What You Will Learn and Practice

• Analyze your audience and purpose so that you can choose the best way to present information clearly and effectively. [CLO 1]

What I Want You to Do

Identify the two different audiences for your project:

• the decisionmaker (for example, the owner, the department head, the CEO, the manager) who can act on your recommendation.
• the people who use the website you are analyzing.

Once you identify the two audiences, gather information about each of the two, and complete an audience analysis form that identifies relevant details.

This activity counts as a Best Draft Submission in the Effort Expectations for Each Grade Level.

Why I Want You to Do It

To write a successful recommendation report (or any technical writing), you must be aware of whom your readers are and how they will react to your document. In this activity, you gather information on the audiences so that you can analyze your website with the needs of its users and of the decisionmaker for the business or organization in mind.

Where You Can Find Help

• From Markel and Selber’s Technical Communication:
  • Chapter 5, “Analyzing Your Audience and Purpose”
  • Determining the Important Characteristics of Your Audience
• From LinkedIn Learning, “Technical Writing & Audience Analysis Playlist”
  

When to Do It

• Due Date: By 11:59 PM on Friday, February 4, 2022.
• Grace Period: The grace period for your work ends at 11:59 PM on Friday, April 29, 2022.

How You Do It

1. Look back over details on audience analysis in Chapter 5, “Analyzing Your Audience and Purpose,” in Technical Communication.
2. Review the Determining the Important Characteristics of Your Audience page.
3. Identify the people who use the website and who support the business, using information found on the website and your knowledge of the business or organization. There may be more than one category of people who form the audience for the website.
4. Determine who is the decisionmaker for the website. You need to find the name of the person or group who can decide to implement your recommendation. The person might be the business owner, the department head, the CEO of the business, the manager of the nonprofit, and so forth. You need to identify the person and that person's address.
5. Search online for biographical information on the decisionmaker for your report, and learn everything you can about the person.
6. Download a copy of the Audience Analysis Profile Sheet (alternate download).
7. Complete the Audience Profile Sheet in your word processor (adding as much space between the questions as you need).
8. Save your form once you finish, and submit your work by uploading the file.

How to Assess & Track Your Work

You track and grade your own work in this course. Be sure to complete the following tasks:

• Track your work in your Weekly Work Log.
• Watch for feedback comments from me—find feedback in annotations and comments on your submissions in Canvas.
• Watch for this assignment to reappear in your to-do list if you need to make significant changes to your profile.

Work is always marked as either 1 for Complete or 0 for Incomplete:

• I will mark this activity Complete in Canvas Grades, usually within 24–48 hours after the end of the grace period.
• I will mark this activity Incomplete in Canvas Grades if your work needs revision OR if you do not submit your work by the end of the grace period.