2.2 How to Analyze Communication Situations

As you plan your communication, the PYCCME Analysis reminds you which aspects of the situation are important. It can be helpful to consider each aspect of the PYCCME Analysis in order; however, this is an iterative process, and you might have to return to elements you have already considered as you learn more about the communication situation.

The following sections explain each element in more detail.

1. Purpose
2. You and Your Audience
3. Context
4. Channel
5. Messages
6. Evaluation

Purpose

Purpose refers to why you are communicating. Determining your purpose requires that you engage in communication analysis — that is, determine what you hope to accomplish by communicating. Ask yourself what you hope the reader(s) will do/think/decide/ or how they will behave as a result of hearing your message. Communication in the workplace has three general purposes:

1. To create a record
2. To give or request information
3. To persuade.

Within those general purposes, you will find a myriad of specific purposes. For example, your purpose may be to propose an innovative solution to a specific problem. In this case, you want the reader to agree to explore the idea further or approve funding for further research and development, which would fall under the general purpose of writing to persuade.

You and Your Audience

You and your audience refers first to you, the writer/creator/designer communicating and second, to your readers/listeners/viewers/users.

It is important to examine your own motivation for communicating and any biases, past experiences, and knowledge you bring to the communication situation. These elements will influence how you craft the message, whether positively or negatively. This examination should also include your role within the organization and your position relative to your target audience. In Chapter 3, you will consider some factors that influence your communication.

Audience analysis is possibly the most critical part of understanding the communication situation. Consider Figure 2.2.1 below. Is your audience internal (within your company) or external (such as clients, suppliers, customers, and other stakeholders)? Are they lateral to you (at the same position or level), upstream from you (management), or downstream from you (employees, subordinates)? Who is the primary audience? Who are the secondary audiences? These questions, and others, help you to create an understanding of your audience that will help you craft a message that is designed to effectively communicate specifically to them.

Keep in mind that your different audiences may also have different purposes for reading your document or listening to your message. Consider their various purposes and how you can best help them achieve these goals. What do they already know? What do they need to know? Considering what they are expected to do with the information you provide will help you craft your message effectively. Consider also that writing often has a long “life span” – a document you write today could be filed away and reviewed months or even years down the road. Consider the needs of that future audience as well.

Some companies develop audience profiles to help guide their communications. This is a good exercise whenever you have something to communicate, especially if the information is complex. Here are some questions to consider as part of the audience profile:

In Chapter 3, we will further consider how to analyze your own position as a communicator and your audience.

Context

Context refers to the situation that creates the need for writing. In other words, what has happened or needs to happen that creates the need for communication? The context is influenced by timing, location, current events, and culture, which can be organizational or social. Ignoring the context of your communication could result in awkward or possibly offensive situations. It will almost certainly impact your ability to clearly and credibly convey your message to your audience.

Channel

Channel refers to the manner in which you will communication. You will consider if you should communicate with your audience in person or through writing. You will consider if your message should be communicated on a specific platform; for instance, should you use social message to reach your audience. In addition, you will consider the appropriate form (genre) for your message. Should you write an email or a formal written letter? This might be one question that you ask yourself as you consider the best channel for communicating with your audience.

Message

Message refers to the information you want to communicate. This is the content of your document. It should be aligned with your purpose and targeted to your audience. While it is important to carefully choose what content your audience needs, cutting out content your audience does not need or want is equally critical. “Time is money” may be a tired old cliché, but avoiding wasting your audience’s time with unnecessary or irrelevant information is important. Your message should be professional and expressed in the appropriate tone for the audience, purpose, and context.

Evaluation

Evalution refers to how you will receive feedback from your audience. For this element of the PYCCME Analysis, you will consider how you will know if your communication efforts have been successful. The feedback you receive can be spontaneous and simple. For instance, if you write an email to request information from a colleague, you will know if you have been successful if the colleague provides you with the information. Other situations can be more complex. If you are communicating with a large audience, you may have to use tools like surveys, focus groups, or interviews to better understand if your communication efforts have been successful.