The importance of the rhetorical situation. When explaining your message to your audience, “The writer needs to understand the needs of the audience to create a document that the audience can understand and use.” (Alford, Brittnee, Mott, 2015, p.6). By conducting an audience analysis, you can learn your audience’s needs, values, and attitudes. The best way to study an audience member who will read your report is by creating a factious persona. Your report message will be based on who they are, what they need, and what they value. …show more content…
Psychologists learn the rhetorical style of the American Psychological Associations Publication Manual, which contrasts with the Chicago Manual of Style used in humanities. User personas keep the audience analysis aligned with the rhetorical situation that the writer is sending a message to create a document that can be understood.
Readers prefer plain English in report documents and find it more persuasive when given a message based on who they are and what they value. “The federal government, insurance companies, private hospitals, individual doctors, and a wide variety of corporations, organizations and agencies have created a mountain of unclear forms, notices and letters that plague people at every income level. They aggravate and upset us; they cost us untold dollars in lost benefits, entitlements and services.” (Kimble, 1992, p.1304).
Effective and ineffective approaches to report