Audience-centered Communication
In contrast to writer-centered communication, audience-centered communication is a way of conveying information in which the writer scrutinizes their readers so as to ascertain their needs and then make accommodations for those readers. This form of audience analysis is designed to first narrow down a subject and then eventually select a particular subject.
A computer algorithm is a specific sequence of instructions for a computer to follow. Let's relate this concept to audience-centered communication. What is the sequence you will follow when doing audience-centered technical writing?
First, ask yourself if your audience is one or more of the following:
- A general group of readers
- A specific group of readers
- Clients
- Customers
- Your employer
Second, evaluate your audience in terms of their:
- Economic status
- Educational level
- Experience with your subject
- Knowledge of your subject
- Social upbringing
Third, ask yourself what specifically your audience needs, wants, and values the most. You may also want to ask yourself what they value the least as well.
Fourth, what is your instructional goal in writing this article, and what message are you trying to convey to your audience?
Moreover, in this audience-centered style of technical writing, it is helpful to utilize the word ''you'' instead of ''I'' or ''we'', which helps to put your reader at the focal point of your message.
Finally, both keywords and tags can be helpful when working on the Internet and attempting to increase the visibility of your technical writing. While the two words are sometimes used synonymously, they actually serve two different purposes as they relate to online content.
Keywords are those words as well as phrases that a reader literally enters into their keyboard when searching for various online items. Tags are labels a writer assigns to their own posts to distinguish them from other posts.
Lesson Summary
As it relates to a technical writer, the phrase search engine optimization (SEO) involves a method that increases a website's opportunity to appear higher in the results of organic, or non-paid, search engines. Five well-known search engines are Bing, Dogpile, Google, DuckDuckGo, and Yahoo.
The three major types of SEO are Black Hat SEO, Grey Hat SEO, and White Hat SEO. Also, SEO can be broken down into five subcategories: Local SEO, Mobile SEO, Off-page SEO, On-page SEO, and Technical SEO. The term audience-centered communication involves the writer putting the reader as the center of attention. A computer algorithm is a specific set of instructions for a computer to follow. You can use an algorithm approach to make technical writing be audience centered.
Lastly, while keywords and tags are often spoken about interchangeably, they are actually two distinct concepts. Keywords are words and phrases the user enters into their keyboard, while tags are author assigned labels.
