1. RHETORICAL
SITUATIONS
Chapters 1-4

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

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

5. Rhetorical Situations Everywhere
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?

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
 Purpose – why are you communicating?
 Audience – who is listening/reading?
ELEMENTS TO  Stance – what is your attitude?
CONSIDER
 Genre – what kind of writing are you using?
 Media & Design – print, spoken, or digital?

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

12. CONSIDER YOUR PURPOSE
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.

13. CONSIDER YOUR AUDIENCE
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.

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

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

18. Rhetorical Situations: Practice
Now it’s time
for some
practice.
Carefully look
at the
following
slides and
decide the
rhetorical
situation in
each.
“A likely impossibility is always preferable to an unconvincing
possibility.” – Plato Poetics
What do you think???

19. Analyze the Rhetorical Situation

20. Analyze the Rhetorical Situation

21. Analyze the Rhetorical Situation

22. Analyze the Rhetorical Situation

23. The Rhetorical Situation AND
The Writing Process
 There are 5 Steps to the Writing Process
 Pre-Writing
 Writing
 Revising
 Proofreading
 Submission
 One Question:
 When do you start to think about the rhetorical situation?
 Begin to think about it during the pre-writing phase – before you
actually start writing. Re-visit the topic throughout the writing and
revising steps to make sure you are on the right track.