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Your audience is the readers for whom you're writing.
Why is it important to think about audience?
To ensure that the reader will understand the information
To enhance your credibility by meeting the readers’ expectations regarding context, form, voice, tone, and other aspects of writing
Early in the writing process, identify the audience for your writing. The audience may include the intended reader or readers but also hypothetical readers. The following are some examples.
For your academic writing at Walden
For your writing outside of Walden
For your Walden coursework, your actual audience is often your faculty or classmates. However, it is helpful to also consider hypothetical readers who would benefit from learning about the topic, even those outside of the classroom. Thinking about the hypothetical reader can help you provide important background information and demonstrate your understanding of the topic.
Analyze your audience, considering their characteristics, needs, and expectations. Use that analysis to inform your writing. Expand the sections for questions to consider for your audience analysis:
Explore these examples of applying audience considerations to a written communication's content, strategies, and language.
Because the discussion board is part of a university course, there are expectations of formality and etiquette, though the tone of the writing can generally be more casual and friendly than for formal assignments. Initially, your readers (faculty and classmates) may be strangers, so you might share some personal details, such as your research interests, career, and hobbies. However, the reader will likely expect that you leave out more intimate personal details in this somewhat public space.
A key role of academic writing is to demonstrate your learning and understanding of the course content. Because the audience includes the hypothetical reader, include enough background so that anyone coming across your work—even if they aren’t familiar with the course materials for that week—will be able to understand and appreciate it. Your faculty may also be looking for your analysis and synthesis of the learning materials.
Understanding the audience and purpose will be key in making decisions about content and tone. Sometimes, the reader may need the backstory or background information, and other times not. In some instances, casual language and nonstandard spelling or grammar may be the norm. Sharing intimate details, personal experiences, and anecdotes may be appropriate or expected.
Your audience will often briefly scan the document initially, so it should be concise and highlight only the most relevant information. Formatting and correctness can communicate your credibility, so it will be important to be precise and grammatically accurate. The audience may also be expecting that you use industry-specific language.
For a professional conference, your bio should generally be formal and straightforward. The audience will expect you to establish your credibility by sharing career highlights, professional experience, academic credentials, and publications.
Also consider factors such as cultural norms, disciplinary conventions, and medium or platform constraints when crafting messages.