GEN 001 - PURPOSIVE COMMUNICATION

Narratives – life is a narrative

- Context is usually personal communication, and also sometimes creative or for entertainment
- Basic elements: setting (time and place), characters, plot, conflict and resolution, point of view, and them
Setting – time and place the story happens; atmosphere and mood
Characters – the individuals in the story
Plot – the sequence of events or actions of the character that tells the story. It has a clear beginning, middle, and
end.
Conflict – the problem or the struggle between two opposing sides that needs to be solved;
Resolution - the way the problem is solved
Point of View – how the story is told
 First person POV – the story is told by a character w/in the story, using “I”
 Third person POV – the story is told by an “invisible author”, using pronounces he, she, it
Theme – the big idea or general observations about human nature and life presented in the story

Literary Devices – use of words in special ways to influence the way we understand the story. Some of these devices are:

 Figurative language – describes and compares things in a way that makes us think more clearly (e.g. “his mind
was tangle of thoughts” = very confused. – examine of metaphor)
 Imagery – use of vivid or specific description to create clear images in our head (e.g. “The wine sparkles in his
eyes and the bells (in his jester’s had) tangled…” [EA Poe]
 Symbolism – the use of objects to represent an idea greater than itself
 Tone – the attitude or energy of the story. (E.g. angry, hopeful, tired, whimsical)

Purposive Communication – a flow of information or exchange of messages guided by an awareness of intent and
context

 Inform – informative communication is sharing knowledge in an objective and unbiased manner

 Persuade - persuasive communication is attempting to change the belief of others
 Narrate - narrative communication is sharing a sequence of events, usually to tell how a problematic situation is
resolved
 Express emotion – affective communication is sharing positive or negative feelings and opinions about things,
events, ideas, one’s self, and others.
 Entertain and create – imaginative communication is making up ideas and stories.

BASIC STORY REVIEW INCLUDES:

Evidences:
Topic: Claim:
 Elements of the story –
 Title of the story How well did you like the story? characters, plot, setting
 Author
 Theme
 Brief summary
 Artistic elements
Report Outline:

 First paragraph - topic + claim

 Body paragraph 1 – evidence 1
 Body paragraph 2 - evidence 2
 Body paragraph - evidence 3
 Last paragraph - conclusion

Presentation skills include not only your message and the outline of your arguments, but also in how you say it.

- Observe and critique other speakers; learn what behaviours get positive reactions to audiences
- Dress neatly
- Smile a little
- Control your mannerisms – unnecessary hand gestures, use of filler worlds like “ah” or “um”
- Watch our body language – stand straight and relaxed; be still where speaking
- Make an eye contact
- Pause before and after important ideas
- Speak clearly and loud enough; don’t rush
- Observe space – don’t be too far away, don’t crowd your audience

High confidence Relaxed confidence Low confidence

Hands on hips Hands down on the sides Hands clasped in front

Straight back, shoulder down, Straight back, shoulders down, upright Slouched, shoulders in
leaning forward

Chin tilted up Chin level Chin tilted down

Big smile; open mouth Small smile; closed mouth No smile

Arms held up and out (like in Clenched fists to the chest Hands clasped behind
celebration)

In your face proximity to audience Comfortable distances to audience Wide gap from audience

Active / Passive Voice

Active Voice – in most English sentences with an action verb, the subject performs the action denoted by the verb.

These examples show that the subject is doing the verb’s action

The man must have eaten five hamburgers

The man (subject)is doing the eating (verb)

Marilyn mailed the letter.

Marilyn (subject) is doing the mailing (verb)

Passive Voice – one can change the normal word order of many active sentences (those with a direct object) so that the
subject is no longer active, but is, instead, being acted upon by the verb – or passive.

Note in these examples how the subject-verb relationship has changed

Five hamburgers must have been eaten by the man.

Hamburgers (subject) are being eaten (verb).

The letter was mailed by Marilyn.

The letter (subject) was being mailed (verb).

Because the subject is being “acted upon” (or is passive), such sentences are said to be in the passive voices.