Western Governors University C768 Technical Communication Task 1

A. Audience Analysis  Introduction: Knowing one’s audience is critical to the success of any project. The type of personnel that will use the material can dramatically affect the scope, language and design of the product. If not tailored appropriately, the document is vulnerable to dismissal or misinterpretation by the audience, increasing the likelihood that it will not achieve its intended purpose.  Audience 1:  Familiarity with the Topic: Technical expertise among those attending the international conference will vary. Therefore, the presentation should use vocabulary easily understood by a wide range of personnel. For example, field specific terminology not known to the greater IT community should be avoided.  Attitude: Audience 1 members are excited to learn about the new Software Version Control (SVC) process. Therefore, it is unnecessary to devote a large portion of the presentation to winning over the audience. For example, time would be better spent explaining how the process actually works rather than focusing on convincing the audience of SVC’s worth.  Cultural Background: Because this presentation will be given at an international conference, a wide range of traditions, religions, and customs among attendees is likely. Therefore, great care must be taken to compose a product that does not have content that is considered offensive in other cultures. For example, author Kirk R. St. Amant warns that “the OK sign we make in the United States by putting thumb and forefinger together is a symbol for money in Japan and is considered vulgar in Brazil” (St. Amant, 2005, p. 14).  Language: Although this presentation will be in English, it is important to remember that the venue is an international conference and English will be a second language for many in attendance. Therefore, the presentation should avoid common English slang or business jargon, as the meaning could easily be lost. For example, author This study source was downloaded by