Audience Analysis Techniques: Teaching Technical Writing Students How to Apply These Techniques to Their Writing

Abstract

Audience analysis is a consideration of the person or people to whom a piece of technical writing is directed and who will either be informed by, act upon, or use the information presented by the author. Technical writing teachers can use this definition as a beginning to teaching their students about audience analysis. Researchers offer teachers much information about audience analysis techniques. However, little information is available about how to teach students how to apply audience analysis techniques to their writing. The goal of my thesis is to present exercises that teachers can use to teach their students how to apply audience analysis techniques. In my thesis, I present a literature review of the recent and relevant information published about audience analysis within the last twenty years; a methodology that teachers can use to teach their students audience analysis techniques; and exercises that will help students understand how to apply audience analysis techniques to their writing.