Transcript Strategies for Engineering Communication

Rhetorical Situation
SUBJECT
MATTER
(Informative Writing)
CONTEXT
CONTEXT
TEXT
WRITER
AUDIENCE
(Expressive Writing)
(Persuasive Writing)
CONTEXT
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Negotiating Rhetorical Demands
 Verify your emphasis
 Clarify your goal
 Analyze your audience
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Audience Analysis
Who is my audience?
 What is their economic, social, and educational status?
 What are their political beliefs?
 What value is placed on education, environment,
religion, and work?
 How old is my audience? What are the common values
or beliefs of this age group?
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Audience Analysis Cont’d
How does the audience relate to the subject?
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What issues make the audience angry or defensive?
How can I present unpopular ideas?
What authorities will convince them?
Would stories and analogies help?
How can I appeal to their values?
What concerns and fears must I address?
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Audience Analysis Cont’d
What Is the audience’s level of expertise?
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What does the audience already know?
What level of technical information is appropriate?
What content and conventions do they expect?
What terms must be defined or are understood?
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Audience Analysis Cont’d
How does the audience relate to me?
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What are the power relations?
Given this relationship, how do I present myself?
Am I an expert?
How do I demonstrate that I am honest, trustworthy, and
sympathetic?
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Audience Analysis Cont’d
How do I relate to the audience?
 Do I respect the audience’s opinions and points of view?
 Am I committed to telling them what I believe to be true?
 Have I made things easy for them?
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Write or Speak?
 Is the topic controversial?
 Are you emotionally involved?
 Is the other person angry, upset or frustrated?
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