One of the cardinal sins in professional communication is to focus on what you want to say, rather than what your audience needs to hear. A poet or a novelist may have the privilege of their audiences wanting to hear what they have to say, but if you’re trying to either (1) inform or (2) persuade your audience, as most professional communicators are, your starting point should be them. Audience analysis is one of the bedrocks of strong communicative practices, but it is often overlooked.
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