Audience is Key

Being an English major, I very much enjoy figures of speech, alliterations, and rhetoric. As a writer myself, I have found how important all of these things are in writing, and in relating to my readers. But the first thing I think about before writing a story is my audience, and how I would be able to relate to them through my writing.

As a few people have already commented, paying special attention to your audience is a crucial thing. The Iliad does a great job of this, in my opinion. I found several passages in which the speaker related to the audience in terms of their interests and where they are at that point in time, physically and mentally. Also, when the person speaking is someone who the audience likes or esteems highly, the better change the speaker has of convincing the people with his/her rhetoric.

An example if this is when Agamemnon was told in a dream to go and tell the people to go to war against Troy because they were likely to win. After Agamemnon goes and informs the people about this dream, they get excited because these words and council have come from a person whom they respect—their king. His words were convincing to them because he is someone who they esteem as important, and as someone who has great authority and should be obeyed. Also, these people were in the mindset of war, and were very interested in this subject because of the current circumstances, so Agamemnon's words were sounded through their ears, grabbing their attention.

An example of this in my life would be when I was younger, and even now, I would always want to obey my parents, teachers, or whoever was my superior. It was because I saw them as someone higher than myself, smarter, and more important. Just like the people in The Iliad, I was convinced, or at least paid undivided attention to, those higher than myself.

Have any of you had similar experiences?

In the Likeness

There are two instances in Book 2 of the Iliad where characters pretend to be “in the likeness” of other characters—the Lying Dream as Nestor in lines 23–24 and Iris as Polites in lines 792–810. In both cases the Lying Dream and Iris know their audiences: whom their audience trusted, what audiences believed, and how their audience’s morale was faring.

Okay, this is the bad guy from
Rise of the Guardians.
But he looks like a Lying Dream to me.

Agamemnon was probably feeling discouraged with the status of the war. So the Lying Dream’s news that the king’s victory was at hand was likely welcome. Add references to Jove and Juno, the god and goddess Agamemnon believes in, and he is hooked. Oh, and the words came from Agamemnon’s most trusted councilor. No suspicions aroused. And that was necessary for the lie to be believed to move Agamemnon to action.

Rainbow (not war) Goddess
Iris

Iris needed to move her audience to action as well, but on the defense. This goddess was personified as the rainbow—not quite the war type. So to warn her audience, she adopted the persona of someone she knew the Trojans would listen to: a war vet and the watchman. She spoke with force, but maybe not how he would because Hector caught her. In this case, though, the lie didn’t matter since the call to action was for defense rather than offense.

Knowing the audience is, I think, half the battle in effective persuasion. The other half in is the presentation. Part of that presentation is physical. For the gods, their visual appearance was actually altered.

We can’t do that exactly. But we do present ourselves a certain way in what persona we adapt, how we dress, how we act, how we stand, and how we speak. That’s part of rhetoric, too.

Seattle and His Chief Audience

Chief Seattle must have had ideas of the genocides occurring throughout the world when he delivered this speech. Considering that Native American tribes were being obliterated by the United States, and many other nations were being wiped out by other imperialistic world powers, no hope existed for Chief Seattle to fight. The only hope he had was to try to get the “white people” to have enough fear and respect for the natural world so that they might allow the “red people” to live on in peace.

One of the most effective rhetorical strategies Chief Seattle uses is to utilize similes to connect his people to the natural world. Phrases such as “our people covered the whole land as the waves of a …sea cover its shell floor,” and “our people are ebbing away like a fast receding tide” help the audience to connect this tribe to the natural world, something that the chief is trying to get them understand.

Chief Seattle recognizes that the end is near for his people, and his audience is not just the white people. He is considering making a peace treaty with them even though some of his people want to fight on. He is trying to teach them that they can live on through this natural world too. Indeed, he uses antanaclasis to show those who would fight what will happen to them—that their hearts will turn as black as the paint on their faces.

In the process of trying to convince the white man to let them live in peace, he is also convincing his people to allow themselves to live in peace. This was a man who knew how to control his audiences.

Haters Gonna Hate: Why Audience Is Important

The hate group, the swing group, and the love group; these are how modern companies classify customers’ opinions of their products. Because it is hard for a company to switch someone from the hate group to the love group, companies tend to have their advertising directed at the swing group. We could consider the customers to be the company’s audience.

 

People are classified by their opinion into these 3 categories

In reading the debate between Erasmus and Luther, it is easy to see who the intended audience is. Erasmus is targeting the swing group, and Luther is targeting the hate group (at least the head of the hate group).

