Effective use of language in communication

The key pillar for any effective communication, either written or verbal, is knowing how to tailor your language for the specific target audience. Knowing your audience is a fundamental principle of excellent communication and enables a writer or speaker to share information in a mode that generates a serious impact. I have found that understanding the different perspectives of the people I am communicating to, helps in selecting a language that best brings out the intended message. Having a clear picture of whom the target audience is, what they care about, and what they want to hear enables you to focus your message in a clear, concise, and familiar language. When selecting the appropriate type of language for a specific audience, the composition of the audience, the context or setting of the communication, and the selected medium of communication all play an essential role.

In my view, knowing the target audience is the key consideration in selecting the type of language to use in conveying a message. This principle holds true for all kinds of communication, starting from casual chit chat and texting with friends to writing academic papers for school. I have found that the audience always determines the language, whether consciously or unconsciously. Thompson states that “students today almost always write for an audience” (Thompson). He continues to argue that this fact gives students a sense of what constitutes good writing. An example of audience consideration is when I write an academic paper or essay where the professor is the intended audience as compared to when I write a blog post on a social media platform where my friends and peers are the audiences. In the first case, I would use a formal type of language in the academic essay, while the language choice for my blog post would be colloquial. Therefore, the audience is the essential determinant of the language used in any communication.

I have also found that apart from the audience itself, the context or setting on which the message is being conveyed has a profound influence on the language selected. The language used in a formal setting such as the classroom or office is significantly different from that used in a chilled and relaxed environment. In stand up, speak out, Harris states that “The next question about appropriateness is whether the language you will use is suitable or fitting for the context itself.” (Harris). The setting includes the location, occasion, and time of day determines the mood of the audience. This makes context an essential consideration since it sets the tone for a suitable language. The language employed in a class setting when writing an essay is very different from that used on social media. The audience may be the same in both instances, but the context will determine the type of language to be used in each case.

The last consideration for the correct language needed to suit a particular audience is the selected medium of communication. Media for written communication include newspapers, reports, email, text messaging and social media, etc. different types of language are used in each of these media as they connect the writer to diverse audiences. Lunsford states that “The modern world of online writing, particularly in chat and on discussion threads, is conversational and public, which makes it closer to the Greek tradition of argument than the asynchronous letter and essay writing of 50 years ago.” (Lunsford, Fishman, and Liew.). Essay writing involves the use of formal language while online writing, such as on social media platforms, involves the use of casual or colloquial language. As a student, this difference is quite evident in the language I use in my academic reports as compared to my social media posts. Therefore, the medium of writing greatly influences the choice of language.

The choice of language used is usually dependent on the target audience in terms of their composition, context, and medium of communication. The first step in selecting a language is knowing the audience. It is then followed by assessing the context or setting the audience is in, and finally, the medium to be used for communication. Careful consideration of these three factors relating to the target audience ensures that a suitable language is selected for effective communication. The words of Lewis Howes make a fitting conclusion as he states that “the most important thing to remember is you must know your audience.”

Works Cited

Harris, Leslie J. Stand Up, Speak Out: The Practice and Ethics of Public Speaking. 2017.

Lunsford, Andrea A., Jenn Fishman, and Warren M. Liew. “College writing, identification, and the production of intellectual property: Voices from the Stanford Study of Writing.” College English (2013): 470-492.

Thompson, Clive. “Clive Thompson on the New Literacy.” 24 August 2009. Wired. https://www.wired.com/2009/08/st-thompson-7/.