Writing for General and Field Expert Audiences

ESLP 001 010Ms. Candice Quiñones

General Audiences (GR)

• Are comprised of a variety of backgrounds, levels of education, specialties, and interests.

Where would you encounter this type of audience?

Field Expert Audiences (FER)

• Have in depth knowledge of the field you are addressing.

Where would you encounter this type of audience?

Who was this written for?

• The response of the idealized prototype building to a strong ground motion was computed with and without a TMD. The TMD did not reduce the prototype's maximum response. Based on these results, vibration absorbers do not seem effective in reducing the maximum seismic response of tall buildings.

Who was this written for?

• The structure is designed to be stiff so that under everyday conditions of loading and usage it will not deflect or vibrate to an extent that is annoying to the occupants or detrimental to its function. The materials and details of construction have durability, such that the structure will not corrode, deteriorate, or break under the effects of weathering and normal usage during its lifetime.

Writing for Any Audience

• As in any written work, knowing your audience is essential.

• Ask yourself: – What will they find interesting or engaging?– What do they already know? – What do I need to explain so that they can

understand the significance of the story?– What words are they familiar with?

Writing for a General Audience

• Ask:– What expectations does my audience have about my

subject? About me as a writer?– What is my audience likely to know about the topic? – What firsthand experiences is my audience likely to

have with the topic? • What points will I need to develop?

– What terms are likely to be unfamiliar to my audience? – How will my audience use my writing on this topic?

• What do they hope to gain from reading my piece?

Considerations for General Audience

• Content—• What's the scope? • What needs to be included? • What doesn't need to be included? • This is about the breadth of the writing.

Considerations (GR)

• Level of detail—• How much information is needed for

development? • What specific details will this audience need?

(This goes toward the depth of the writing.)

Considerations (GR)

• Vocabulary—• What words does the reader understand?• What ones need to be defined? • What jargon is understood by the reader?• What isn't understood?

Considerations (GR)

• Organization—• How will the reader want the material to be

presented?• How should the pieces be put together for

maximum clarity and comprehension? – From general to specific? – Chronologically? – Spatially?– From less controversial to more controversial?– From simpler to more complex?

Considerations (GR)

• Tone—• What is the sound of the language?– Formal? – Informal? – Irreverent? – Serious? – Playful?

Consideration (GR)

• Visuals—• What graphs, tables, diagrams, illustrations or

other visual aids are needed to convey the salient points to this reader?

Considerations (GR)

• Format/Structure—• What is the physical appearance of the

material?– Titles? – Headings? – Subheadings? – Conventional? – Unconventional?

Considerations (GR)

• Readability—• How accessible is the content and language

overall?

Writing for a Field Expert Audience

• Feel free to use technical language and jargon• Say something novel• Make reference to others in the field• Agree/Disagree with an expert• Do what they can’t do (fill in the gaps)

Considerations (FER)

• Who are your readers?– Are they professors, managers, engineers, scientists, or

technicians? • What does your audience know about the subject.

– What terms will you have to define? – What background information will you have to include?

• Why is your audience reading the document?– What is the purpose of the document?– Is the document supposed to inform or to convince?

• How will your audience read your document? – Will they read it straight through like a story or will they turn to

specific sections?

Your Turn

• With your classmates, go to the library’s journals section and make a list of publications that write for general audiences and another list of those that write for field expert audiences.