MIDTERM PURPOSIVE COMMUNICATION CHAPTER

EVALUATING MESSAGES AND/OR IMAGES OF DIFFERENT TYPES OF

DIFFERENT CULTURES
4
Introduction

In this era, media play a crucial role in our lives. Media inform, educate, and entertain us.
The pictures, videos, texts, and all the other forms of mass media shape the way we think and how
we look at our surroundings and influence the way we look at the world.

The framework of Media Literacy serves as the foundation in critically understanding the
content of mass media. Guided by this framework, we can decipher the intended meaning of the
type of media presented.

In this module, we will analyze and evaluate messages, images, and other media work
using the framework of Media Literacy.

Multimodal literacy is about understanding the different ways of knowledge

representations and meaning-making (Kress, et al., 2001). It focuses on the design of discourse by
investigating the contributions of specific semiotic resources (language, gesture, images) co-
deployed across various modalities (visual, aural, somatic). It also deals with the interaction and
integration in constructing a coherent multimodal text such as advertisements, posters, news
report, websites, and films.

Traditional Media Social Media

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Traditional Media

Social Media

Key Concepts of Media Literacy (Center for Media Literacy, 2005)

Key Concepts Guide Questions in Media Text Analysis Keyword

1. All messages are  What kind of “text” is it? Authorship
‘constructed.’  What are the various elements (building blocks) that make
up the whole?
 How similar or different is it to others of the same genre?
 Which technologies are used in its creation?
 What choices were made that might have been made
differently?
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 How many people did it take to create this message? What

are their various jobs?
2. Media messages  What do you notice… Format
are constructed (about the way the message is constructed)?
using a creative  Colors? Shapes? Size?
language with its  Sounds, Words? Silence?
own rules.  Props, sets, clothing?
 Movement?
 Composition? Lighting?
 Where is the camera?
 What is the viewpoint?
 How is the story told visually? What are people doing?
 Are there any symbols?
 Visual metaphors?
 What’s the emotional appeal? Persuasive devices used?
 What makes it seem “real?”
3. Different people  Have you ever experienced anything like this in your life? Audience
experience the  How close is this portrayal to your experience?
same media  What did you learn from this media text?
message  What did you learn about yourself from experiencing the
differently. media text?
 What did you learn from other people’s response?
 From their experience of life?
 How many other interpretations could there be? How could
we hear about them?
 Are other viewpoints present?
 How can you explain the different responses?
4. Media have  What kinds of behaviors / consequences are depicted? Content
embedded values  What type of person is the reader / watcher / listener invited
and points of view. to identify with?
 What questions come to mind as you watch / read / listen?
 What ideas or values are being “sold” to us in this
message?
 What political ideas are communicated in the message?
Economic ideas?
 What judgments or statements are mad about how we treat
other people?
 What is the overall worldview of the message?
 What ideas or perspectives are left out? How would you
find what’s missing?
5. Most media  Who’s in control of the creation and transmission of this Purpose
messages are message?
organized to gain  Why are they sending it?
profit and/or  How do you know?
power.  Who are they sending it to? How do you know?
 What’s being sold in this message? What’s being told?
 Who profits from this message? Who pays for it?
 Who is served by or benefits from the message
– the public?
– private interests?
– individuals?
– institutions?
 What economic decisions may have influenced the
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construction or transmission of this message?

CHAPTER
COMMUNICATION AIDS AND STRATEGIES
USING TOOLS OF TECHNOLOGY
5
Introduction

In the previous lessons, we understand why there is a need for humans to communicate.
They do so for certain purposes. To achieve those purposes, communication strategies will be
used to obtain, provide, and disseminate information. We already know how communication
changed drastically with the aid of technology, so it is important for people to take into account
every aspect of how they are relaying information. This is where communication strategies come
into play.

In this module, you will learn the different communication aids and strategies for media
presentation and what is best to use in your presentations. This lesson is important because it will
help you to be more confident in making and presenting your multimedia presentations.

CREATING MULTIMEDIA PRESENTATION

Definition

Presentation Media – an independent presentation that contains information, using

slides, video, recordings and digital representations.

