RHETORICAL SITUATIONs

RHETORICAL SITUATIONs

Chapters 1-5

1

What is RHETORIC?????

Wait a minute.

RHETORIC

The purposeful use of language in speech or in writing

In other wordsthe ways in which you, the speaker or the writer, purposely use language in different situations.Different situations require different language!

3

Rhetorical SituationChoose your words wisely

Think before you speak (OR WRITE)A situation in which you use words to communicate.You think about the situation before you choose your rhetoric.

In the following four slides, you will see various rhetorical situations that you might come across at home, at work, at play, and at school.

Consider each rhetorical situation on the slide. How do the situations differ?How would you consider your choice of words in each situation? Why?

Rhetorical Situations Everywhere

Rhetorical Situations EverywhereAt home

Rhetorical Situations EverywhereAt work

Rhetorical Situations EverywhereAt play

Rhetorical Situations EverywhereAt School

Rhetorical SituationThere are five elements to consider in EVERY rhetorical situationELEMENTS TO CONSIDERPurpose why are you communicating?Audience who is listening/reading?Stance what is your attitude?Genre what kind of writing are you using?Media & Design print, spoken, or digital?

Now lets look at each element of a rhetorical situation a little closer.Elements to Consider

Why are you writing? To express yourselfTo entertainTo communicate with othersTo persuadeTo informSome situations have one purpose, others have several.CONSIDER YOUR PURPOSE

IDENTIFY YOUR AUDIENCEWho will read (or hear) what you are writing?Are they known or unknown?Is your audience one person or multiple?

These (and more) questions will help shape the words that you choose and how you convey your message.

CONSIDER YOUR AUDIENCE

CONSIDER YOUR AUDIENCEWhat is your audiences background?What are their interests?Is there any demographic information you should keep in mind?What political circumstances should you consider?What does your audience already know about your topic?What is your relationship with your audience?What does your audience need/expect from you?

Or in other wordsWhat is your attitude toward your topic?

ButIts not just what you say, but how you say it!

CONSIDER YOUR STANCE

CONSIDER YOUR STANCEIts not just what you say, but how you say it. TONE = HOW YOU SAY ITThoughtful vs. DefiantObjective vs. OpinionatedSarcastic vs. SeriousAssertive vs. UncertainHow do you choose the right TONE?Ask the following questions:Who is your audience?What is your purpose?

What genre will you choose to communicate (in writing)???LetterProfileReport Position PaperPoemInstructionsWeb Pages

CONSIDER THE GENRE

The Rhetorical Situation AND The Writing ProcessThere are 5 Steps to the Writing ProcessPre-WritingWritingRevisingProofreadingSubmissionTwo Questions:When do you start to think about the rhetorical situation?Is this a finite process?