Helping Students Think about Purposes and Audiences for Communication
Big Idea
To define the goals of communication, focus on audience responses.
Purpose of activity or assignment
To show students how to clarify their aims before writing, speaking or designing.
Expected Outcomes

Students will be able to describe the importance of clarifying their goals before communicating.

Students will be able to define their goals as desired audience responses.
Applications
As an in-class activity, describe in detail a hypothetical situation in which students might communicate information
to a defined audience. Use the purpose and audience worksheet to lead a class discussion about planning
communication in the situation. Or ask students to complete the worksheet and discuss with peers.
As part of a writing, speaking or design assignment, ask students to complete the Audience and Purpose
Worksheet before beginning work on the remainder of the assignment.
Thinking about Purposes and Audiences
1. Who are the intended readers/listeners/viewers/users for your communication?
2. How do you hope they will respond to the information or ideas you communicate? Check
all that apply:
 Be aware of them
 Understand them
 Put them in a larger context
 See relationships among them
 Explore them further
 Recognize a problem
 Make a decision
 Agree with a conclusion you’ve reached
 Do something
 Feel something
3. For each item you checked, describe the particular response you hope to achieve.
Desired Audience
Response to
Information or Ideas
Be aware of them
Understand them
Explain
Desired Audience
Response to
Information or Ideas
Put them in a larger
context
See relationships
among them
Explore them further
Recognize a problem
Make a decision
Agree with a
conclusion you’ve
reached
Do something
Feel something
Explain