Professional and Technical Writing/Rhetoric/Rhetorical Framework
From Wikibooks, the open-content textbooks collection
|
[edit] Author-Subject-Audience
Any form of communication starts with a sender who sends a message. This message is received by the receiver. This is also the idea of author-subject-audience in the rhetorical triangle. The difference between the triangle and the linear model is that with the triangle, the audience is giving back messages either verbally or non-verbally. In order for technical communication to be effective, the audience must have a response. This can be either a negative or positive response. The audience can either follow the instructions or give up because they were too complicated. They can also take the information presented and use it, or they can disregard it because it was too foreign.
[edit] Appeals to the Audience
The key in all of this is being aware of how the subject is being conveyed to the audience. You must be aware of the complexity of the subject, the knowledge base of the audience, the actions you want the audience to take and the likely actions that they will take, as well as the best appeals to use with that audience. Aristotle named four important appeals to consider when trying to convey information to the audience: ethos (appeal to character), pathos (appeal to emotion), logos (appeal to logic) and kairos (appeal to timeliness or relevance).
[edit] Appeals in Technical Writing
Most likely, in technical communication, logos will be the most important. This is because technical communication is inherently logical. In order for a technical document to be well received, it must be logical. However, ethos, or establishing your credibility is also important. If the document is logical but is not worded correctly or if you state that you are an interior design major while writing an instructions manual for computer software, the audience will not receive your document well because they will not believe anything you have to say. This is true whether or not the information is correct. It is much more convincing to establish why you are writing that document or to write in a way that makes sense to the reader. Kairos is also important in technical communication because writing an instruction manual to a computer after it is released or the style in which you write it (for example, giving a detailed description of what the internet is when it common knowledge today) can effect whether or not your document is even read or well received. Kairos involves knowing how much your audience knows and what society as a whole understands. In technical writing, it is highly unlikely that your writing will appeal to emotions.
Ethos, pathos, logos, and kairos can all help you convey your message in the most effective way. If you do not consider what your audience’s knowledge base is, then your appeal to logic will be way off. Likewise, if you try to include emotionally loaded words in an instruction manual, your audience will most likely turn away from the product because it is either conveyed in an unprofessional way or the instructions are not readable.
[edit] Purpose and Appeals
The other thing to think about in regards to the triangle is the information that you want to convey. The way you go about conveying this information will depend on the purpose of your document. You could communicate information to persuade or inform. Once you have determined what your goal in communication is, you look to your different options for appeals. Typically, you will want to inform your audience in technical writing. Therefore, an appeal to logos is most appropriate. If you were trying to persuade, an appeal to pathos might be more effective. You also have to know what you audience is expecting from you. If you are writing instructions for building a dresser, your reader is going to expect short sentences accompanied by pictures without frilly language. However, if you are trying to instruct someone on how to paint, you may use emotional language there if your purpose is to spark emotion while still instructing. The whole point is to know your audience’s knowledge base, what they expect, and the best way to communicate to them given the different forms of appeal.
[edit] Audience Feedback
As far as feedback from the audience goes, it is much easier to feel out feedback while giving a speech than writing a technical document. Most likely you will not be around to see the reaction from the audience. However, you can employ test groups or usability studies to help gauge what your audiences’ response might be. This is a great way to get a feel for what the audience might or might not respond to and gives you an opportunity to change the document before it goes into its final version.
