CHIMAOBI AJAERO

ENGL 1302 W97

In ENGL 1302, I have learnt about finding various research techniques, the
procedures to writing for an audience, and about how important it is to consider the
purpose of your writing. This semester I selected the research topic ‘The Pandemic and
Mental Health’, made an annotated bibliography and used that to make three genres. Genre
one was for an audience in my discipline, genre two for an audience outside my discipline,
and genre three for a general audience. In this reflection, I will be exploring my process
through these three genres- why I chose the audience, the purpose of the genre and what
format the genre was in.

My first genre was intended to talk about how mental health during the pandemic
has affected the workforce, with an audience in my discipline. I decided that because I am
an engineering major, an audience of my discipline would be a fellow engineer who is part
of a larger workforce. Also, and an audience of engineers, would require academic language,
more professional than casual and more critical than entertaining (Wray, 2020).
Furthermore, components of my research topic, explored the impacts on the workforce and
how it may result to long term effects that might affect the work life of professionals. The
purpose of this genre was to persuade a superior figure to adopt my proposed initiative,
appealing to emotion, character and facts that favor my outcome (Reid et al., 1994-2013).
Genre one was in a business email format. I decided on this format because of its
conciseness and its ability to also clearly present information. It meets the audience needs
and serves a purpose because it sets a professional tone, and the reader is likely to take the
correspondence seriously (Excelsior University, 2022).
In genre 2, I considered an audience outside my discipline and decided to highlight
the impacts of the pandemic and why it is important for healthcare practitioners to begin to
prepare for a rising need in mental health services. I decided that because of the nature of
my topic, it was best to have this genre for an audience of healthcare professionals who
focus on mental health. This is because they have a personal interest in my topic (Burnell et
al., n.d.). The purpose of this genre was to educate my audience on the importance of my
research topic and in addition, show how it is necessary for the good of the society, whilst
conveying the information as accurately and objective as possible (Reid et al., 1994-2013).
Genre two was in a PowerPoint presentation format. I decided on this format because it is
short and concise, and is condensed enough to keep my audience’s attention, throughout
the presentation (Texas A&M University, n.d.). This format allows my audience to easily
understand the concepts of my research topic, because the with each slide the audience can
what theme the topic is focusing on and have a chance to be easily receptive of the
information.
In my third genre, I focused on a general audience and talks about the various ways
the pandemic has had its effect on the mental health of various individuals. This genre is
intended for an audience age 15 and above- anyone from any background. I decided on this
specific audience because of the nature om my topic and how it could be potentially
sensitive to a younger audience. In addition, this type of audience is a lay audience, and
would connect more with the human-interest component of my research topic (Reid et al.,
1994-2013). The purpose of my genre is to explain to my audience about the importance of
being aware of the conversation regarding my topic, by putting together facts, information,
and my knowledge (Reid et al., 1994-2013). This genre is meant to be easily understandable
and accessible. Furthermore, I intended for the grammar used to be applicable to audiences
from all backgrounds. Genre three is in an infographic format. Initially, I had considered a
 CHIMAOBI AJAERO
ENGL 1302 W97
research poster, but I ruled that out because I wanted something that could be easily
conceptualized by my audience. It serves its purpose because an infographic allows me to
cover different aspects of my topic, using a variety of figures describing the topic ((Bellevue
University, n.d.). It can briefly summarize the key ideas and themes of my topic and, present
it in a creative and visually appealing way to my audience.

In conclusion, I believe this Writing and Rhetoric II class has equipped me with a
tremendous amount of valuable in formation, that would, without a doubt, be extremely
beneficial during and beyond my undergraduate career.
 CHIMAOBI AJAERO
ENGL 1302 W97

Refrences
Bellevue University. (n.d.). Making an infographic of your own. Facts from the stacks.
http://blogs.bellevue.edu/library/index.php/2014/05/making-an-infographic-of-your-
own/

Burnell, C., Wood, J., Babin, M., Pesznecker, S., & Rosevear, N. (n.d.). Audience. The Word
on College Reading and Writing.
https://openoregon.pressbooks.pub/wrd/chapter/audience/

Excelsior University. (2022, May 26). Emails. Excelsior OWL.

https://owl.excelsior.edu/online-writing-and-presentations/emails/

Reid, S., Kiefer, K., & Kowalski, D. (1994). Adapting to your Audience. The WAC
Clearinghouse. https://wac.colostate.edu/repository/resources/writing/guides/audience/

Texas A&M University. (n.d.). Presentation slides. University Writing Centers.

https://writingcenter.tamu.edu/Students/Writing-Speaking-Guides/Alphabetical-List-of-
Guides/Presentations/Presentation-Slides

Wray, A. (2020, August 5). What to think about when writing for a particular audience.
Writing Commons. https://writingcommons.org/article/what-to-think-about-when-
writing-for-a-particular-audience/