National EMSC Data Analysis Resource Center
National EMSC Data Analysis Resource Center
Audience is the most important consideration in any communication...
People are different and have different needs. You will need to write one way if your audience is EMS personnel, another way if your audience is scientific researchers, and a completely different way if your audience is the general public.
Audience is the most important consideration in any communication, but it is the one we most often forget. We assume people are just as interested in our subject as we are, so we pack our reports full of detail and nuance. We assume people won’t take us seriously unless we include pages and pages of data and tables to prove our point. We assume people won’t take us seriously unless we include pages and pages of data and tables to prove our point. We forget what the audience cares about and focus on the wrong messages. Or, even worse, we don’t even understand how to best communicate with our audience, so they don’t even receive the messages we’re sending them. I guarantee you’ve all done this. We all have.
So how do you write for audience? But if all else fails, here is a table to help you determine how to approach different audiences:
Audience |
Text/Detail |
Data |
Visuals |
Researchers, academics, technicians, etc. |
Provide good overview, including methods and some methods |
Provide sufficient data to make a clear argument. |
Use sufficient visuals and charts that communicate your message |
Practitioners and colleagues in your field |
Provide executive summary and some other details of interest to the field. |
1-4 uses of data with emphasis on practice, QI, and efficiency. |
Use plenty of visuals. Convert text and data into visuals to speed up readability. |
Administrators, leaders, policy makers, etc. |
Provide executive summary only, with emphasis on conclusions and suggested actions |
1-3 uses of clear, conclusive data, with emphasis on quality, money, and outcomes. |
Use plenty of visual messages. Convert text and data into visuals to speed up readability. |
Public, parents, media |
Provide only a few facts; then focus on take-home messages |
1-2 uses of simple data, with emphasis on gravity of the problem and take-home messages. Translate data into real-world language. |
Lots of visuals and pictures that communicate your message. Convert text and data into visuals to speed up readability. |
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rev. 04-Aug-2022
