2.2 Profiling Your Reader for Effective Communication
2.2 Profiling Your Reader for Effective Communication
McDonald Kyte
Nicieja, K. (n.d.). Image: From Adobe Stock [Digital Image] by Pixel-Shot / Education License – Standard Image
Technical communication is an audience-centered means of communication that provides readers with clear, concise, and easily accessible information so they understand both the author’s purpose and the document’s usefulness, and respond accordingly. The technical writers and readers share an important relationship. The writer recognizes, respects, and addresses the importance of the audience’s time by communicating information that is understandable, relevant, and useful. The writer strives for effective and efficient communication by providing documents written in specific formats and using dynamic and precise language to convey accessible information. The reader in turn thoroughly processes the information to give a thoughtful response or take appropriate action (Beilfuss et al, 2019). Hence, the communication’s usefulness is determined by the degree to which its readers can use it to perform their tasks. Communication must be useful from the reader’s perspective.
In workplace communication, it is important to focus on what your readers need, value, and find useful. Today, people do not have time to read unnecessary information, so it is crucial to determine exactly what your readers need to know and how they prefer to receive that information. As you write, present, or design your message, concentrate on providing the information your readers need in ways that are most useful to them (Sheehan, 2018).
Another important consideration is the growing significance of global communication through electronic networks. In technical fields, you will often communicate with individuals who come from diverse cultures, speak different languages, and hold different expectations. In today’s digital workplace, internet has made global communication commonplace. This chapter will guide you in understanding your readers and the contexts in which they will read your technical documents.
Know Your Reader: A Guide to Audience Analysis
In technical communication, documents are developed to cater to the needs of particular reader types. A reader profile involves examining the specific requirements, backgrounds, skills, and experiences of your readers. Profiling the reader will give you detailed insights into how your audience will utilize your document and the context in which they will use it (Sheehan 2018).
Predicting how someone will respond to your writing or speech is never entirely certain, as their reactions depend on a variety of factors. To improve your accuracy in predicting these responses, consider these guidelines for understanding your readers and their reading preferences.
Guideline 1 | Explain the task your reader needs to accomplish
To create effective communication that assists your reader in a task, it is essential to understand the specific goal the communication will hel