Audience and Purpose

Your audience is the person or people who will read what you write. Whenever you write, always have at least one real person in mind as a reader. Think about what that person already knows and what he or she will need to know to understand your main idea. In most cases, assume that readers will know only what you write about your topic and main point.

The purpose of a piece of writing is the reason for writing it. In college, your purpose for writing often will be to show something; to summarize, analyze, synthesize, or evaluate something; or to make a convincing argument. In college writing, you want to demonstrate that you understand the content of the course.

Understanding your purpose for writing is key to writing successfully. In college, to understand your purpose, be sure to read assignments and exam questions critically, highlighting words that tell you what your instructor wants to see in your writing.

The tone and content of your writing will vary depending on your audiences and purposes. The chart that follows explains some different audiences and purposes.

Audience and Purpose

TYPE OF WRITING AUDIENCE AND PURPOSE TIPS
COLLEGE: A research essay about the environmental effects of “fracking”: fracturing rock layers to extract oil or natural gas

AUDIENCE: The professor of your environmental science class

PURPOSE:

  • To complete an assignment according to your professor’s instructions and any research methods discussed in class
  • To show what you have learned about the topic
 When writing to fulfill a course assignment, never make assumptions like, “My instructor already knows this fact, so what’s the point of mentioning it?” By providing plenty of relevant examples and details, you demonstrate your knowledge of a subject and make your writing more effective.
WORK: An e-mail to coworkers about your company’s new insurance provider

AUDIENCE: Fellow workers

PURPOSE: To make sure that coworkers understand all the important details about the new provider

 Define or explain any terminology or concepts that will not be familiar to your audience.
EVERYDAY LIFE: An electronic comment about an online newspaper editorial that you disagree with

AUDIENCE:

  • The editorial writer
  • Other readers of the editorial

PURPOSE: To make the editorial writer and other readers aware of your views

 Keep all correspondence with others as polite as possible, even if you disagree with their views.