Education? Elementary, my dear Watson.

              Imagine you are in a room filled with twenty second graders.  They look up at you with admiration and expectation in their eyes.  You look back with seeing in each child his potential to become someone who will change the community, other’s lives and the future.  You look back with hope and love and even a little fear.  How can one individual know enough to inspire each one of these twenty expecting souls?  It seems impossible, but I can reassure you that is possible because you are exactly the individual who has enough love to help these children.  While practice and study are important, there are some other insights that I have learned from my own experience, study and through the experiences of other professionals in this field. 

                In my life I have had teachers that have inspired me to the point where I thought I could do anything and be anything and I have had teachers that make me feel like lying in bed all day and never going back to school again.  You may ask yourself what it was that made such a strong difference in my feelings and the answer is simple – communication.  If a teacher does not effectively communicate with students, parents and faculty, then there can be dire consequences.  But if a teacher effectively communicates, then he will be successful in inspiring and motivating students.  Through knowing how to address certain audiences, understanding the various form of communication that a teacher uses, and forming one’s own philosophy about education and communication, a teacher can be the catalyst for a love of learning in children’s lives.

Keys to Communication

An elementary teacher has the privilege to communicate on many levels.  A teacher is given instructions and guidelines from political leaders and administrators, must communicate the needs of individual students, discuss the best ways to teach the necessary curriculum, help children to understand basic concepts and assist parents in the teaching of their children.  Believe it or not persuasion has everything to do with teaching.  Most communication is done face to face but emails can be passed on and phone calls to parents are common.

A teacher must be able to analyze his audience and adapt to effectively communicate.  When speaking in the community or with administrators the needs of the children should be the focus and how to improve on what is already being done in the classroom.  Colloquial language should be avoided.  When communicating with a child the teacher must take great care in teaching in a way that is comprehensible to every child in the classroom.  The children’s interests and backgrounds should be taken into consideration to provide better understanding.  When communicating with parents the teacher must show love for their child and his specific needs.  One must show sincere concern for each child and his home life. 

Most communication in the field of education is deliberative or in other words that usually there is a goal of changing something in education and promoting action.  This is seen in community forums with the politics of education, in teams of teachers for the best way to teach and even in parent-teacher conferences to encourage the progress of the student.  Teachers want to encourage children to progress, want to change how the community views education, and want to inspire parents to help their children better learn. 

Political and Community Speaking

A few examples of communication with different audiences in mind will be given to provide further understanding into this skill that is so important in order to help these children who depend so much on you.  First an example will be given of how a teacher could appropriately address an audience at a community forum to encourage members of the community to donate since classroom sizes are so high and it is becoming more difficult to attend to the needs of each individual child. 

Speaking in a community forum a teacher or group of teachers may try to address the need for smaller class sizes to benefit the learning of the individual students and help funding for this to occur. A teacher could say something of the following:

"We are here to discuss the future of our children, our community and our country.  Have you ever been in a large group and something had been discussed that you didn't quite understand but because of the size of the group you felt your voice had been lost?  Children today are getting lost in these large class sizes.  They are entering a different community with different rules and often they get lost and left behind.  Isn't this contradictory with the No Child Left Behind Policy?  Your children and community need your help.  It is possible to make a difference in our community by donating and helping to fund the schools so that class sizes can be smaller and your children can have their voice heard and their needs met.  This is how real learning will occur.  The benefits are enormous for not only your family, but also our community and country.  Please stop and think of the future and make a difference today."

How was this address different than talking with a student or one on one with a parent?  When trying to persuade others to see the necessity of helping these children, a teacher needs to help those listening to feel for each child as the teacher feels and to show how unrealistic learning can be in the current situations.  It is important to connect to your audience by talking about how these children are the future of the community.  Those listening need to feel that acting on this will make a difference in their lives, because when it all comes down to it, humans as a race are egotistical. 

Parent - Teacher Communication

Now we will examine the communication between a teacher and a student that was struggling in her classroom as this teacher has a meeting with this student’s mother.  Mrs. Reggiani is a first grade teacher and has the privilege to help children become literate in reading and writing.  She lives in an area in the United States where there are many Spanish speakers and has some students in her class that are struggling because they are learning basic academics in a second language.  Because of this she has to communicate with the parents and guardians of students to help these children progress in their education.  She has attempted multiple times to communicate over the telephone without much success.  Mrs. Reggiani has scheduled to meet with the mother of one Spanish speaking student in her class, Maria who is from Chile.

