A rhetorical situation usually involves a writer or speaker, an audience, a medium (e.g. a text or speech), and a definite purpose. When all these elements converge together to create a suitable rhetorical response, we have a rhetorical situation. This often relies on the type of audience and the purpose. An audience could be as specific as a group of students, movie critics, music composers, healthcare professionals, or homemakers. They are usually the targets or the intended recipients in the line of communication. Genres are a ‘set of conventions’ or ‘specific rules’ that vary based on the targeted audiences. For example, a movie genre can range from horror, comedy, drama, action, thriller, or documentary and they each adhere to …show more content…
In the academic learning environment, we always keep in mind the academic community that is primarily comprised of students, and professors. Personally, I strive to adhere to the assignment guidelines to acquire excellent grades, and in the process gain valuable knowledge, important learning skills, and become a reflective thinker. On the other hand, in the professional work environment, we are dealing with a multidisciplinary team, comprising of supervisors, nurses, patients, physicians, social workers, nutritionists, caregivers, and other healthcare workers. Here, my written and oral communication skills have to adhere to larger regulatory bodies, facility policies and procedures, and are usually very objective, legal, and linear. In my opinion, the purpose of professional communication is to aggressively influence compliance from patients and staff for a better management. It also has to be concise, precise, and clear, conveying just the right amount of information to maintain privacy and confidentiality. Both types of writing are audience focused, use conventional and persuasive language, emphasize correct usage of grammar, and promote clear and logical thinking. And last but not the least, they both are result oriented, deadline-driven, and require sound organizational
Communication is cited as a contributing factor in 70% of healthcare mistakes, leading to many initiatives across the healthcare settings to improve the way healthcare professionals communicate. (Kohn, 2000.)
A rhetorical situation can be found in every composition since it serves as the foundation. To further provide evidence towards my claims about the function of the rhetorical situation, I will analyze how three different compositions were influenced by the rhetorical situation.
Lloyd F. Bitzer’s article, “The Rhetorical Situation”, is an account of what he calls the “rhetorical situation” as what he believes to be the conditions necessary for compelling a rhetorician to engage in rhetoric (35). It is Bitzer’s position that a work of rhetoric comes into existence as a response to the call of a certain state of affairs in the world (32). Furthermore, Bitzer claims that when we find ourselves in such “situations”, we are compelled to engage in rhetoric in order to restore the balance that we find lacking (34). He identifies three interconnected elements of situational rhetoric: exigence, audience, and constraints (35). Bitzer argues that a rhetorical discourse, which consists of an engagement with an audience for the purpose of compelling that audience to modify the world so as to repair the problem which is presented (35), is required to solve the problem as the world presents it (34). This lack of balance in a rhetorical situation or state of affairs in the world leads to what Bitzer calls exigence, which he defines as “an imperfection marked by urgency” (36). Bitzer also expands on the notion of a rhetorical audience, which is central to his theory of situational rhetoric. Bitzer defines a rhetorical audience as persons who, through discourse, are subject to influence and as persons who can be compelled to bring about the change called for by a rhetorical situation (37). Bitzer also identifies constraints as being a vital component to his theory, which he defines as anything within the rhetorical situation which has the power to “constrain decision” (38).
In The Rhetorical Situation, Lloyd F. Bitzer argues that what makes a situation rhetorical is similar to that which constitutes a moral action as he writes that, “an act is moral because it is an act performed in a situation of a certain kind; similarly, a work is rhetorical because it is a response to a situation of a certain kind”.(3) By defining the rhetorical situation in this way, Bitzer further contends that rhetoric is a means to altering reality. (4) It is through the use of discourse that one is capable of changing reality through thought and action. (4) Bitzer then elaborates upon the nature of a rhetorical situation by explaining that rhetorical discourse enters a situation when: providing a response to its state of affairs; rhetorical discourse is given significant presence by the situation; the situation exists as a necessary condition for rhetorical discourse to have effect; a rhetorical situation or event may mature or decay over time; the rhetorical situation invites the use of discourse to alter its reality; the rhetorical response given to the situation is appropriate; and the situation controls the response of the discourse. While Bitzer notes that these are parameters for a situation to qualify as being rhetorical, he further discusses three constituents that are present in any rhetorical situation prior to the presence and manipulation of discourse. (6) Exigence, audience, and constraints are seen to be necessary elements in a rhetorical situation for Bitzer. Exegince, “is an imperfection marked by urgency; it is a defect, an obstacle, something waiting to be undone, a thing which is other than it should be”. (6) An audience whose members may function as mediators of change is required, as rhetoric alw...
Communication encompasses a wide range of processes such as the exchange of information, listening, posing of questions (Fleischer et al., 2009) or use of body language. In a healthcare environment where there are constant interactions among nurses, doctors, patients and other health professionals, professional and effective communication is important in ensuring high quality healthcare standards and meeting the individual needs of patients.
Effective verbal communication is essential for advocates. Advocates build and connect relationships, discover solutions, educate the public, and advise decision-makers. Verbal communication with stakeholders and face-to-face interaction is an essential component of any professional advocacy campaign. Verbal communication skills impact how effectively one communicates their intended message; thus, usefulness to decision-makers and those being educated. Additionally, advocates must adapt the skills in their repertoire to account for all settings and environments ranging from the office, a restaurant, a bar, a conference, an event, or an encounter with an issue stakeholder at a widely attended event.
