Who is your audience? It’s the first question you should ask about virtually any document that you write or website you create or presentation you prepare.
Knowing the audience:
- Sets the tone of the presentation—chatty or formal. Is your audience your team or your legal department?
- Determines the level of technical detail—Is your audience the developers or the order-entry clerk?
- Determines the medium you choose-Do you want a PowerPoint to present to a meeting or do you want to use Word to prepare a step-by-step quick reference you expect your audience to post on a cube wall?
Fundamentally, thinking about your audience lets you ask the question “What do they need to know?”
People in different roles need different information. Consider a computer system used to track and schedule service calls.
- The scheduler needs to know what to enter in fields on a desktop computer screen and what buttons to click in order to send the tech out on the right call.
- The technical support team needs to know that plus how the components of the system are connected via a network so that they can support the scheduler.
- The technician needs to know how to complete the service record on a hand-held device.
- The manager needs to know about the system security so that he or she can request the proper permissions for each person.
- The manager’s manager needs to know how this new system is producing efficiencies and servicing your customers better.
Thinking about the question of who is reading this document and what do they need to know, helps you structure the material and produce the right type and number of documents.
