Rhetorical Analysis-- Printer Friendly Version

Taken from Paul Anderson's Worksheet for Rhetorical Analysis (with some points from Kristin Woolever's and John Lannon's texts).

Hints for how to fill this out: Look at the headers first, and get a sense of the kinds of agendas in each section—then, try to answer questions briefly, taking short notes. Then, write up a summary of your answers in memo form (i.e., easily scannable, summarized, thinking of audience issues) and answer generally the headers listed below...i.e., what’s the overall purpose, how would you describe the readers, etc. In other words, I don’t need to see an answer for every question, but I do need a sense that you considered the questions and focused on the most relevant ones.

Overall Purpose:

• What are you writing?
• What prompts you to write?
• What outcomes do you desire?

Reader Profile:

• Who is your primary reader?
• What is your reader's relationship to you?
• What are your reader's job title and responsibilities?
• Who else might read your communication?
• How familiar is your reader with your subject?
• How familiar is your reader with your specialty?
• how might cultural differences shape readers' expectations and interpretations?
• How much does your reader need to know (how much information is enough?) What if you can't tell them all they need to know?
• Does your reader have any communication preferences you should take into account?
• Should you take into account any other things about your reader when writing?
Situation analysis:
• What events and circumstances influence the way you should write?

Reader's Informational Needs:

• What are the key questions your reader will ask while reading?
• How will your reader search for answers (The reader may use more than one strategy)
  • Sequential reading from beginning to end
  • Selective reading, as when using a reference book (what key terms will your reader look for?)
  • Other (explain)

• How will your reader use the information you provide?
  • Compare point by point (what will be the points of comparison?
  • Attempt to determine how the information you provide will affect him or her
  • Attempt to determine how the information you provide will affect his or her organization
  • Follow instructions step by step
  • Other (explain)
• What is the bottom line information that they need? IF you had to say one thing that your audience needs more than anything else from the document, what is it? Be sure to make this information the most emphatic and easy to find. (This bullet from Kristin Woolever's text)

Reader's attitudes

• what is your reader's attitude toward your subject? Why? What do you want it to be?
• What is your reader's attitude towards you? Why? What do you want it to be?
• Do they have any biases or prejudgments? (Woolever)
• What are the probable objections (cost, time, none, other) (Lannon)
• What's the reader's temperament (cautious, impatient, other)
• Probable reaction to the document (resistance, approval, anger, guilt, other)
• Risk of alienating anyone?

Audience expectations about the document:

• Reason document originated: (audience request, my idea, other)
• Acceptable length (comprehensive, concise, other)
• Material important to this audience (interpretations, costs, conclusions, other)
• Most useful arrangement (problem-causes-solutions, other)
• Intended effect on this audience (win support, change behavior, other)
  

Stakeholders:

• Who, besides your readers, are stakeholders in your communication? How will they be affected by it?

Due Date