COM 3325

Technical Communication

Audience and Task Analysis

Presented by:
Benqadi Irchad
Miryam El basri
Yasmina El Fethouni
Soraya Oulad Benchiba
Outline
 Introduction
◦ Defining Audience and task analysis
 Body
◦ Who reads technical documents?
◦ Why do they read?
◦ What are their tasks?
◦ How do you identify tasks?
◦ How do you write for an audience?
 Conclusion
◦ How do you revise for an audience?
Defining Audience and task analysis

 “Audience and task analysis is the starting

point for any study of technical
communication as well as technical
writing”
Who reads technical Documents?
 Technical audiences as defined by Houp K.
and Pearsall:

◦ Laymen
◦ Technicians
◦ Executives
◦ Experts
Defining Audience

 Defining the relationship of the audience

with the technology provides a useful hint
in defining their knowledge about that
technology
Defining Audience - Example

 Photoshop:

◦ Entry level
◦ Intermediate
◦ Joggers
◦ Experts
Task analysis
 Task analysis focuses on:
◦ what kind of information the readers need
◦ which task they seek to accomplish
◦ What type of information they need to make
decisions
Why do they read?
 Solve problems
 Accomplish important tasks
 Gather information
Task Analysis for Instructions
 Task analysis for instructions must be
straightforward :

 In order to write a task analysis, you have

to define the common uses of the
concerned device and then write
accordingly.
Non-instructural information
 Also called topic analysis, their readers are looking for a
certain topic to meet their needs.
 Example: Global warming report for real-estate
developers.
 This report should be written under this form:
 The causes of Global Warming
 The effects
 Arguments against the theory
 Balanced view
 Current research
 Current efforts to combat global warming
After reading this task analysis, the readers will
understand the theory, its worst implications, see
the other side of the argument, see your balanced
view of the matter, and get better perspective
from the report with which to make their own
decisions.
How do you identify tasks?

I. Real projects – real audience – real

feedback
II. Invented “hypothetical” projects and
audiences
I. Real projects – real audience –
real feedback

In some technical-writing courses, you must

find a real project and present it to a real
audience
 Example: Printer guide for the
computer lab
The steps to follow:

1. Project including a topic and purpose

2. A list of people who will be using the doc
3. A list of tasks that must be performed
4. Identify amount of experience, knowledge
and skills
Example: Printer guide for the
computer lab

5. Observe the audience to identify the

tasks for which they might need
inforamtion
6. Concepts and terminology list
7. Create an audience description
 Audience:
This guide is for the
system administrator
installing the printer on
the network.
This document covers
only those features
unique to

Cognitive’s network e+Solutions™ printer line.

Please refer to the specific printer’s user guide for
information on using and maintaining the printer.
Consult the Programmer’s Guide and Cognitive’s
web site for additional configuration, setup and
special feature functions.
II. Invented “hypothetical” projects and
audiences

Use your imagination and define a

hypothetical audience
Example: Global warming report for
real estate investors
The steps to follow:

1. A project which includes the topic and

purpose
2. Information about the individual requesting
the report
3. The audience interests and needs for the
report
4. Concepts and terminology list
5. Topic you should discuss, and the details you
should cover
6. Audience description
How do you write for an audience?

•You need to write with an audience fully in mind

at all times.
•Not a step-by-step process like audience and
task analysis  rather a frame of mind/ a mental
perspective/ an attitude.
What is the issue?
 In a speech, the speaker and the listener
engage in a give-and-take process.
 The listener may look exasperated, bored
and may even interrupt to ask questions;
the speaker reacts accordingly (by
restating, clarifying and so on)
 When you write, the reader is not there
to react. Nor are you, when the reader
reads your document.
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The in-person communication model

 Construct an imaginary audience with

whom we engage in a mentalistic give-
and-take right inside our own brains.
 Mentally engage in recreating the live, in-
person situation

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 What do you Where are you What does
mean by that? going with this? that big fancy
word mean?

I don’t see how

this relates to Questions from your Could you
what you’ve
told me so far
“inner-audience” repeat that?

I’m not
majoring in this May I have an But I thought
stuff…I just example, you said earlier
basic please? that…
information!

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What are the benefits?

 You write more detailed and more

clearly.
 Imaginary audience match actual readers
 You carry on a much more active, more
detailed dialog with those imaginary
readers

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How to make this easier?
 Remember the story of Pinocchio.
 Jimmy Cricket is Pinocchio’s imaginary
audience. When he stops listening to that
cricket, his nose growth (just like if he has
strayed from his audience).
 Find something to hang over your
computer and consider it as your reader.

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How do you revise for an audience?

 Just as you listen to that internal voice as

you write, you need it again as you
review.
 Try to undergo a complete personality
change and become your intended
reader as you review your draft.

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 What’s an STS? A kilobase? A
substrate?

What are these markers every

Reader- 100kb? What’s a kb?
based
questions
and What is it these people are
comments actually doing?
in the
review
process What does this activity mean
to ordinary, non-science
people?

What’s the difference between

a sequencer and a mapper?

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Just in case…
 If the internal-voice metaphor just does
not work for you, you might try
something a bit more mainstream: the
multiphase method of revising.
 It consists in: starting with high-level
issues such as content, audience, and
organization and work all the way down
to grammar, usage, and punctuation.

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Workshop
 Define an audience for a technical document:

◦ Imagine a technical document

◦ What is the technical document about?

◦ Define the audience relationship with the information

in technical document

◦ Define the level of depth of information needed

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