To write effectively, know your reader . . . and yourself. Written communication presupposes an audience, even if it’s only oneself, as in journaling, and English instructors urge students to consider their "audience." Yet the concept of audience can be a bit confusing.
Aristotle's Triangle
In his Poetics, Aristotle establishes criteria for Greek plays, which aimed for maximum impact on audiences. He explains that the rhetorical transaction between speaker and audience can be understood by considering “by whom it is said or done, to whom, when, in whose interest, or for what end; . . .”
Using Aristotle’s analysis, you can work out these relationships. The diagrams below show Aristotle’s formula in graphic form.
Figure 1: Explanation
The triangular shape illustrates the three-way interaction between you, the Reader, and the text (Product). Central to this process is your own purpose for writing (center panel).
The Writer
The act of writing (at upper left) requires a choice of topic and a message concerning that topic (also known as the thesis statement or controlling idea).
When you know what you’re writing about and why you’re writing about it, your message emerges clearly and the reader accepts your authority, even if only to disagree.
Next, effective writing demands a certain level of language mastery. Accurate expression--spelling, punctuation, and sentence structure--is essential for you to be understood and to establish credibility. Reading requires recognition of words and their meanings, so that the reader can identify with and respond appropriately to what is being said; it is your obligation to enable that process.
Not least is motive, which may be either personal or assigned. Your own reason for writing can affect how well you write.
The Reader
Readers have many motives for reading, whether for pleasure, information, affirmation, or emotional release. Effective writing takes these motives into account. The reader is also alert to your level of control over the material. Errors of fact, a confused focus, ambiguities, misrepresentations, digressions, logical fallacies, or “throwaway” conclusions can diminish your effectiveness.
The Writer-Reader Nexus
Finally, Aristotle’s Triangle asks you to analyze your relationship to the reader, as people with something in common—or not. How you and your reader view each other across the Triangle will influence how you tailor your style, tone, and level of discourse for maximum understanding and acceptance (if not always agreement!) by the reader.
Figure 2: Using the Worksheet
The worksheet walks you through the above analysis in graphic form. You can sketch your own worksheet each time you begin a draft.
- State your specific purpose for writing in the center panel. You may be writing to a pre-assigned purpose, or you may have to sort out your own purpose.
- Brainstorm answers to the questions in the box below “You, the Writer.” Be realistic and honest with yourself!
- Do the same with the opposite box (“Your Reader”). How much your reader is likely to know, believe, or feel about the topic will influence what and how you write and may even affect how you frame your thesis. How much preparation is the reader likely to have? Are you imparting new information or are you preaching to the choir?
- To answer these questions, you need to identify your reader with some precision. Under the “Relationship” heading, brainstorm a list of the reader’s traits, as well as your own. Finally, establish both common and divergent traits.
When you master the use of Aristotle’s Triangle, you acquire an indispensable tool for effective communication through meaningful content, authentic expression, and accessible style.
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