Journal of Technical Writing and Communication Jan 1996

Persuasiveness and Audience Focus in a Nonacademic R&D Setting

Vincent J. Brown

Abstract

Participants in a qualitative case study of nonacademic R&D authors were uncomfortable with the idea of persuasion in their writing. The participants thought their reports were more informative than persuasive. Three definitions for “persuasion” emerged: discourse intended to push a reader toward an action; discourse written in a clear, compelling style; and shady, manipulative discourse. When asked whether they owed a greater debt to their audience or to their subject matter, most participants chose subject matter. However, some participants argued that my question posed a false dichotomy, in that serving subject matter was the best way to serve audience.

Journal
Journal of Technical Writing and Communication
Published
1996-01-01
DOI
10.2190/r60h-a8by-m8uq-h08l
Open Access
Closed
Topics
qualitative research multilingual writers voice and style

Citation Context

Cited by in this index (4)

  1. Axelrod (2025)
    Improving Proposal Writing by Looking to Information Operations
    Journal of Technical Writing and Communication
  2. Jeyaraj (2004)
    Liminality and Othering
    Journal of Business and Technical Communication
  3. Hovde (2000)
    Tactics for Building Images of Audience in Organizational Contexts
    Journal of Business and Technical Communication
  4. Bushneil (1999)
    A contrary view of the technical writing classroom: Notes toward future discussion
    Technical Communication Quarterly

Cites in this index (4)

  1. Brown (1994)
    Facing Multiple Audiences in Engineering and R&D Writing: The Social Contex…
    Journal of Technical Writing and Communication
  2. Winsor (1990)
    The Construction of Knowledge in Organizations: Asking the Right Questions abou…
    Journal of Business and Technical Communication
  3. Park (1982)
    The Meanings of "Audience"
    College English
  4. Halloran (1978)
    Technical Writing and the Rhetoric of Science
    Journal of Technical Writing and Communication
Also cites 11 works outside this index ↓
  1. 10.2307/376723
     ↗
  2. 10.2307/358092
     ↗
  3. 10.2307/358094
     ↗
  4. 10.2307/358093
     ↗
  5. 10.4135/9781412985659
     ↗
  6. 10.2307/375964
     ↗
  7. 10.1177/108056999305600319
     ↗
  8. 10.1177/002194368602300102
     ↗
  9. 10.2190/NET
     ↗
  10. 10.2307/376441
     ↗
  11. 10.2307/377789
     ↗
CrossRef global citation count: 4 View in citation network →

Related Articles

  1. Written Communication Jan 2025
    Getting to “the Upper End of the Novice Zone”: An Exploration of Doctoral Students’ Writer Identity in Coauthoring With Supervisors for Publication ↗
    Jiayu Wang; Cassi Liardét
    qualitative research multimodality multilingual writers voice and style affect and writing
  2. College English Jul 2013
    Emerging Voices : “Speak White”: Language Policy, Immigration Discourse, and Tactical Authenticity in a French Enclave in New England ↗
    Jason Peters
    qualitative research translingualism multilingual writers voice and style
  3. College English Nov 2012
    Emerging Voices: Resituating Expertise: An Activity Theory Perspective on Representation in Critical Ethnography ↗
    Jerry Stinnett
    genre theory qualitative research multimodality multilingual writers voice and style
  4. Research in the Teaching of English Aug 2011
    Subjectivity, Intentionality, and Manufactured Moves: Teachers’ Perceptions of Voice in the Evaluation of Secondary Students’ Writing ↗
    Jill V. Jeffery
    writing pedagogy assessment empirical research qualitative research multimodality multilingual writers voice and style affect and writing
  5. Research in the Teaching of English Aug 2006
    Crafting an Agentive Self: Case Studies of Digital Storytelling ↗
    Glynda A Hull; Mira Lisa Katz
    qualitative research multimodality multilingual writers voice and style