English Grammar for the Utterly Confused - Laurie Rozakis 2003

Audience and Style
Chapter 12 Developing Your Own Writing Style
Part 5 Struttin Your Stuff with Style

A writer’s audience are the people who read what you have written. To be an effective writer and speaker, you must understand how your audience is likely to react to what you say and how you say it. Knowing who you are communicating with is fundamental to the success of any message. You need to tailor your writing style to suit the audience’s needs, interests, and goals.

Before you write anything that you wish to share with others, analyze your audience. Ask yourself these questions:

1. Who will be reading what I have written?

Possible audiences include teachers, classmates, colleagues, clients, friends, strangers.

2. How much do my readers know about my topic at this point?

Are they novices, experts, or somewhere in between?

3. What information must I provide for my message to be successful?

Sometimes you will have to provide a great deal of information to help your readers grasp your message. Other times, in contrast, you’ll have little, or no, information to add.

4. How does my audience feel about this topic?

Are they neutral, hostile, enthusiastic, or somewhere in between? A hostile audience is much more difficult to reach than a friendly one.

5. What obstacles (if any) must I overcome for my message to be successful?

You might have to deliver bad news, for instance.

6. What style of writing does my audience anticipate and prefer?

Of course, you will suit your style to your audience’s needs and expectations. For instance, you wouldn’t use long, difficult words for young children. Similarly, you wouldn’t use many idioms (nonliteral phrases) for nonnative speakers of English.

A note on audience: In most instances, you will have a clearly defined audience, so you can adjust your style to appeal to them and help you achieve your purpose. Other times, however, your audience won’t be as easy to identify. For instance, you might be sending a resume and cover letter to a job identified by only the most general description and a post office box. In this situation, it’s even more critical to get some information about your readers. You might first send a query letter asking for more details, for instance.