Reaching The Reader’s Mind
Use Reader Expectations to turn complex expertise
into writing that wins funding, cases, and decisions.
George David Gopen, JD, PhD, is Professor Emeritus of the Practice of Rhetoric at Duke University and creator of the Reader Expectation Approach to Writing in the English Language — credited with reshaping scientific writing.
Trusted Methods, Unrivaled Impact
Consistent with observations in cognitive psychology and psycholinguistics, the Reader Expectation Approach (REA) is based on how readers look for critical information in specific structural locations within sentences and paragraphs. Misalignment between writer placement and reader expectation is a primary cause of miscommunication. Through his acclaimed seminars, George has trained tens of thousands of professionals across hundreds of organizations how to write from the reader’s perspective. He His clients are reporting an increase in courtroom victories, greater publishing success, and billions more in grant funding.
“Dear George — With admiration and gratitude. I thought of your work with every sentence I wrote here.“
“My very dear brother George is one of the most masterful teachers, erudite scholars and decent human beings I have ever encountered in the Academy!”
Professional Development Programs
Customized for Your Goals
Trusted By Over 200 Leading Organizations
Research Institutions
Communicate complex research clearly to increase grant funding and publication.
Law Firms
Strengthen briefs and documents to be precise and persuasive.
Businesses
Produce documents that build consumer confidence and make it easier to audit decisions.
“George gave me my life, my career, my future. He gave me my dreams. I owe him everything.”
— Victoria Seewaldt, MD, Department Chair, Population Sciences, City of Hope Cancer Center
Jefferson College of Health Professions at Thomas Jefferson University
Faculty Network Member of the Duke Institute for Brain Sciences
is the single most highly rated faculty development program offered at Indiana University.”
Former Senior Associate Dean for Faculty Affairs and Leadership at University of North Carolina Chapel Hill
free of obfuscated meaning and consequent misunderstanding.“
University of North Carolina Chapel Hill
“Write well. In your lifetime, you will be known by many important people only by your writing.” — George David Gopen
Discover why The Reader Expectation Approach is a great fit for your organization
Request a complimentary 20‑minute discovery call to fashion a training program for your team’s professional development or high-stakes project.
FAQ
- What is The Reader Expectation Approach?
REA is a framework for writing more clearly and persuasively in English by explaining how readers use the placement of information within a piece of writing to interpret meaning and decide what matters. - Who is the program for?
Universities and scientific research departments; governmental agencies and non-profits; corporations and businesses; law firms and legal departments; professional associations; leadership and graduate programs. - What happens on the discovery call?
We will discuss how our training options align with your organization’s training goals, schedule, and budget. - How is training typically delivered?
Instructor-led training delivered via a combination of live seminars and small-group workshops. An online e-learning series can also be accessed. A limited number of one‑on‑one consulting appointments are available. - What results have REA clients received?
Across six research institutions alone, funding has increased by $3.4 billion since implementing REA. - Does research support REA
The Reader Expectation Approach is supported by independent research in cognitive psychology and psycholinguistics. - How does REA differ from other writing programs?
Most corporate writing training operate from prescriptions presented as universally correct. REA holds that no single feature of writing is inherently good or bad; what matters most is whether the writer has placed information where the reader is structurally expecting to find it. If so, the writing succeeds. If not, the writing has failed.