Rhetorical Situations Lecture

1. RHETORICAL
SITUATIONS
Chapters 1-5

2. What is RHETORIC?????
Wait a minute….

3. RHETORIC
 The purposeful use of language in speech or
in writing
 In other words…the ways in which you, the
speaker or the writer, purposely use language
in different situations.
 Different situations require different language!

4. Rhetorical Situation
Choose 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.

5. 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

6. Rhetorical Situations
Everywhere
 At home

7. Rhetorical Situations
Everywhere
 At work

8. Rhetorical Situations
Everywhere
 At play

9. Rhetorical Situations
Everywhere
 At School

10. Rhetorical Situation
There are five elements to consider in EVERY rhetorical situation
ELEMENTS
TO
CONSIDER
 Purpose – 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?

11. Now let’s look at each element of a
rhetorical situation a little closer.
Elements to Consider

12. Why are you writing?
To express yourself
To entertain
To communicate with others
To persuade
To inform
Some situations have one purpose,
others have several.
CONSIDER YOUR
PURPOSE

13. IDENTIFY YOUR AUDIENCE…Who 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

14. CONSIDER YOUR AUDIENCE
 What is your audience’s 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?

15. Or in other words…What is
your attitude toward your
topic?
But…It’s not just what you say, but how
you say it!
CONSIDER YOUR STANCE

16. CONSIDER YOUR STANCE
 It’s not just what you say, but how you say it.
 TONE = HOW YOU SAY IT
 Thoughtful vs. Defiant
 Objective vs. Opinionated
 Sarcastic vs. Serious
 Assertive vs. Uncertain
 How do you choose the right TONE?
 Ask the following questions:
 Who is your audience?
 What is your purpose?

17. What genre will you choose to communicate (in
writing)???
Letter
Profile
Report
Position Paper
Poem
Instructions
Web Pages
CONSIDER THE GENRE

18. The Rhetorical Situation AND
The Writing Process
 There are 5 Steps to the Writing Process
 Pre-Writing
 Writing
 Revising
 Proofreading
 Submission
 Two Questions:
 When do you start to think about the rhetorical
situation?
 Is this a finite process?