Communicating with non-technical audiences. How much do they know?

Bernadette Longo

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference contribution

1 Scopus citations

Abstract

This paper explores the importance of approaching audience as a rhetorical consideration of the intended reader's community and its cultural contexts for writing. It then presents an approach to audience analysis that examines the non-technical reader's community culture using three questions: How does this reader's community value my subject? What writing conventions operate in this reader's community? How much background knowledge is a member of this community likely to have? Finally, this paper describes how a technical writer can choose an appeal based on values shared with the intended reader and then present shared and new information in ways that accommodate the reader's needs for understanding unfamiliar technical subjects.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Title of host publication1993 IEEE International Professional Communication Conference
Editors Anon
PublisherPubl by IEEE
Pages167-171
Number of pages5
ISBN (Print)0780314662
StatePublished - 1993
Externally publishedYes
EventProceedings of the 1993 IEEE International Professional Communication Conference - Philadelphia, PA, USA
Duration: Oct 5 1993Oct 8 1993

Publication series

Name1993 IEEE International Professional Communication Conference

Other

OtherProceedings of the 1993 IEEE International Professional Communication Conference
CityPhiladelphia, PA, USA
Period10/5/9310/8/93

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • General Engineering

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Communicating with non-technical audiences. How much do they know?'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this