To: Nancy Myers

From: William Conklin

Date: April 13, 2021
Subject: APLED 121-Chapter 5 outline

CHAPTER 5
AUDIENCE RECOGNITION

Audience Recognition-It is important to consider a few things when communicating. What does the
audience know or not know? How can you communicate to multiple people? What issues of diversity
must you consider?

• Knowledge of Subject Matter-Know how familiar your audience is with the subject matter. You
could be writing for one or all the following audiences:
o High-Tech audience
o Low-Tech audience
o Lay audience
o Multiple Audiences
• Writing for Future Audiences-This may include the following:
o Judges and juries
o New employees
o Accountants and auditors
o New managers or supervisors
o technicians

Defining Terms of Audiences

• Defining Terms Parenthetically-Instead of CIA, write CIA (Culinary Institute of America) or

Culinary Institute of America (CIA). This only needs to be done once per correspondence.
• Defining Your Terms in a Sentence-if you have a sentence definition include the following:

Term + Type + Distinguished characteristics

• Using Extended Definitions of One or More Paragraphs-You may want to include examples,
procedures and descriptions.
• Using a Glossary-An alphabetized list of terms placed after your conclusion/recommendation.
• Providing Pop-Ups and Links with Definitions-Use these tools for online help.

Audience Personal Traits-Consider the audiences perceived personality, attitude, preferences and your
desired response to the subject. By reviewing these considerations, you can asses the tone and style as
well as how persuasive you need to be.
Biased Language-Issues of Diversity-Diversity includes gender, race, ethnicity, age, religious affiliation,
culture, sexual orientation, class, physical and mental characteristics and language. Concerning
ourselves with diversity is not only the right thing to do, but it is protected by the law, good for business
and keeps companies competitive.

Multiculturalism

• The Global Economy-With technology companies can market internationally, increasing sales
opportunities. Multilingual communication can create written and oral challenges.
• Cross-cultural Workplace Communication-This is writing and speaking between businesspeople
from different cultures within the same country. This is challenging for hospitals, police and fire
personnel among many others.

Guidelines for Effective Multicultural Communication

• Define Acronyms and Abbreviations-Acronyms and abbreviations may not be understood cross
culturally. The abbreviation for “system manager” as sysmgr would not make sense because
system manager is system leiter in German, for example.
• Avoid Jargon and Idioms-Common expressions in English might not make sense to others, such
as:
o Bite the bullet
o Jump through hoops
o Dog-eat-dog world

• Distinguish Between Nouns and Verbs-If your text is translated, make sure your reader can tell
whether you are using a noun or verb form a word. Words like, file, scroll, boot and paste are
common computer terms that could be confusing.
• Watch for Cultural Biases/Expectations-colors and images my have different meanings in
different cultures. A piggy bank in the U.S. is a perfectly fine symbol for saving money however,
in the Mideast pork is a negative symbol.
• Be Careful When Using Slash Marks-Does the slash mark mean “and,” “or,” or “both”?
Determine what you want to say and say it.
• Avoid Humor and Puns-Humor is not universal. What is funny or cleaver in one language might
be misunderstood or missed when translated.
• Realize That Translations May Take More or Less Space-Paper size may not be set to the same
standard that you are expecting. In England, the standard size for paper is A4-201 x 297 or 8.27
x 11.69 inches compared to our standard of 8.5 x 11 in the U.S. Websites can be affected by
translation too. The word count of a document might increase when translated into another
language.
• Avoid Figurative Language-To “tackle” a chore, is sports image that might not communicate
worldwide. Say what you mean, using precise language.
• Be Careful with Numbers, Measurements, Dates, and Times-Most of the world uses the metric
system, so if you are using standard American units, that can be confusing. Different parts of
the world write the date differently, so write it out completely. Be clear about the format you
have chosen to express time.
 • Use Stylized Graphics to Represent People-Avoid depicting race, skin color hairstyles and
gender. Instead choose white or black to represent generic skin. Choose simple stick figures to
represent people.

Avoiding Biased Language

• Ageist Language-Avoid using words like “elderly” or “old folks”. You can also avoid references
to age all together.
• Biased Language About People with Disabilities-Avoid referencing a person’s disabilities if
possible. If you need to reference to a physical problem, do it without negative connotation.
Write, John is diabetic, instead of, John suffers from diabetes.
• Sexist Language-You should avoid sexist language when you write. Do not:
➢ Ignore women or treat then as secondary.
➢ Stereotype and suggest that men do one kind of job and women another.
➢ Use pronouns such as, he, him, or his.
➢ Use gender-tagged nouns like, mankind, businessman or waitress/waiter.

Audience Involvement

• Personalized Tone-Personalize correspondence using pronouns. Use your/you to address

the reader, we/us/our to speak to a team and I/me/my to identify yourself. Using the
readers name is another way to create a friendly reading environment.
• Reader Benefit-Your reader may not know the benefits, so explain them clearly. Placing the
benefits early in your writing will interest the reader and motivate them to continue
reading. Involve you audience with positive words, such as:
o Advantage
o Effective
o Improve
o promote

The Writing Process at Work

• Prewriting-Brainstorming
• Writing-Write an initial draft
• Rewriting-Edit and make revisions