IDENTIFY YOUR AUDIENCE

Audience is composed of the readers who you intend to persuade through your argument. To help you identify and appeal to the members of your audience better, answer the following questions about them:

• Who are the readers I will be addressing? Age? Gender? Educational level? Socioeconomic status? Political or religious affiliations? Professions?
• What do my readers already know about the issue? How much additional information do they need to understand the issue? Do they already have a position about the issue? Does it affect them personally?
• How do I want them to respond to my argument? How can I persuade them to listen to my ideas? What reasons will appeal to them?
• What do I have in common with my readers? What values and beliefs do we share? What similar experiences have we had? How can I make my readers aware of this connection?

ADAPT YOUR ARGUMENT TO YOUR AUDIENCE

Knowledge of the audience's needs and expectations will help you shape your writing in many different ways:

• The kind of language your audience will understand and find credible – i.e., professional terminology, scholarly vocabulary, or simple and straightforward prose.
• The tone they will find most appealing – i.e., humorous, serious, emotional, or dispassionate.
• The reasons they will find most persuasive – i.e., financial considerations, ethical concerns, or practical solutions.
• The types of evidence they will find convincing – i.e., statistics, facts, personal anecdotes, judicial rulings, or academic research.
• The authorities that will impress them – i.e., professionals in the field, celebrities, religious leaders, sports personalities, or historical figures.

Copyright © 1995-2010, Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Pearson Longman Legal and Privacy Terms