She dresses in dress pants and a blouse but nothing too overdone as to appear more personable.  Before the meeting she has made a list of words in Spanish that she thinks will apply to their conversation.  Maria comes with her mother to help translate if needed.  Maria and her mother sit down with Mrs. Reggiani and she introduces herself.  She smiles and hugs Maria’s mother as is custom in Chile.  Mrs. Reggiani uses lots of gestures and pays attention to Maria’s mother when she speaks to help her to feel more comfortable.  The style is low as Mrs. Reggiani is trying to communicate Maria’s need in the classroom and show that she truly cares about her education and their family.  The delivery is clear and she enunciates as she speaks and speaks slowly.  Mrs. Reggiani frequently pauses to ask if she has been understood and listens as Maria’s mother explains what she has understood.  Some comparison is used to help her understand better but Mrs. Reggiani mostly avoids figurative language so as to avoid confusion.  She uses cause and effect to explain how the support of Maria’s family will help her in her academics.  They decide to meet regularly to increase Maria’s progression in the classroom.  Mrs. Reggiani was successful through her low and friendly style showing concern for Maria and respect for her family while explaining the situation clearly and with the help of her preparation in understanding better Maria’s cultural background.

We can see that this conversation between Maria’s mother and Mrs. Reggiani is very different than that of the teacher addressing the community forum.  But if you use the skill discussed earlier and focus on really connecting to those that you communicate with, then you won’t have to worry.  Remember that above anything else your focus should be on the needs of your students.  If you really care about your students, then communication will be done with love and will be effective.

Lessons from the Past

We can learn a lot from the past in how teachers have communicated and how that communication has changed recently.  Then it is each teacher’s responsibility to make a decision in what has been done previously and if that will be applied in the classroom. 

Ancient History

In ancient Greece, children started their elementary education around seven years of age.  It was divided between formal and informal education.  Formal education was for those families who had the money to pay for a pedagogue, or a private instructor, to teach their children.  The pedagogue would teach in the family’s home and would teach basic skills like reading, writing, and basic morals (Sienkewicz).  We can see that although our education system has evolved it is quite similar to this.  Here the communication was tailored more to the individual student and there was more time for each student to work with the teacher.

Recent History

There have been recent changes in the world that have affected the education system.  I talked to Lucelia Albernaz, a retired Elementary School principal, to learn more about these changes.  She said that the major factor in the recent history of education has been the technological development that has occurred.  I remember going to the computer lab during the school week in Elementary School and having to practice typing.  Now technology has become an even bigger part in the education of our children.  It is how grades are given, communication between the teacher and parent is done and now there are even classes that are flipped or use blended learning where the students watch video lectures at home and then problems and homework is done in the classroom with the help and guidance of the teacher.  This helps children to work at their own pace and to have more individualized time with the teacher in the classroom.  Writing is now done through technology so there is no more use for a stylus and wax board.  There has been a recent change from chalk boards to white boards and now to over-head projectors.  

So with all these changes is our children’s education improving?  It is up to you to make the decision of what type of communication is best for you and your students.  They need you and depend on you.  If one applies these principles, then children will have wonderful experiences in the classroom and teachers will feel more accomplished and happy in their work with these children.  The future leaders of the world can be in your classroom and through your effective communication you will change lives and the future.

Works Cited

Albernaz, Lucelia, Personal Interview, December 3, 2014.

Ed. Sienkewicz, “Education and Training,” Ancient Greece (New Jersey: Salem Press, Inc., 2007), 245.

Writing Plan for Mechanical Engineering

Audience

Any person entering the mechanical engineering field will have at least some form of affinity towards math and physics.  This program is a little different than other engineering fields in that it involves aspects from all of them as is much broader, whereas these other majors are more specific.  Classes in the mechanical engineering program range from math and physics to elements of electrical engineering and computer programming.   A few communication courses are required in the program, including technical writing and global leadership.  Most classes involve writing memos and reports.  In general, there are very few courses that have any historical components, as engineers address mainly the present and how to make it better.  An assumption is that the standards of living and the knowledge of science and technology is vastly superior to the past.  An individual in this field can expect a lot of group projects.  Most students take on an internship their junior year to give them experience because it isn't until this point that they have taken relevant coursework.  The work force typically seeks out those who have had an internship or were involved in extra-curricular clubs or activities.  It is a highly competitive field, and most students graduate with an impressive résumé.  Other than helping students have things to put on their resume, there is little done in the program to help students actually present themselves to a company. 