Using Computer Technology

2. Real-Time Web Access – used to

demonstrate how to do something
special on the web such as researching
ideas and information.
1. Digital Slides – a presentation
software commonly using PowerPoint.
It allows computer users to display It’s presently being used to describe information
information in multimedia presentation. being available in search results as soon as it
has been published by its author. Examples of
this are Twitter or FriendFeed search.
A. Characteristics of Multimedia Presentation
In preparing multimedia presentations for various communication purposes, it is important
to consider the following:
1. Multimedia presentations are visually oriented (displayed on a monitor or projected
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onto a screen)

2. They allow users to use different modalities such as:

VIDEO

PHOTOG ANIMA
RAPHS TION

MODALITIES

AUDIO TEXT

GRAPHICS

B. Special Features of Computer-Based Presentations

The following features of computer-based presentations are widely used and are of great
help to the users:

1. Custom navigation Printouts

Linking
between Can be made
slides, to into hard copy
other media, printouts or
and to the transparencies.
internet.

Uploadable

Can be
uploaded to
the web.
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C. Strategies Using Tools of Technology

Although the use of technology is personalized and creativity is required, the following
strategies are recommended for effective delivery of information and ideas:
 Keep it simple
 Emphasize your key ideas
 Show what you can’t say
 Use close up shots and other images
 Keep the number of images you present manageable
 Combine variety with coherence
 Use large lettering

D. Multimedia Presentation Tips

Here are some tips for your multimedia presentations to be more presentable:
1. Go for creativity. Create your own design. Try different combinations and let
your creativity flow.
2. Colors are nice. Flat colors are beautiful and contrast is your friend.
3. Use good fonts. Comic Sans and Georgia will do.
4. Text is evil. Too many texts in one slide exhausts the audience.
5. Images say more than a thousand words. Make the images more powerful.
6. Big is beautiful. Think big. Think bold.
7. Info graphics are amazing. Use simple info graphics.
8. Get inspired. Remember your ultimate goal.

Always remember these:

 10-20-30 rule: 10 slides, 20 minutes, 30 font size
 1-6-6 rule: 1 main idea, 6 bullets, 6 words per bullet
 7-7 rule: 7 lines, 7 words
 9Ps: Prior Proper Preparation Prevents Poor Performance of the Person Putting on the
Presentation.

Communication Aids

Communication Aids are visual support used to make presentation interesting and
effective. It is a great help to present the ideas clearly by highlighting the significant information.

Communication Aids Examples

 PowerPoint – offers users many ways to display information from simple to complex multimedia
presentations.
 Prezi – a visual storytelling software alternative to traditional slide-based presentation formats.
Prezi presentations feature a map-like overview that lets users pan between topics, zoom in on details,
and pull back to reveal context.
 LinkedIn Slideshare – users can upload files privately or publicly in PPT, Word, PDF, or
OpenDocument format. Content can then be viewed on the site itself, on hand held devices or embedded
on other sites
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 Brainshark – provides a web-based applications and products delivered via software as a service
to help companies improve sales effectiveness and productivity.

CHAPTER

6
TED.com – an American media organization that posts talks online for free distribution under the
slogan “ideas worth spreading”.
 COMMUNICATION FOR VARIOUS PURPOSES

Introduction

 Communication takes place in all settings we could ever imagine or in whatever situation we are
into. It appears on different forms and being used with different purposes. People communicate
because of certain purpose. This module deals with several aspects of an effective
communication. It includes topics intended for communication for various purposes. It starts with
the identification of reasons why we communicate. The purpose, audience, message structure,
and channel are to be considered in order to achieve an effective communication. It also presents
an important aspect of communication which is the purpose. The purposes of communication are
to obtain/provide/disseminate information, and to persuade/argue. Moreover, this part introduces
communication in the workplace. It emphasizes communication that takes place either inside or
outside the workplace. It also identifies the common communication materials in a workplace
such as minutes of the meeting, memorandum, letters, and reports. Furthermore, this part
prepares the students to become effective communicators through the activities prepared at the
end of the chapter.

The saying shown above gives us an idea on what effective communication is. But what is
it really about? What are the primary reasons why we communicate?

Generally speaking, people communicate to inform, persuade or argue. Having an aim is

what defines communicating with a purpose. While this might sound simple enough in theory, it is
the application that becomes rather complex since there are many considerations that can come
into play. West (2015) identifies these as follows:

1. Purpose: Many people find it difficult to communicate well because the first thing they think
about is what they are supposed to say. A better strategy however is to determine your purpose:
why do you want or need to communicate?

2. Audience: After identifying your purpose, what you need to identify next is your audience or who
is going to receive your message. It is vital that your message is specifically tailored to your
audience so as to ensure effective communication.