When attempting to understand and define professional writing, there are many questions that come to mind. Who uses professional writing? Or how does professional writing differ from more commonly practiced disciplines of writing and communicating? Upon researching and inquiring about how professional writing is used to communicate in the workplace, I have gathered opinions from scholars and professional writers of different discourses, both who use various genres to relay information. A brief definition of professional writing is a style of written communication used in a workplace. This mode of communication allows professionals (e.g. professors, business people, doctors, lawyers, etc.) to make informed decisions. Professional writing generally
The bible has two different forms of communicating it’s message to the world. One form being oral communication this is when a person depends mostly on verbal, audio, and some type of visual means of communication. “Verbal communication is the very first form of communication that we read about in the Bible ” (Brown, 2012). When using a form of oral communication such as an audiotape people can replay the sections over and over again. This allows them time to think about what they are hearing and relate this is their own life experiences. Oral communication allows the speaker to not only get their point across, but to provide a story with expressions and body language that can bring what they are saying to life. An example of this scripture
Communication and the way communication is perceived are highly important in todays’ society as well as in the health care arena. Communication is the interactive process that occurs when a person (the sender) sends a message whether it is verbal or nonverbal to another person (the receiver) and receives feedback. (Kelly, 2012, p 199) It is a vital part of the health care setting and the basis of all interactions amongst staff members, patients and families. Communication is significant in maintaining a healthy interpersonal and interdisciplinary relationship with others. The article Why Health Messages Fail: Lessons from the Australian Fast-Food Industry, (Michelle Phillipov, 2014) depicts how sending the wrong communication may convey the wrong message. This is true in the food industry as well as the health care industry. Therefore, how individuals communicate with one another is just as important as the communication process itself.
People communicate in various ways. Good communication is essential to every part of life. Whether it is in parenting, a relationship, or in the work environment. Communication is vital to making any of these successful it can take time to master the art of effective communication. We communicate with much more than words. When we interact with someone, our body has a language of its own. The gestures we make, the way we sit, the way we talk, the amount of eye contact we make all of these non-verbal ways of communicating that impact the message our words are sending. Verbal messaging is communicated via the words that we use. Verbal messaging is an important part of our communication, but the way we communicate nonverbally is equally and sometimes can be more important.
Oral language development is the foundation of learning to read and write. When we first make our big entrance into the world, our oral language starts developing. As we grow up, we hear all kinds of sounds such as words, songs, traffic and much more. Oral language is all about using spoken words to express knowledge, ideas, and feelings. According to an article called “Stay at Home Educators” oral language plays a tremendous role for literacy development. There are four great examples that they discuss in this article that I thought was very informative. Oral language helps develop vocabulary concepts. When students discover the meaning and pronunciation of words, they are understanding different types of speech.
Speaking is a natural ability given to most reluctant individuals. Since the beginning of time, it has been assumed that we have a right to speak and use words, thus we naturally begin our development of language during the early stages of live. After years of grasping and perfecting our vocabulary and language, it seems unnecessary to study the purpose of our development. Why, then, should we study “oral communication?” There are many purposes, benefits, and institutions that branch from oral communication. Of course, communication is the basis of interaction with other individuals through the use of expressions and words; however, through studying oral communication, one can take the words and expressions being used and apply them to his or her own life. After all, the most effective and useful knowledge is applied knowledge.
Communication is the transmission or exchange of information. To effectively communicate a person must transmit a message using verbal & nonverbal methods to a recipient who interprets the meaning and returns with a response. It is a two-way process. Being able to talk and listen this does not guarantee the desired goals will be met, if the participants are unable to their ideas, problems, or needs during the communication process. Attempts to communicate is not always effective and when it fails we must look at the principle component as to why the exchange was misunderstood. These failures can be related to internal, external, and semantic barriers, also known as noise.
Hayter (2006) goes on to enthusiasm, which creates a sense of importance. If the speaker is enthusiastic then the listeners will feel excitement towards the communicator. Knowing one’s audience is imperative to the tone of the communication. Caring about who one is speaking to will give the audience recognition (Hayter, 2006). Feeling a topic is unrelated to someone can lead to them not listening. Communicating to an audience requires knowledge as well (Hayter, 2006). The communicator must know the subject well or they will seem to have no authority on the topic (Hayter, 2006). There would be no point in communicating at all if one did not know about what they were saying. My strength is leading by example so I use communication effectively
Communication is one of the most important factors in our lives. It dictates the relationships formed with the individuals in personal and professional lives. Effective communication provides a foundation for trust and respect to grow. It also helps better understand a person and the context of the conversation. Individuals often believe that their communication skills are much better than what they actually are. Communication appears effortless; however, much of what two people discuss gets misunderstood, thus leading to conflicts and distress. To communicate effectively, one must understand the emotion behind the information being said. Knowing how to communicate effectively can improve relationships one has at home, work and in social affairs. Understanding communication skills such as; listening, non-verbal communication and managing stress can help better the relationships one has with others.