Analyze That Reader! By Meg L. Bostick

When analyzing your reader, it is important to figure out what they know and what their skills are. Let’s face it, we are not all alike and some have strengths where others don’t! The more we know about our reader as far as their skills and what information they are able to relate to and what may be over their head, the easier it is to write something in which they can relate to.
Take for instance someone who is athletic, yet has no sense of artistic flare. If the writer composes a piece of writing based on Michelangelo and his famous portraits, for he/she to read, they are most likely going to have no idea about what the writer is referring to because they cannot relate to what is being said. Therefore, the writer has not analyzed the reader well enough to know what he/she understands.
If you are looking to write for a variety of readers, a way to accommodate all is to write in such a way that is universal and easy to understand. In other words, don’t go overboard and in extensive detail on a certain subject, as it will most likely be too much for many of the readers to handle, especially if they do not know much about the topic.
A great way to make sure you have written for either a “specific” reader or a “universal” reader is to have someone within that category read your piece and find out if they understand what is being said.