Title: Introduction
Course: ENG 120 Technical Composition I > Section: ENG 120 Technical Composition I

Introduction

Know your Audience

Introduction
As a student, you probably have some experience writing on the subject-matter that you are studying, HVAC. However, it is often the case that only those students who are also in HVAC can read those essays and research papers and will fully understand the arguments.

But what if your audience is from another discipline?  You need to understand your audience.

The audience can be classified into two groups: primary and secondary.

- The primary audience is the group to whom you direct the document. They will play a direct role in responding to the document.
- The secondary audience is interested in the document and may use the information in it, but these readers will not respond to it.

Your textbook identifies three levels of readers based on their expertise: technical, semi-technical, and nontechnical. The nontechnical audience is the lay audience, or the general reader.

The following list shows questions you can ask in developing an audience analysis.

1. Who are the members of your primary audience? To whom are you specifically writing your document?

2. Who are the members of your secondary audience? In addition to your primary audience, who else might read your document?

3. Is the audience informed or uninformed on the topic?

4. What is the purpose of the document?

5. What is your audience's educational background?

6. Does the audience have a knowledge of the specialized language of the subject?

7. What are the ages and genders of your audience?

8. What does your audience already know about the topic?

9. What information does your audience need on the topic?

10. What are your audience's attitudes toward the topic?

11. What are your audience's expectations about the document you are writing?

12. How will your audience use the document?

For additional web resources click on the following url

http://writing.colostate.edu/guides/processes/audmod