Definition
 Audience is a term used to refer to the reader of a text, or the listener to what we say.
The audience might be any of the following:
single person |
|
group of people |
selected |
|
random or accidental |
specialist |
|
non-specialist |
all the same kind |
|
very mixed |
Examples
A personal letter |
 |
single |
|
selected |
Note to the milkman |
|
single |
|
specialist |
MA dissertation |
|
single |
|
specialist |
|
targeted |
Insurance claim |
|
group |
|
selected |
|
specialist |
A novel |
|
group |
|
random |
|
non-specialist |
|
Use
The
main purpose of speaking or writing is to communicate.
An
awareness of audience helps to make speech or writing more effective.
Efficient
writers and effective speakers target their audience as clearly
as possible.
An
awareness of your audience is a critical factor in efficient communication
for both speech and writing.
Efficiency
can be improved by choosing the vocabulary, tone,
and style which are appropriate for the
audience.
Publishers,
advertisers, poets, and novelists all target their readers or listeners.
The
vocabulary of
a newspaper is chosen very carefully with its readership in mind.
Radio
and television programmes adapt their use of language to their
target audiences.
We
write letters to our friends in a style which
is different to that we use for the bank manager or someone we
don't know.
If
someone stops you to ask for directions, they won't be interested
in how long you've lived in the town, and what it used to look
like before the War. On the other hand, if you're a member of the
History Society you may be invited to give a half-hour lecture
on that very topic. Your audience is different in each case. |
