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Bruce, I believe that we are in violent agreement. :-D We deal in
probabilities, and we only have partial control over the variables. The
feedback is removed, but that doesn't eliminate the reader or the
response from the equation.
Lisa
-----Original Message-----
From: Bruce Byfield [mailto:bbyfield -at- axionet -dot- com]
Sent: Wednesday, April 16, 2003 10:47 AM
To: Lisa Wright
Cc: TECHWR-L
Subject: Re: Reader responsibility
Lisa Wright wrote:
>But in fact communication is a two-way street.
>
Theoretically this is true. But one of the weak point of most
communication models is that they are based on speech, and assume that
the relation between a writer and reader is the same as that between
speaker and listener. But in technical writing, as well as in most other
types of writing, the feedback is received too late to do much good.
All that a writer can do is to analyze the audience or empathize with
it, and try to anticipate and answer the audience's probable reaction.
>We
>have the writer and the reader. The writer has no control over the
>things that the reader brings to the table.
>
Absolute control, no. But obviously there is a strong influence, and an
awareness of connotations can help anticipate reactions and to avoid
unfortunate ones.
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