Friday, March 4, 2011
Different audiences
In a business setting, concerning workplace documents, might a technical writer fall victim to the use of logical fallacies? If so, how? Your book might help you think of an example. In regard to the images such business documents employ, might these also be compromised is terms of ethics? How can a business graphic appeal to the reader's sense of the company's credibility or to the reader's emotion or logic?
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A person might use logical fallacies in a workplace setting when he wants to persuade his boss. Since the employer is busy and probably reads a lot of reports using logical fallacies to catch the persons attention might be useful. I know in my experience my mentor told me to make my reports more appealing so they would be read more carefully. I probably used a lot of logical fallacies this last summer, but I did get my reports read.
ReplyDeleteGraphics used by businesses can relate to the reader's emotion by portraying themselves as a friendly company. By using images such as kids and family members laughing and smiling it calms the reader into thinking the company is "good". If you have any doubts about this tactic just look at BP's website after the spill.
A technical writer might fall victim to use of the logical fallacies by persuading a member of the company. The person might have to persuade perhaps his/her boss or maybe a company looking into taking part of the business. The employer would have to persuade another business to take an interest in his/her business. The graphics could play a role in appealing to the reader by showing what the company may have to offer. Graphics like a group of co-workers laughing over coffee in the break room might give a sense of a friendly work environment.
ReplyDeleteIn the workplace it is possible for someone to "assume" too much. For example, if a trend of sales is high for one week if a manager overassumes that this trend will continue they could cause the company to make a poor business decision because one manager overdescribed a trend. Graphics can tie into this, by depcting an overappealing image of a product you can convince others that it is more desirable than it reall is. Business graphics are often "beefed" up to make the company appear more reputable, this can backfire if the comapny cannot deliver a product that the customer desires.
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