1. Genre Analysis, Rhetorical Analysis, and Business Communication January 14, 2013

2. Genre: Definition  Put simply, a genre is a class or category of communication. It typically is understood in the same way by members of the same discipline, organization, etc.  Genres are not fixed and can change over time

3. Then…what is genre analysis?  Analyzing a text for its structural and linguistic features as well as its social context  Use genre analysis to figure out WHY certain textual approaches are taken  Must take into consideration the rhetorical situation

4. Rhetorical situation  To analyze a genre, you must be able to understand its rhetorical situation: AUDIENCE, CONTEXT, and PURPOSE (the genre is dependent on these notions)  Describe the audience, context, and purpose of the following genre: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VBvBqfB977whttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VBvBqfB977w

5. Purpose in Business Communication  What are the three main purposes in business writing?  To create a record, to persuade, to request/provide information  Once determined, try summarizing in one sentence using 5 W’s

6. Audience in Business Writing  Who will read what I’ve written?  What do they need to know?  Consider jargon and tone, details needed, level of formality

7. Context & Tone in Business Writing  Context: the circumstances that surround an event  Your hierarchical relationship with your reader will determine your tone  Use a reader-centered perspective

8. Rhetorical Strategies  Once you have analyzed the audience, context, and purpose of a genre, you can discover its rhetorical strategies.  Rhetorical strategies are any textual or visual approach that persuades the audience.  Some rhetorical strategies you may be familiar with are logos, ethos, and pathos.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IO9d2PpP7tQ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IO9d2PpP7tQ

9. Activity  Genres can be almost anything—brochures, advertisements, movies, books, etc.—and they are all defined by the rhetorical situation.  In this activity, we’re going to consider the genre of a PSA. Jot down the:  Audience  Context  Purpose  Rhetorical strategies used

10. PSA – strong4life.com

11. Activity Continued:  Get into groups of three  Open Microsoft Word  Imagine you work for an advertising agency and have been assigned the task of marketing a new energy drink. Open a new document and decide on a name and slogan for the drink for a target audience of:  teenage boys  Create an advertisement geared towards this audience. Remember to consider the genre of a print ad, and use rhetorical strategies.

12. Activity Cont’d  Now imagine you are a journalist who has to write an article about how the same drink has a high sugar content to appear in a magazine aimed at:  health professionals  Write one paragraph of this article.  Email both documents to packj@email.arizona.edupackj@email.arizona.edu

13. Activity Cont’d  Share your documents with the class  How did your language and style change to suit your different audiences and purposes in the different activities above?  How will these notions relate to writing an effective memo?