3. Message structure: How are you going to convey your message? There are two ways you can
use: the direct and indirect approach. The direct approach is deductive. This means that you state
your main idea first then follow it up with supporting statements. You can use this approach if you
are emphasizing a result rather than the steps you took to arrive to that idea. The indirect approach
on the other hand is inductive. This means that you start your message with a background and lead
your audience to the main idea. This is the traditional approach and you can use this if you want to
establish a common ground with your audience first.

4. Channel: After creating the message, you now have to choose an appropriate channel to send it
through. Will it be a written communication or a verbal one? If it is verbal, will it be done face-to-face
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or through the telephone? Remember, the channel you choose has a large impact on the
effectiveness of your message that is why it is important to consider its appropriateness.

Now that you know the things you have to consider in communicating effectively, you now
have to master the identification of the most important aspect of communication: the purpose.

Communication Purpose 1: Obtain/Provide/Disseminate Information

Most definitions of ‘communication’ probably mention the exchange and sharing of

information between two parties. The etymology of the word itself, ‘communis’(common) belies
what it is primarily about so basically, the main aim of communication is the passing and receiving
of information from one party to another.

One mark of literacy is the ability to seek out and understand information from various
channels of communication. These channels may be formal or informal. Furthermore, the 21 st
Century has ushered in so many information sources that getting information can be as easy with
a few taps or clicks in a gadget. Given below are some of the channels by which you can obtain
information (The Health Foundation, 2017):

 Letters/E-mail
 Leaflets, brochures and flyers  Group meetings, workshops and
 Merchandise or display materials conferences
(posters, charts, infographics, etc.)  Webinars
 Blogs  Mobile technology (e.g. SMS and
 Newspapers mobile applications)
 Websites
 Film/Animation
 Media coverage (professional and
consumer media)
 Social media

Considering the richness of your information source is also important. You have to know
which channel of communication can provide you with the best and the most information.
Traditionally, channels that are done through physical presence such as meetings can give the
most reliable and richest information source. This is followed by personal interactive such as
communication done through the telephone or through the internet such as webinars. The leanest
information sources on the other hand come from impersonal interactive channels such as e-mails
and social media as well as impersonal static channels like letters, reports, news updates and
newsletters.

Communication Purpose 2: Persuade/Argue

Influencing others is another purpose of communicating. A resource from the University of

Minnesota (2018), when we communicate to persuade or argue, we aim to influence the beliefs,
values, attitudes and behaviors of those who we are communicating to. This is achieved mainly
through the presence of three components: the claim, the evidence and the warrant.

The claim is the statement that you want to be accepted by your audience. It is the thesis
statement that overarches everything else you will say. It is in turn supported by evidence which is
also called grounds. The evidence is vital in ensuring that you will persuade your audience to
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believe your claim. And finally, you have the warrant which is the underlying justification
connecting the claim to the evidence. For a clearer understanding of these three components, look
at the example:

Claim: Night curfews should be applied for minors in the community.

Evidence: Police reports have shown that many crimes are committed at night and
a lot of them involve the youth. Gang wars are common as well as petty
robberies.

Warrant: Ensuring that minors should be home at a specific time at night will
prevent them from getting in trouble in the streets.

While persuasion and argument is done in both informal and formal set-ups in your everyday
life, the most common channel by which this is done is through public speaking. Now when you
engage in public speaking to persuade, the first thing that you have to clearly define is your
proposition.

The proposition is the overall direction of your content and it can be classified into three as
follows:

1. Proposition of fact: This focuses on a belief whether something is or is not.

Ex. Most juvenile-committed crimes take place when idle youth get together at nights in the streets,
police reports indicated.

2. Proposition of value: This focuses on persuading others that something is good or bad or right or
wrong.

Ex. It is wrong for parents to allow their children to go out at night unsupervised.

3. Proposition of policy: This focuses on advocating whether something should or should not be
done.

Ex. Implementing night curfew ordinances can help alleviate juvenile crimes.

After setting your proposition, you now move on to organizing your speech. You may use
the following as your discussion templates:

a. Problem-solution

b. Problem-failed solution-proposed solution

c. Cause-effect

d. Cause-effect-solution

When you are brainstorming for your content, it is helpful if you remember these three
points: (1) if your audience already agrees with your proposition, work on intensifying their
agreement and trying to move them into action; (2) if audience is neutral, give them a background
MIDTERM PURPOSIVE COMMUNICATION

of the issue so that they will see the relevance of your argument; and (3) if your audience disagrees
with your proposition, emphasize on establishing your credibility, point out some common grounds
to establish rapport with them and add counterarguments to refute their opposing belief.

