STUDY GUIDE

Module 2: Audience Analysis for Workplace Communication

- people who are reading the material in order to do something or learn something
- also known as “end-users”

Audience Analysis - assessing the audience to make sure the information provided to them is at
the appropriate level

Downward - from SUPERIOR to SUBORDINATE

Upward - from SUBORDINATE to SUPERIOR (i.e., lower hierarchical level to higher level)
Lateral / Sideward - from SUBORDINATE to another SUBORDINATE (i.e., working at the
same level)
Diagonal / Crosswise - among persons at different levels who have no direct reporting
relationships
Inward - from EXTERNAL AUDIENCE/AGENCIES to the ORGANIZATION
Outward - from WITHIN THE ORGANIZATION to an EXTERNAL AUDIENCE

A. According to Scope
Internal Audience - members of the same workplace
External Audience - people outside of the organization

B. According to Knowledge Level

Layperson - a general reader without expert knowledge but with an interest in a subject
Technician - a person with skilled knowledge in an area who implements the ideas or plans
of the expert; operate equipment, repair machinery, and train others; they read manuals,
schematics, blueprints, and technical reports
Expert - an authority in a particular field who is highly skilled and professional, perhaps
with an advanced degree; designs equipment, conducts research, and creates new products
Manager - a person who organizes personnel and is responsible for the day-to-day
operations as well as long-range planning

C. According to Point of View

Specific Audience - single person or a group whose point of view is the same
Multiple Audience - readers whose points of view differ
D. According to Order of Importance
Primary Audience/Target Audience - the audience for which the message is written; the
audience to which the writer is writing by using language this reader will understand
Secondary Audience - individuals outside the immediate circle of people who will be
needing the information directly

Demographics - information such as the age, sex, income, and educational level of your group
**In communicating in the workplace, one rule dominates: The needs and wants of your audience
dictate every decision you make as a writer/speaker.
1. Knowledge Level - experience, age, expertise
2. Role - the function or job that someone performs at work
3. Interest
4. Cultural Background - the special beliefs, customs, and values specific to a group of people or
to a particular region
5. Personality

Purpose - a specific end or outcome to be obtained; what a writer wants a reader to do after reading
a document
**The purpose is TO INFORM, TO INSTRUCT, TO PERSUADE, or a combination

Scope - the extent of treatment, activity, or influence, that is, what is and is not included
Medium - a means by which information is conveyed (e.g., a television commercial)

** The format of your medium deals with the details of the document arrangement: the type of
document, its length, the preferred style manual, and its organization.
**Tone - can range from formal (as in a business letter to a client) to semiformal (as in a memo
announcing a change in company dress policy) to informal (as in a quick email to colleagues
announcing the upcoming company picnic).

Prepared by:

Vanrom Kip P. Follosco

Language Instructor, HSC
FEU Institute of Technology

**This guide is not an “all-in” approach for the lesson’s contents. For a more comprehensive review and content
learning on the module, please refer to the video courseware and the PPT materials in CANVAS.