One of the points in the reading that stood out to me is context and audience. Definitions are often written with an intended audience in mind. This assignment is challenging to me because I have not previously written descriptions of meteorological terms to people outside of the field. This assignment taught me to anticipate questions and adjust the content accordingly. For example, rather than explaining terms in detail, I am tasked with answering questions regarding how the term is relevant to the average person. Hence, the practice of addressing the needs of intended audience is both challenging, and beneficial to my writing as it focuses my attention to the needs of the readers.
The opportunity to peer review my team mate’s work is valuable because it allowed me to see how my peers tackled problems I encountered when I wrote the definition. In particular, I like how my team mate addressed the issue of relevance using examples that tie in with things we use in our daily life such as popular social media platforms.
Moreover, the review process also allowed me to receive feedback on my writing. The additional perspective is very helpful in identifying areas of improvement that I otherwise would not have discovered. One example would be to be careful with the use of jargon. I realized that when jargon is used without context, it can distract the reader and cause confusion that can otherwise be avoided. Plus, I agree with the recommendation to comment on figures as weather maps are often very cluttered. Consequently, additional guidance is needed to direct the focus of the reader to the important features. All in all, writing the definition has given me greater appreciation for definitions that are brief and engaging.