What do you think of when you hear the word audience? Do you tend to think of TV viewers and movie goers? What about those who attend concerts or sporting events? Now switch gears a bit and think about audience as it relates to your writing. 

Most of what you write, whether it’s creative, academic or professional, is meant to be read by others. As such, it is important to identify your audience in order to best determine how to present your ideas for optimal understanding and persuasion. 

So, how do you go about identifying your audience? Sometimes it’s easy, like when your instructor tells you that your writing will be read by your classmates or when you’re writing something for a group of like-minded individuals. But what if you’re not sure? How do you narrow down your audience? Think about your writing and consider the following:  

Who are the people most likely to read your document?  Once you determine this, you can begin to gather other information. Data related to demographic traits, such as gender, age, education, and socioeconomic standing can further narrow your audience. Also consider the level of knowledge that your audience has about your topic. Knowing this will determine how detailed you should be or how much support you should give to your ideas. Finally, consider any potential biases that your audience may have and where these biases come from.    
 
When you have the answers to these questions, you can then adjust your content to best identify with your intended audience. This is especially important if your aim is persuasion. You may also want to address these questions --
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• What is your connection to your audience? For example,  are they your co-workers or your supervisors or perhaps  you’re the supervisor. Whatever the case, it is important to keep your status in mind in order to use the appropriate tone.
• Is your audience more likely to agree or disagree with your position? Having this information will help you determine how best to appeal to them and to argue your points.   
• What is the audience likely to do with the information provided by you? Are you asking them to follow up with some sort of action or take a position? If so, have you given them sufficient information, so they can follow up responsibly? 
  

In the workplace, writing emails, proposals, reports, and other business documents is commonplace. It’s safe to assume that your audience for these types of writing are your co-workers and other industry personnel. As such, your writing should reflect certain professional standards. These standards include writing that is concise, professional in tone, and formatted in business style.

So, remember, there are many types of audience in writing. It is up to you, the writer, to identify your audience and deliver content that meets their needs.​

​Tone conveys attitude. Unlike spoken words, where the tone can be heard, writers control tone through the words they use. The way we put words together to form sentences – also known as diction or word choice – depends on our attitude toward what we are writing and how we choose to project it onto our readers.     

Some common tones in writing are funny, serious, happy, sad, formal, informal, positive and negative. A piece of writing can shift from one tone to another or it can remain consistent throughout. Overall, however, the writing should maintain a balanced tone that reflects the writer’s purpose. In other words, what is the writer hoping to accomplish by writing this?  
 
The three common purposes of writing are --
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• Writing to persuade. In a written piece that’s meant to persuade, the writer’s main purpose is to sway his or her readers to take a specific action or draw a certain conclusion through convincing argument. Two examples here are advertisements and political speeches. 

• Writing to inform. The main purpose here is to enlighten or educate the reader about a topic. Some examples of informative writing are instructions, textbooks, and expository essays. 

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• Writing to entertain:  The writer’s primary purpose here is to provide enjoyment through text. Common examples are fiction and poetry.

 
It’s important to remember that these purposes aren’t mutually exclusive. Sometimes they merge. For example, writing that is meant to persuade can also inform. Along the same line, writing that is meant to inform can serve to entertain. Again, it all depends on the writer’s purpose and the tone he or she uses to deliver it. 

​In workplace writing, a writer’s purpose and what he or she hopes to achieve is especially important. Equally important is the document’s audience. Once this is determined, the writer will be able to use the most effective tone – one that is based on the readers’ knowledge, needs, and preferences.

Sincerity and honesty are a must in writing professional documents. Be sure to choose words that project these traits. The same can be said for optimism. Delivering bad news is a part any professional setting, but it is possible to deliver it in an optimistic fashion. Again, it is all in the writer’s tone.

Finally, stay away from lofty language. Using big words can seem like the writer is talking down to his or her readers. It is always best to use plain, concise language.
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Using the appropriate tone in workplace writing is key to conveying the intended message. When determining the appropriate tone, remind yourself of the document’s purpose, audience, and desired outcome. Keeping these factors in mind will help you to identify the most appropriate tone to use for writing any professional document.

Concise writing is direct, efficient, and contains only the words needed to convey a point. Writing this way can be challenging, especially for students and young professionals. It takes conscious effort to choose our words carefully and to not write the way we talk. That’s not to say there’s anything wrong with the way we talk; but talking is usually informal while academic and workplace writing require a more formal tone and style.