The instructions that I will write will be instructions for a process, the process of becoming a better Track and Field High Jumper. My instructions will cover the different parts of the high jump process, the flight, the takeoff, and the approach. I feel that writing instructions about the process of becoming a better high jumper is very legitimate and necessary because as a college track and field high jumper myself, I know that there is always a need for additional instructions and opportunities to improve. I feel that I am qualified to give instructions on this particular topic because I have been a high jumper for many years and am a strong college competitor in high jump. The first audience that I feel will read my instructions are made up of other very experienced high jumpers that are looking for additional tips and secrets to improve even more. The second audience I foresee using my instructions are beginner high jumpers that are looking for more general aspect on high jump. These two different audiences are very different and will understand the instructions in very different ways. The experienced group will not be looking for a general overview of the sport high jump; rather they will be looking for very specific instructions, which do not just cover the basics. I feel that the experienced high jumper is my primary audience, and the amateur high jumper is my secondary audience. The amateur high jumper will be reading my instructions for very different reasons, and may find that they are not able to fully understand all of the specifics of the instructions. The experienced high jumpers will need additional specific ideas for improvement, whereas the amateur high jumpers will need a more general survey of high jumping that does not exclude any pertinent information. The experienced high jumpers will expect the instructions to have very tailored, specific secrets of success on high jumping, whereas the amateur readers will expect the instructions to give at least the basics, and they may overlook some of the more tailored, specific parts of the instructions. The concerns of the experienced high jumpers might possibly be that the instructions are not just an overview of the sport high jump, but that the instructions also include the specifics, or the secrets to becoming a better high jumper. On the other hand the concerns of the amateur high jumpers will be very different, they will be concerned that the set of instructions include enough of the basics, and describe enough of the high jump lingo in order for them to be able to understand the instructions. The instructions which I plan to create for this topic will include a couple of diagram images, which will illustrate the “take off steps” of high jump. These illustrations will include measurements, the appropriate stride foot, and the number of steps.
Instructor Feedback: ck86
First off, I think you have particularly good handle on the differences between your audiences. I like, for instance, your statement that, "These two different audiences are very different and will understand the instructions in very different ways." Your ability to distinguish in this way should improve your instruction sets. You will be better able to adjust the kinds of information you include and how you include it (design, word choice, phrasing, tone, etc.).
The strength of your discussion of audience leads me to my second point, and, importantly, my primary concern: it is not yet clear how your two instruction sets will be different. Sentences such as, "The amateur high jumper will be reading my instructions for very different reasons, and may find that they are not able to fully understand all of the specifics of the instructions," lead me to assume that you will be including similar kinds of content in both sets. I would assume that this is not actually the case, but I do not have much to go with respect to the actual look of your instructions. What you need to provide a clearer picture of is how the differences in audience expectations translate into the design and content of two unique sets of instructions.
As Jeremy and I have been telling the class, it is vitally important to your project's success that you produce two clearly distinct instruction sets. The general worry with this project is that the difference between the two sets will be one of degree (that is, the expert set will simply be either a truncated version or a more detailed version of the novice set); we are expecting a difference in kind (the expert set should be qualitatively different from the novice set). Be sure to spend more time thinking about how your sets will both reflect these two distinct audiences and meet the project requirements (these two goal should go hand-in-hand).
Note: Avoid longer paragraphs such as this one. Break-up your writing into smaller paragraphs organized around one idea (this is particularly important in online writing). Get in the habit of always writing in an accessible manner.