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Factors of Audience Analysis

Thursday, May 3rd, 2012

Marketing executives and consumer researchers, who have a strong interest in understanding market responses, and who, therefore, conduct extensive research in mass perceptions, take into account five factors of audience analysis:

  • Technical background
  • Status
  • Attitude
  • Demographics
  • Psychographics

Technical background refers to the readers’ knowledge (or lack of knowledge) in the topic that you are writing about. How much technical terminology should you use to avoid sounding either too condescending or too obscure? Should you begin with the big picture to put the reader into perspective, or go straight to the details that you want to focus on? Are you writing to people of the same educational background as yours (i.e. your peers), or to those of different training?

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Tips for Note Taking

Saturday, April 28th, 2012
  • Collect notes for each course in one place, in a separate notebook or section of a notebook.
  • Use an ‘erasable pen or pencil ‘.
  • Use a loose-leaf notebook rather than a notebook with a permanent binding.
  • Enter your notes legibly because it saves time. Make them clear.
  • Draw a box around assignments and suggested books so you can identify them quickly.
  • Mark ideas which the lecture emphasizes with a highlighter, arrow or some special symbol.
  • When the teacher looks at his/her notes, pay attention to what they say next. Check any notes you may have missed with a classmate.
  • Do an outline. For every new section of your subject, use a new bullet – then title it and use smaller bullets,(-),or number them to put information down. This is much better than just writing down everything as a new point.
  • If the teacher has given a clear outline of the topic e.g. “Today we’ll learn about 10 types of leaves..”, use numbers 1,2,…10 for the main points (types of leaves), and letters of the alphabet a, b, c etc for examples of each type.
  • Use ‘mind maps’ if you’ve learned how to draw them. Ask someone to show you the method, or Google the information. Mind maps are an excellent way to organize ideas on paper, and you can easily add examples / stories / supporting info / evidence in the right places even if your teacher mentions them much later.
  • One helpful strategy is, if your teacher writes on his or her black or whiteboard, use a bullet for anything he writes, and a dash for anything he says, and use a plus for any combination. This can help distinguish exact facts with inferences.
  • Incorporate different colors of ink, diagrams, drawings of your own. Make your notes your notes. Take advantage of how you learn (visually, aurally [by ear], or actively) and write/draw your notes according to that style.
  • Watch for signal words. Your instructor is not going to send up a rocket when he/she states an important new idea or gives an example, but she will use signals to telegraph what she is doing. Every good speaker does it, and you should expect to receive these signals
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After the Lecture

Friday, April 27th, 2012
  • At the end of the lecture, ask questions about points that you did not understand.
  • If the speaker begins to get off topic by telling a story, write it down anyway. Stories help people remember. The story might be related to what you are learning, and may even be on the test.
  • If it becomes apparent that he or she is trying to stress or emphasize something, be sure to get it down, maybe even a couple times.
  • Obviously, the teacher/professor will not write down everything he/she says. Listen for key points and important details that are not written down.
  • When students ask questions, write down the questions and the teacher/professor’s answers. This additional information might answer questions you have as well.
  • Revise your notes as quickly as possible, preferably immediately after the lecture, since at that time you will still remember a good deal of the lecture. Also it is a good idea to reread your notes within 24 hours of the lecture. It may be a good idea to rewrite or type your notes to make them clearer and more organized.
  • Revise it with a class mate or two. Two students see and hear more than one. Your notes will have different gaps than that of your class mates.
  • Review the lecture notes (again) before the next lecture.
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During the Lecture

Thursday, April 26th, 2012
  • Listen carefully to the introduction. By knowing this outline, you will be better prepared to anticipate what notes you will need to take. Decipher this outline by listening for: A topic for each section and supporting points or examples for the topic.
  • Copy what’s written on the whiteboard, or overhead projector, especially the outline. To make sure that you get everything, get in the habit of skipping words like “the” and “a” and make use of shorthand and abbreviations. Summarize your notes in your own words, not the instructor’s. Remember: your goal is to understand what the professor is saying, not to try to record exactly everything he or she says.
  • Recognize main ideas by signal words that indicate something important is to follow. See the tip on signals below.
  • Jot down details or examples that support the main ideas. Take down examples and sketches which the lecturer presents. Indicate examples with “e.g.” Give special attention to details not covered in the textbook.
  • Come up with symbols for words used often that you can remember easily.
  • Take detailed notes if possible.
  • Draw diagrams for concepts you can’t remember easily or don’t understand.
  • If there is a summary at the end of the lecture, pay close attention to it. You can use it to check the organization of your notes. If your notes seem disorganized, copy down the main points that are covered in the summary. It will help in revising your notes later.
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Prepare for the lecture

Wednesday, April 25th, 2012

Doing so will ensure that you will be more likely to predict the organization of the lecture. Check the course outline to see if the lecturer has listed the topic or key ideas in the upcoming lecture. If so, convert this information into questions, or structure your notebook according to the headings provided in the outline. If no outline is given, try to structure the presentation yourself when you revisit the notes later.

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