Communication in the Workplace

Any workplace would not ‘work’ at all without communication. After all the transactions to keep everything
running would not be possible without communication between the employees. Nonetheless one of the
challenges in the workplace still lies in the communication level. This is because there are many types of
communication styles used depending on your purpose. Basically, however, organizational
communication is the most used and the style you should master in the workplace.

Principles of Communication in the Workplace

For workplace communication, the following should be observed:

1. Efficiency and promptness

2. Truth and validity

3. Reliability and confidentiality

4. Conciseness and clarity “Communication skills are

ranked first among a job
candidate’s ‘must have’ skills
Types of Communication in the Workplace and qualities, according to a
2010 survey conducted by the
A. Internal National Association of
Colleges and Employers.”

This refers to the exchange of communication within the organization. (Department of Labor)

Again, there are various channels from which these are exchanged in such as
telephones, e-mails and hard copy of documents such as memorandums and letters.

Internal communication is organized in the following manner:

1. Vertical (Communication between employees with different hierarchical

positions)
 Downward (From employees of higher positions going to employees with lower
positions)
 Upward (From employees of lower positions going to employees with higher
positions)
2. Horizontal (Communication between individuals having the same hierarchical
positions)

B. External
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This refers to the exchange of communication from the organization to the outside world. It
can be formal and informal.

Common Communication Materials in the Workplace

A. Minutes of a Meeting
Meeting minutes are the written documentation used in informing employees (both attendees
and non-attendees) on what was discussed during a meeting. Usually, it includes (Heathfield,
2012):
1. Participants’ names
2. Agenda
3. Decisions made by the participants
4. Follow-up actions committed to by the participants
5. Any other discussions worthy of documentation

B. Memorandum
The memorandum is used for communicating policies, procedures and other related official
business within an organization. It is composed of the following (University of Minnesota):
1. Header
2. Date
3. Subject line
4. Message (Declaration, Discussion and Summary)

C. Letters
These are brief messages that are usually sent outside the organization. The business letter
type is used in the workplace and it contains the following elements:

1. Return address: This is usually indicated in the letterhead or the footer and it
indicates where someone could send a reply.
2. Dateline: Placed on top of the page, five lines from the top of the page or the
letterhead.
3. Inside Address: This indicates the name of the person you are sending the
letter to. Include the title or position of the person as well as the name of
his/her organization.
4. Salutation: This must always be formal. Do not use the word “Dear”, instead,
address it Sir or Madam depending on your need.
5. Body: Written in text form, the paragraphs must be separated by a line in
between.
6. Complementary Close: This should be formal and the most appropriate is
“Respectfully yours”.
7. Signature line: Skip two lines after the complementary close and indicate your
complete name.

Reports
The reports done in the workplace usually compose of evaluation or assessment of an issue
or a set of circumstances of operations relevant to the organization. It is written in an abbreviated
style which allows the reader to go through it as quickly as possible.
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Headings and subheadings are used to indicate the different sections and if necessary, bullet
points, tables and diagrams are also included. Meintjes (n.d.) states that the main function of any
report is to deliver information quickly, clearly and efficiently.

On the other hand, a resource from the Online Writing and Learning Link (2010) gives a
more comprehensive list on the purposes of the report:
 Examine possible solutions to a problem, situation or issue
 Apply business and management theories to practical situations
 Demonstrate analytical reasoning and evaluation skills in formulating possible solutions
and outcomes
 Identify conclusions to a problem or issue
 Provide recommendations for future actions
 Demonstrate concise and clear communication skills

More or less, the report generally contains the following elements:

1. Title: In formulating your title, you can simply base on the essentials of what your report is
all about.
2. Summary/Abstract: This is a paragraph that sums up the main points of your report. This
part is not always obligatory however and it is usually reserved for long reports.
3. Introduction: In this part, you can describe the details of your report and state the
rationale.
4. Procedure: Here, you must describe the method of information-gathering you used.
5. Findings: This is the presentation of your data in a concise and logical way. You can
present opinions and statements from relevant people or sources and include graphics if
appropriate.
6. Conclusions: This part sums up your assessment of what you have found out.
7. Recommendations: You may give suggestions or call to action for the future based on
your conclusions.
8. Bibliography: This should be listed in alphabetical order in a referencing style
recommended by your organization.