Context

There are a few stereotypes about engineers:  Smart, nerdy, and very awkward.  I want to address the importance of effective communication with others, especially with those from other fields.   Many great ideas fall flat because nobody with authority caught onto the vision.

Rhetoric

Mechanical engineers need to learn art of persuasion.  It should manifest itself most often in group settings where a decision has to be made, such as whether or not to fund a project, or to grant access to lab equipment, etc.  A deliberative approach is appropriate in most situations, where the engineer emphasizes the advantages and disadvantages of a certain issue.  This can be delivered in writing, or by oration.  Understanding the figures of reasoning is very important.

History

I mentioned previously how the mechanical engineering major offers very little historical context to this field.  I want to show how an understanding of how developments in the past were made can inspire the innovations of today.

Development Plan

I will start this paper off by addressing the importance of understanding the historical context of mechanical engineering.   This is more about reading up, or learning the subject before communicating it.  First I want to define what the field is and what it encompasses.  There is a little more research that has to be done for that.  Then I want to give a few examples of how being aware of past and present issues can lead to intuition and new ideas.   My blog post from Dec. 3 gives a good example of the development of prosthetics.  This section can be rounded off with a pathetic approach to show the joy an engineer experiences once he or she recognizes a topic that can be improved upon.

The elation of discovery can quickly be crushed by awkwardness.  At this point it would be powerful to show how ineffective communication squanders dreams for mechanical engineers.  I can give an example of Dilbert, the classic engineer stereotype.  This comes from my Oct. 24 blog post.  After this, I can expound on the areas of communication that are experienced in the field and how to succeed.  Communication between an engineer and those from other fields is a crucial element to success.  From my Nov. 7 blog post I can give examples of what to say and how to say it.  The last half of this paper is primarily concerned with persuasion.

Writing Plan for Corporate Sales

Audience:

                To be one of the elite in the corporate sales world, a person that has an absolute determination and motivation will always be the best man for the job. The people that won’t be able to sleep until they get what they want; the people that know exactly how to connect with others; the people that can make you smile at any given moment because they know exactly what you are thinking and what you want to hear. These are the people that are the perfect fit to make it big in this type of career field. In order to get there, their motivation will have to start from the beginning due to the school course load that they will have to endure. Finance, Accounting, Marketing, and Economics are not known for being the easiest of classes. Not to mention, summers are no longer a fun vacation with the family. They are typically filled with full time internships with large companies in major cities of the world. Although the classes and scheduling may initially seem rigorous, the phrase “it’s not about what you know but who you know” rings extremely true as communication is literally fundamental in this career.

Context:

            In both formal and informal settings, a corporate sales executive has to know what to say and how to say it at all times. It’s difficult to even fathom the type of mindset one must have in order to be able to read people’s minds and make specific deals become more attractive. Wouldn’t it be incredible to build relationships with an enormous amount of people and give them exactly what they are looking for while simultaneously making a profit? Everyone benefits! It’s simply incredible. If a salesman has studied his whole life but never talked to a person, he will get literally nowhere. However, when they can communicate in an elegant, persuasive manner he becomes dangerously successful.

Rhetoric:

I think it will be important to discuss the general ideas regarding the high, middle, and low styles of speech. Especially high because of the formal presentations that will need to be executed. There will have to be a very elegant, formal way of expressing ideas that click in the minds of others. Relationships with superiors, clients, and coworkers will all be slightly different but discussing the different ways to communicate would be beneficial. 

History:

History would play an imperative role in the fact that the recent national crisis that the economy has hit could motivate more people to become successful, innovative businessman. Sales is more important than ever in a country that just went through something comparable to the closest thing to the “next great depression”. Even more is on the line in the corporate sales world than ever. I think there are many advantages to discussing the history.

Development Plan:

I think more than anything, I want to open up with giving a brief overview of the history of sales with a focus on the past decade in America. Due to various economic downfalls, it is time that America needs to rise again and that means that corporate sales executives need to be able to present and sell products more than ever. With this comes an extreme need for persuasiveness and rhetorical genius.

I will then discuss the type of speeches that one who goes through with the field of rhetoric will need to perfect. Different situations call for different forms of communication. However, more than anything, I will make it clear and perhaps close the paper with the type of person and attitude the perfect corporate salesman will need to be and have. I think I can end it in a way to leave an impression on the reader if they can see the kind of endurance and internal drive it takes to be a top dog in a cut throat corporate environment that in turn can help the economy greatly.