COMM11003 Professional

1
COMM11003Professional Technical Communication

• Lesson 2
• Audience and Context

2
Audience

• An audience-focused approach to communication is
  not merely something that needs to be justified
  by communications theory. It is now, and always
  has been, the practice of all successful
  communicators.
• (Windschuttle et al, 2001, p.10)

3
Audience as User

• Technical communicators liaise with
• Users
• Designers, technologists, scientists, developers
• Potential investors and
• Potential clients.
• Your audience will have vastly differing levels
  of knowledge.

4
Audience in a Project Cycle

• Any technical project usually involves the
  following
• Analysis what is the problem?
• Design how will it solve our problem?
• Building build the design
• Test does our design work?
• Implementation distribute/produce
• Evaluation were we successful?
• ALL STEPS SHOULD INVOLVE AUDIENCE!

5
Types of Audience

• Novice lay person little or no
  understanding of topic
• Expert same or greater level of knowledge
• Audience members have different roles
• Primary
• Secondary
• Initial
• Gatekeeper
• Watchdog (Lockyer and Kaczmarek, 2004)

6
Context

• Context is the environment or situation in which
  you are communicating.
• Context will affect how your audience reacts to
  your message.
• Context will affect how you design your message
  for your audience.
• Putting Your Foot in It specifically refers to
  not being aware of context.

7
Motivation

• Motivation incitement to action.
• Occurs at conscious or subconscious level.
• Are you aware of what motivates you?
• Are you aware of what motivates others?
• Think of examples motivation is a powerful and
  everyday influence on communication and behaviour.

8
Readings

• Textbook Business Communication Building
  Critical Skills
• Module 2 Adapting Your Message to your Audience
  
• Module 6 You Attitude
• Module 8 Reader Benefits

9
Exercise 2

• This exercise requires you to describe (in point
  form) the process of opening a cardboard box.
• Your submission should be no longer than a half
  page, and may include diagrams.
• You will have an audience, a context, and
  motivation.
• See your study guide for further details.