G040 – Lecture 02 Audience, Purpose and Language

1. G040 – Lecture 02Audience, Purpose and Language Mr C Johnston ICT Teacher www.computechedu.co.uk

2. Session Objectives • Understand the concept of audience and purpose, • Know different non fictional writing styles and languages which can be used within a document, • Know how the language used within a document should be tailored to suit its intended purpose and audience.

3. Purpose and Audience • The purpose of a communication or document: “What is it communicating and why” – this should be clearly recognisable otherwise what is the point in the document? • The audience of a communication or document: “Who it is intended for” – need to consider the age, gender, education level, socioeconomic group • The audience along with purpose of the communication will affect how the document is presented and the type of language used.

4. Tailoring A Communications Presentation to Suit Audience • You need to know the purpose and audience of a document before you plan it and use the right kind of presentation, • Some formal communications will be expected to be laid out using standard methods however less formal documents will allow some flexibility, • young audiences will feel at ease with Jazzy layouts for less formal documents whilst older readers may want a more traditional layout, • Pictures / graphics tell a thousand words but are they need to be appropriate – white space is a friend, • Borders and shading make things stand out although can confuse some audiences, • If the communication is collecting data user instruction should be provided in a clear manner.

5. Non-Fictional Writing Styles • Information Text – (Non Chronological Report) • To describe the way things are • Recount (Chronological Report) • Retells an event / series of events, usually in chronological order • Instructions • To describe how something is done in a series of sequenced steps • Explanation • Explain how something works • Discursive Writing • To present arguments and information from different points of view • Persuasion • To ague the case from a single point of view • Analysis • To present a reasoned response to a text / series of texts • Evaluation • To record the strengths and weaknesses of a performance / product

6. Formal or Informal Language • Most documents produced by companies use formal language however some in some instances its acceptable for the rules of English to be swayed, • Informal writing uses contractions like “won’t” and abbreviations like “phone”. Sentences tend to be simpler and shorter, • Emails and memos may use informal writing as they are less formal documents, • Slang and text message abbreviations should not be used within business communications .

7. Language Styles • Different language styles are used to convey different information – ensure you know when to use each style: • Language to attract attention • Used to grab the readers attention – short snappy sentences • Language to present facts clearly • Short and concise sentences so people understand – no unnecessary description • Language to impress / persuade • Unusual words and complex sentence structures so people are impressed with you or the products your are trying to sell • Language to summarise information • Use bullet pointed statements • Language to collect data from forms • Simple instructions so people can fill out the form and its not too cluttered with direction. Boxes need to be big enough to write in and often have an individual box for each character. Detailed instruction if required should be provided separately.

8. Technical Language • Language needs to be clear, accurate and appropriate to the situation. Units need to be included and vocabulary should be used for specialists to understand- “Joe Public” may be baffled but they are not the audience • Language to remind • Short and informal notes can be hand written on a post it , emailed or put on a memo. Should still be written in (especially a memo) proper English not in a text message format • Language to report • A report is a formal document that requires a formal style – it is important that the audience and purpose is known as a technical report will be written differently to a report written by a teacher on a student • Language to order or invoicing goods • Accuracy is important here – if incorrect details are given then this will cause errors. Often terms and conditions are stated which tend to be in a formal style as they form a legal agreement.

9. Tailoring A Communications Language / Text To Suit Purpose • You need to know the audience and use the right kind of language, • Understand the type of non-fiction writing that is required, • Think about the language style required, • Unusual words may impress the reader of a job application, but they might annoy somebody wanting directions to your house, • If you are writing a note to a friend you will use informal language – informal purposes required an informal style, • If you are writing a letter to apply for a job you will need to use formal language – formal purposes require a formal style, • A presentation for young children will use short sentences containing simple words, • A business report will use more complex words and sentence structures. • Think about the word length, sentence length and the familiarity of the vocabulary been used, so the text can be read.

10. Session Task • Download and complete this topics exercise: “Documents and Their Writing Style”