Reading the reader's mind

A busy week of business travel behind me, I will resume posts soon.

This cartoon is an apt representation of my work as a plain language consultant: http://www.comics.com/comics/fminus/index.html.

Different strokes for different folks

A single post by Megan Casey offers several examples of adapting the delivery of a single message for readers with different needs or information processing styles.

Diversity series - 3

Get to know your readers

Your aim is a document planned so you can give the same answer to each of these three questions

* Who is able to read this?

* Who is likely to read this?

* Who needs to read this?

Working with limited funds or public funds, you may try to write for "the widest possible audience". "Everybody" or "anybody" is a difficult audience. There is no "general public" for plain language writing. Just try to picture a member of the general public. Some probing questions and basic investigation will help you narrow the focus of your project and get your real readers in mind.

You need to explore your intended audiences' characteristics, needs and expectations. With the information you gather, you can write and design your document to

* reflect the readers' concerns and daily life

* use familiar words, phrases and ideas

* use an acceptable tone that suits the reader and the message

You want to discover these features of your audience:

age range gender issues

first language family structure

education cultural traditions

reading abilities math abilities

familiarity with the subject matter biases, sensitivities

familiarity with any special language self-image

attitude toward topic motivation

physical, mental or emotional challenges specific interests and concerns