ENG201 Lesson 6 Organizing Business Messages

LESSON 6: Defining Objectives-II

1. According to Guideline II, what should you consider about your readers’ attitudes?
   Answer: You should consider how you want your communication to alter your readers’ attitudes.
2. What are the three roles readers can be thought of in, according to the lesson?
   Answer: The three roles are decision makers, advisors, and implementers.
3. List the three types of possible readers identified in Guideline-IV.
   Answer: The three types are phantom readers, future readers, and complex readers.
4. What is a “phantom reader”?
   Answer: A phantom reader is a real but unnamed reader who uses a communication that was officially addressed to someone else.
5. What is the key characteristic of a “complex reader”?
   Answer: A complex reader consists of diverse groups with widely varying backgrounds, responsibilities, and agendas.
6. In the context of defining objectives, what does “appropriateness” largely depend on?
   Answer: Appropriateness is largely determined by the audience’s knowledge and experience.
7. What is the role of an “implementer”?
   Answer: An implementer is a reader who carries out the decisions that have been made.
8. What are “style guides” used for in organizations?
   Answer: Style guides are used to achieve a uniform document look by identifying formal requirements for a document’s appearance, such as page formats, numbering systems, and punctuation.
9. Explain the difference between reinforcing, reversing, and shaping a reader’s attitude.
   Answer: Reinforcing means strengthening an existing positive attitude. Reversing means persuading the reader to abandon a current attitude. Shaping means influencing the reader’s attitude about a subject they haven’t seriously considered before.
10. Why is it important to identify the tasks your readers will perform while reading?
    Answer: Identifying these tasks allows you to write in a way that helps readers perform them quickly and efficiently, making your communication more user-centered and effective.
11. Explain the significance of a reader’s “preferred communication style.”
    Answer: A reader’s preferred style, shaped by organizational customs, determines how they expect to receive information (e.g., with graphs, simple prose, etc.). Adhering to it increases the likelihood of acceptance and understanding.
12. How can the “setting” in which a reader will read a document influence how you write it?
    Answer: The setting (e.g., a noisy office, a quiet library, on a mobile device) can influence decisions about document length, complexity, and design to ensure it can be read effectively in that environment.
13. Describe a situation where you would need to write for “future readers.”
    Answer: I would need to write for future readers when creating documentation, project reports, or policy manuals that may be referenced weeks, months, or even years after they are written, requiring clarity and context that stands the test of time.
14. Why is it important to learn about your readers’ familiarity with your topic?
    Answer: Their familiarity determines the amount of background information and explanation you need to provide to make your communication understandable and relevant to them.
15. How does the concept of “common ground” help in establishing credibility?
    Answer: Establishing common ground by sharing beliefs, attitudes, or background experiences with your readers helps them identify with you, making you more likable and your message more persuasive.
16. Explain the purpose of the “Sample Worksheet to Define Objectives.”
    Answer: The worksheet provides a structured way to consolidate and organize key information about the communication’s purpose, the reader’s profile, information needs, and attitudes, serving as a dynamic guide for the writer.
17. Why is “consistency” in style important in technical documents?
    Answer: Consistency improves the reader’s ability to understand the material and gives them confidence in the writer’s ability to control details, which enhances the document’s overall professionalism and credibility.
18. You are writing a proposal to a client who is initially skeptical about your company’s ability to deliver. Using Guideline II, what is your goal regarding their attitude?
    Answer: My goal is to reverse their attitude from skeptical to confident in our ability to deliver the project successfully.
19. Ayesha, an engineer, must present a comparison of two furnaces to upper management. Should she use a divided or alternating pattern for her comparison? Justify your choice based on a reader-centered approach.
    Answer: She should use the alternating pattern. This allows the decision-makers to compare the two furnaces directly point-by-point (e.g., cost, efficiency) against the same criteria, which is the task they will be performing, making their evaluation easier and more efficient.
20. You are preparing a report that will be read by your manager (decision-maker), a technical expert (advisor), and the production staff (implementers). How should your approach differ for these three roles within the same document?
    Answer: The executive summary should focus on the bottom line for the manager. The main body should provide detailed technical analysis for the advisor. The recommendations and action steps should be clear and actionable for the implementers.
21. You discover that a report you wrote for the finance department is being circulated to the legal department for review. What type of reader is the legal department, and what does this imply?
    Answer: The legal department are phantom readers. This implies I should ensure the report’s facts are accurate, its claims are supportable, and its language is precise to avoid legal misinterpretation, even though I didn’t initially write it for them.
22. Analyze the following scenario: You are writing instructions for a new software that will be used by both senior accountants and new interns. What makes this audience “complex,” and what is one strategy to address this?
    Answer: The audience is complex because it has two groups with vastly different expertise and responsibilities. A strategy is to create a modular document with basic, step-by-step tutorials for interns and advanced, shortcut-laden reference sections for the accountants.
23. You are writing a technical manual for a product that will be sold internationally. What “special factor” about your audience should you consider, and how might it affect your writing?
    Answer: I should consider language and cultural differences. This might affect my writing by requiring the use of simple, clear language, avoiding idioms, and using universally understood visuals, or planning for professional translation.
24. Using the Reader’s Profile section of the worksheet, list two questions you would ask to understand a primary reader named Ms. Zahra Saeed.
    Answer: I would ask, “What is Ms. Zahra Saeed’s job title and responsibilities?” and “What is her attitude towards the subject of my proposal?”
25. You are drafting a company-wide policy update. Why should you consider “future readers,” and what should you include for them?
    Answer: I should consider future readers because the policy may be consulted long after it is issued. I should include the effective date, the reason for the change (context), and clear, unambiguous language that will not become outdated quickly.