your message, report,
proposal, etc. is a request for a specific action. For example, if you
are a salesperson making a pitch to a client, that client may need to
consult their supervisor before agreeing to your terms.
