Notes to Anderson, Chapters 3

1
Professional Writing

• Notes to Anderson, Chapters 3

2
The Basics

• Writing is an Action
• Writing is an attempt to exert power to achieve
  some ends.
• It attempts to convince others to think
  differently and/or act in a particular way.
• Therefore . . .
• Think Constantly about the Reader
• What do they want from you? And why?
• How will they react to what you say and/or how
  you say it?
• In short, how will your readers respond?

3
Defining Your communications Objectives

• A communications objective is to lead readers to
  respond in a specific way.
• Three factors that influence a readers response
• The readers purpose (in reading your
  communication)
• The readers characteristics
• The context in which he or she will read
• We can shorten these factors to purpose, reader,
  and context

4
Defining Your communications Objectives

• Guidelines
• Create a mental movie of your reader in the act
  of reading
• Describe the task your communication will help
  the reader perform
• Describe the way you want your communication to
  alter your readers attitudes
• Describe your readers professional
  characteristics
• Describe your readers cultural characteristics
• Learn who all your readers will be
• Describe the context in which your reader will
  read
• Identify any constraints on the way you write
• Identify your communications stakeholders

5
Describe the Task

• Describe the task your communication will help
  your reader perform
• What is your readers purpose for reading?
• For example, Stephanies purpose in writing is to
  persuade Ms. Land to change the system used to
  assign Braille translations
• Ms. Lands purpose in reading is more complicated
• She will probably need to be persuaded that there
  is a problem
• She will need to be persuaded that the problem is
  the current system for assigning work
• If she is persuaded of the above, then her
  purpose in reading will be to compare the
  existing system to the one recommended by
  Stephanie

6
Describe the task

• Describe the task your communication will help
  your reader perform
• What information does your reader want? (What
  questions might your reader ask?)
• For example, Stephanie imagines Ms. Land might
  ask
• What evidence do you have that theres a problem
  with the current system?
• Who would determine which translations deserve
  highest priority?
• How would we decide which translators are placed
  in our top group?
• Will your system really work? Are other agencies
  using it successfully?

7
Describe the Task

• Describe the task your communication will help
  your reader perform
• How will your reader search for information?
  (might use more than one strategy)
• Three common search strategies used by readers
• Thorough, sequential reading build argument from
  one sentence, paragraph, and section to the next
  (this kind of writing is very similar to what you
  are asked to do in school)
• Reading for key points only use lists, tables,
  boldface, and page design to make the key points
  stand out (the textbook does this)
• Reference reading (readers only seeking specific
  pieces of information) use headings, table of
  contents, and indexes to guide your readers

8
Describe the TASK

• Describe the task your communication will help
  your reader perform
• How will your reader use the information while
  reading?
• Three common ways that readers use your
  information while they are reading
• To compare alternatives organize your
  communication around the criteria used for
  comparison
• To determine how the information will affect them
  and their organization organize your
  communication around your readers concerns
• To perform a procedure use numbered lists for
  sequential steps

9
Describe the Effect

• Describe the way you want your communication to
  alter your readers attitudes
• What is your readers attitude toward your
  subject? What do you want it to be?
• For example, Stephanie responded to these
  questions in this way
• She believes that the current system for
  assigning Braille translations is the best one
  possible. I want her to see that mine is better.
• What other attitudes might Ms. Land have?

10
Describe the Effect

• Describe the way you want your communication to
  alter your readers attitudes
• What is your readers attitude toward you? What
  do you want it to be?
• For example, Stephanie responded to these
  questions in the following way
• Ms. Land thinks that I am a good summer employee.
  But she thinks all summer employees are ignorant
  concerning policy issues. I want her to think
  that I am knowledgeable enough to have a
  recommendation worth serious consideration.
• How do we (as writers) establish the authority to
  speak?

11
Describe the Effect

• Describe the way you want your communication to
  alter your readers attitudes
• What is your readers attitude toward your
  organization? What do you want it to be?
• This last point will matter more as you come to
  identify yourself and become more identified with
  organizations.

12
Describe your Reader(s)

• Role in the organization
• Role as a reader
• Familiarity with the subject
• Knowledge of your specialty
• Relationship with you
• Other personal characteristics you should take
  into account
• Cultural characteristics you should take into
  account
• Who else might read your communication?

13
Describe Your Reader(s)

• Role in the organization and as a reader
  determines what readers look for and the
  questions they ask
• Decision-makers
• What are your conclusions?
• What do you recommend?
• What will happen?
• Advisers
• Did you use a reasonable method to obtain your
  results?
• Do your data really support your conclusions?
• Have you overlooked anything important?
• If your recommendation is followed, what will be
  the effect on others?
• What kinds of problems are likely to arise?
• Implementers
• What do you want me to do?
• Why do you want me to do it?
• How much freedom do I have in deciding how to do
  it?
• Whats the deadline?

14
Describe your Reader(s)

• Familiarity with the subject
• What can I assume my reader already knows?
• How much background information do I need to
  provide?
• Knowledge of your specialty
• Are there special terms and/or concepts that I
  need to explain to my reader?
• How can I strike a balance between too little and
  too much information?

15
Describe your Reader(s)

• Relationship with you
• What level of formality is required?
• How great is the distance between my role and my
  readers role? Does it matter?
• For example, Stephanie responded to this part
  with Ms. Land is my boss and likes to maintain
  a formal superior-subordinate relationship.
• Other personal characteristics you should take
  into account
• Of course, this reader characteristic only
  matters when the reader is a specific person (or
  group of people) about whom you know a great
  deal.
• For example, Stephanie responded to this part
  with Ms. Land designed the current system and
  may feel defensive if I suggest that it could be
  improved.

16
Describe your Reader(s)

• Cultural characteristics you should take into
  account
• Intercultural communication is a surprising rich
  and complicated domain. The textbook provides a
  nice overview of some of the issues involved as
  well as resources for learning more.
• For now, you should be concerned about cultural
  differences only when your communication travel
  across significant national/cultural borders

17
Describe your Reader(s)

• Who else might read your communication?
• Phantom readers
• Future readers
• Complex audiencesdifferent readers reading with
  different purposes

18
Describe the Context

• Describe the context in which your reader will
  read
• Under what physical conditions will they read?
• What effect might recent events have?
• What effect might relationships between
  individuals, departments, organizations have?

19
Describe the Context

• Identify any constraints on the way you write
• What expectations, regulations, or other factors
  constrain the way you can write?
• Organizational culture
• Organizational style guides
• Legal or regulatory requirements

20
Identify Stakeholders

• Ethical behavior demands that we take into
  account the effect our words and actions have on
  others.
• Stakeholders are those who might be affected by
  your communication.
• Who, besides your reader, are stakeholders in
  your communication?
• Who will be directly affected by what I say
  and/or how I say it?
• Who might be indirectly affected by what I say
  and/or how I say it?
• Who might be remotely affected by what I say
  and/or how I say it?
• How will they be affected by it?