“All readers have expectations.”
Audience – Who?
An audience is anyone who reads the message, whether they were intended to read it or not. For ease of understanding, those two groups will classify the audience. When composing messages the writer will most often focus on the target audience, the ones they want to have read the message. It can be equally crucial when communicating in a virtual environment to acknowledge the unintended audience, the ones that are not being spoken to directly. That is not to say the message should be tailored to include everyone but just to be cognizant while writing that it may reach people outside of what is anticipated. Once a target audience is chosen, the writer is then able to move forward in composing the message. The target audience, and the level to which our latent observer is addressed, can help determine what form of writing is used (how formal or informal it is), and the purpose (what is to be said).
Purpose – Why?
Determining the purpose of the writing is equally important to determining the audience. Having a clear purpose allows the writer to compose a strong and clear message bearing in mind what is known about the audience and utilizing the most effective writing style for the given audience. In the same way that the latent observer must be kept in mind, an unintended message must be avoided as well. This can be done by maintaining a clear purpose, possibly stating the purpose, and using the message to clarify. Using an applicable title and following the title with a clear thesis should help set the expectation of the readers in the direction preferred by the writer.
References
Colorado State University (2011) Accessed February 28, 2011 http://writing.colostate.edu/guides/processes/focus/list4.cfm
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