Unit 1: Know Your Audience and Purpose
When you are writing in a professional context, it is essential to cultivate an awareness and respect for your audience. Before you begin writing, you must determine for whom you are writing and why. Your goal should be to make your meaning as clear as possible, so your audience does not have to struggle to understand what you are saying. In this unit, you will learn how to analyze your audience, to identify your purpose for writing, and to prepare an outline that will help you get your point across.
Completing this unit should take you approximately 1.75 hours.
1.1: What Is Professional Writing?
You will be prompted to read sections of this book throughout the course. You may choose to bookmark it now and skip to the appropriate section as prompted by the instructions in the resource boxes below, or you can simply open the specific sections of the text assigned as you progress through each resource box.
1.1.1: Definition of Professional Writing
Read the brief introduction to professional writing, and watch the embedded videos on the page. Please note that the resource provides an overview of two types of professional writing: business writing and technical writing.
1.1.2: Common Genres
1.1.2.1: Business Letters and Memos
Read this section. You may want to take notes on the basic elements of business memos and letters.
1.1.2.2: Electronic Communication
Read this section, which discusses when electronic communication is appropriate in a professional context.
1.1.2.3: Proposals
Read this section. This section provides an overview of the elements and purpose of effective business proposals. Page two of this section pertains to the sections commonly found in a proposal: the cover page, executive summary or abstract, background, the body of the proposal, etc. When you are writing a proposal, you might want to use these categories as section headers for your proposal.
1.1.2.4: Presentations
1.1.2.4.1: Informational Presentations
Read this section, which explains the basic structure of an informational presentation.
1.1.3: Professional Writing Tone
Watch this video. The video provides useful information on how to maintain a professional tone in business communications. At the end of the video, test your understanding with the included self-assessment.
1.2: Know Your Audience
1.2.1: Characteristics of Your Audience
In most professional settings, your reader will have limited time, and he will scan the title and the first sentence or two at most to determine if the message is worth reading. If he does not find a compelling reason to continue reading, he will stop before finishing the document and either set it aside or throw it away.
The best way to avoid this fate is to convince your reader that your message will give him information that is relevant to him and then to convey this information as clearly and succinctly as possible.
1.2.2: Research Your Specific Audience
Before you begin writing, pause to reflect on the person or people to whom you are writing. Do they know you or someone you know? Are they expecting to hear from you?
Read this section. This section will introduce you to strategies for analyzing your audience and tailoring your message to them. When you are done reading this section, jot down what you know about the audience for your business document.
1.2.3.1: Motivate
Most professional documents are written to motivate action. You write a resume and cover letter so that someone will hire you. You write a memo so that your colleagues can do something differently. You write a webpage so that your customers can find the information they need. Before you begin writing, consider what you want your reader to do after reading your document.
This webpage provides an overview of four classical strategies for persuading your audience. Please click on the link above and read this webpage, including the examples at the bottom of the page. Then choose the strategy that will be most effective for your audience.
1.2.3.2: Organize Your Message around One Main Objective
When developing your document, consider the following question: what is the most important point you want your reader to get out of your correspondence with them? Write your main point on a blank page. Then, add any sub-points that support your main objective.
Read this section. This section will explain how to organize your content coherently. Once you have read the section, create an outline for your business document. Begin your outline with your main point, and then organize your bullets so that they support this main point.
1.3: Troubleshooting
1.3.1: Brainstorm
If you are having difficulty coming up with ideas about what to write, here are some suggested approaches that might be helpful.
Skim the handout, and focus on the brainstorming technique that seems the most useful to you.
1.3.2: Consider Objections
When developing your document and analyzing your audience, consider whether your reader will object to anything in your document. If so, you will need to add sections to respond to these objections. There are several ways that you can do this: 1) provide counter evidence and/or 2) provide examples of other organizations that have successfully implemented similar proposals.
Take ten minutes to think about any objections your audience may have to your message. Write down some ways you might address these objections.
Unit 1 Assessment
Please take this assessment to check your understanding of the materials presented in this unit.
Notes:
- There is no minimum required score to pass this assessment, and your score on this assessment will not factor into your overall course grade.
- This assessment is designed to prepare you for the Final Exam that will determine your course grade. Upon submission of your assessment you will be provided with the correct answers and/or other feedback meant to help in your understanding of the topics being assessed.
- You may attempt this assessment as many times as needed, whenever you would like.