AUDIENCE AND

PURPOSE
Chapter 2
Communication A hands-On Approach
Editor: Sandra Cleary
Objectives
◦ After studying this chapter, you should be able to:
◦ adapt messages to suit a variety of audiences
◦ identify a writer’s intended audience
◦ determine your purpose before constructing a message
◦ identify a writer’s intended purpose
Audience Characteristics
◦ The following factors characterise audiences:
◦ level of knowledge
◦ level of education
◦ status
◦ social variables
◦ age
◦ gender
◦ nationality / culture
◦ mother tongue
◦ social / political / religious beliefs
◦ size
Audience Analysis
◦ To tailor your message for the needs of your audience, ask
yourself:
◦ What does my audience need to know about the
subject?
◦ What will interest or appeal to my audience?
◦ What might provoke a negative reaction in my
audience?
◦ How can I present the information in a way that will
assist my audience to understand it?
Audience Analysis Questions
1. WHO is my audience?
2. WHAT DOES MY AUDIENCE already KNOW about the
topic? before they received your communication?”
3. WHAT DOES MY AUDIENCE NEED TO KNOW? (In
other words, what main point do I wish to communicate to my
audience?)
4. WHAT WILL MY AUDIENCE DO with the information I
give them? (How will they respond once they have received my
message?)
 Purpose
◦ Communicative purpose in business
messages includes:
1. Giving information about, e.g. a seminar
2. Requesting information
3. Persuading the audience, e.g. to buy a
product
4. Promoting goodwill between yourself and
your audience
Text for analysis
 Audience Analysis
Who is my audience?
Those who eat cereal/those who like chocolate
flavour/ those who are conscious about their
health
2. What does my audience already know
about the topic?
That cereal is for eating/that Coco Pops is a
cereal/ that fibre is good for you/that vitamins
and minerals are good for you
3. What does my audience need to know?
They need to know that Coco Pops has
fibre/has added vitamins and minerals
4. What will my audience do?
The audience will purchase Coco Pops
cereal/decide whether they want to purchase
Coco Pops
Purpose
 Giving information:
the text is giving information
about Coco Pops.
 Requesting information:
Not applicable for this text
 Persuading the audience:
To buy Coco Pops
 Promoting goodwill
Showing that they care for the
consumers by offering fibre
and added vitamins and
minerals.
Audience Analysis
1. WHO is my audience?
Nelson Mandela Staff and Students
2. WHAT DOES MY AUDIENCE already
KNOW
There is Covid-19 Pandemic/ that Covid-19
spreads through contact and respiratory
droplets
3. WHAT DOES MY AUDIENCE NEED
TO KNOW?
That they should lead by example/that they
should keep other safe/ that they
should keep their hands clean/that they
should wear masks
4. WHAT WILL MY AUDIENCE DO
Lead by example/keep others safe/ keep their
hands clean/wear masks/decide to do
what is requested or not
Purpose
 Giving information:
The text is giving information about
Covid-19 prevention measures
 Requesting information:
Not applicable for this text
 Persuading the audience:
To lead by example/to keep staff and
students safe/ to wear masks/to
keep their hands clean/to keep
practising Covid-19 prevention
measures
 Promoting goodwill
Showing that the university cares for
the staff and students