“create a viewing guide based on the following video transcript: Introduction 0:06 Imagine you're watching a basketball game on TV. 0:09 You know the basic rules, 0:10 but you don't know what's been going on 0:13 recently with teams like the Lakers and the Mavericks 0:15 who I learned today are also a team. Sorry to all the fans. 0:18 By listening to the sports commentators 0:20 you might learn some things that put the game into context. 0:23 A star captain has shifted 0:25 from being a strong team player to taking a lot 0:27 of long shots without passing to open teammates, 0:30 for example. 0:31 During the game, 0:32 the commentator is paying attention to even 0:34 the smallest details and to what happened in past games. 0:38 By catching all of that, she's able to give a clear recap 0:42 during and afterward about what the game meant. 0:45 The team isn't responding well to a new coach, for instance 0:48 or they're facing very long odds 0:50 of making it to the playoffs. 0:51 Rhetorical analysis is a term for looking 0:54 at a text carefully to figure 0:55 out what it really means, as well 0:57 as what it wants to accomplish and whether it's successful. 1:01 With rhetorical analysis, we slow down, read multiple times 1:04 and pick out details 1:05 and evidence that help us make sense of the text 1:08 which can end up feeling like the close analysis 1:11 that a sports commentator has to do to really 1:13 understand the overall story of a game. 1:16 Rhetorical analysis takes care and practice, 1:19 but anyone can do it even if we don't know the difference 1:22 between a layup and a half court shot. 1:24 Hi, I'm Dr. Emily Zaka, 1:25 and this is Study Hall Rhetoric and Composition. Rhetorical analysis in action 1:36 We've got some other episodes 1:37 on key parts of rhetorical analysis, including elements 1:40 like context, audience strategies, and purpose. 1:44 While we'll talk through those four topics here too 1:46 rhetorical analysis will make the most sense 1:48 with those episodes in our toolkit. 1:51 As we said, rhetorical analysis essentially means looking 1:54 through a piece 1:55 of writing carefully to determine what it means 1:58 for its specific audience 2:00 and how it's accomplishing its purpose 2:02 or maybe even accidentally doing something else. 2:05 While analyzing a text, 2:06 we'll look at everything 2:07 from the specific wording the writer chose 2:10 to the type of website the piece was published 2:12 on in order to create our own interpretation. 2:15 Rhetorical analysis seems pretty abstract 2:18 till we're in the thick of it 2:19 so let's dive into a situation we might find ourselves 2:22 in at the workplace. 2:23 As we go, 2:24 we're going to try our hand at identifying key 2:27 details that would help us analyze the message. 2:29 Just like the basketball player who misses an open teammate 2:32 might benefit from some external perspective. 2:35 We're going to talk through some of the details 2:37 and influences that help us evaluate the text 2:40 purpose more clearly. 2:41 So, let's say the product development team 2:43 at a software company receives a message 2:45 from the CEO in a calendar invite. 2:48 To whom it may concern. 2:49 Multiple clients have expressed their displeasure 2:52 with the delays on version 3.3 of the new 3D design app. 2:57 They believe that the timeline as originally agreed 2:59 upon was adequate, and they have stated 3:02 that the lateness has cost them more 3:04 than a hundred thousand dollars in lost revenue already 3:08 as well as hundreds of work hours 3:09 as they scramble to retrain their teams 3:12 on other software. 3:13 Continued delays jeopardize 3:14 the success of our 3D design software line 3:17 and may cause me to reconsider the new department. 3:21 In this meeting 3:22 we'll discuss how to overcome our remaining roadblocks 3:25 and deliver our top objectives in no less than two months. 3:29 Please come with strategies that you personally 3:32 will be able to implement to meet this goal. 3:34 Looking forward to getting this resolved. 3:37 Yvonne. To start a rhetorical analysis 3:39 try writing or typing context, audience, strategies 3:42 and purpose on a page. 3:44 We'll use this document to organize our thoughts 3:46 about the details and influences we uncover in this message. Elements of rhetorical analysis: context 3:50 Context includes a lot of the factors that impact 3:53 why this message was written. 3:55 To spot it, we'll look at the situation 3:57 around the message in both time and place. 3:59 If we're insiders at this company, we can both pull 4:02 from past experiences of what led up to this message 4:05 and also notice things in the message itself. 4:08 Everything from delays to the timeline as originally agreed 4:12 upon is referencing the time part of context 4:15 and the place of the message is 4:16 at work where other factors compete for the spotlight. 4:20 The other tabs and apps open 4:21 on a software engineer's screen, for example, 4:24 or the other projects the development team is wrangling. 4:27 Yvonne's consideration 4:28 of context likely included the knowledge 4:30 that this message was falling 4:31 into a particularly stressed environment. 4:34 As team members 4:35 we might see this know and begin interpreting 4:37 because we understand these elements of context. 4:40 We might think that Yvonne's request is 4:42 beyond impossible with too many delays to ever 4:45 reach the two months deadline mentioned, or we might feel 4:49 like this arrived at exactly the right moment to help 4:51 the team get out of this mess. Elements of rhetorical analysis: medium 4:53 Another contextual element is the interface 4:55 and medium used for the message. 4:58 The medium is the way the message was communicated. 5:01 While the interface is the place where the audience 5:03 and writer meet, though medium 5:05 and interface are definitely linked 5:07 and can sometimes be talked 5:08 about as parts of the same thing. 5:10 Here, the medium is the event invite description 5:13 and the interface is the calendar app 5:15 or email program itself. 5:17 The interactive nature 5:18 of the calendar invite interface could impact the reader 5:21 by making them miss the message altogether. 5:24 If they click yes on the invite without looking 5:26 for the description, they won't see what Yvonne has to say. 5:29 Yvonne, in this case, seem to be hoping 5:31 that CEO calendar invites are rare enough 5:34 that the invited people will take notice 5:36 and read the description carefully. 5:37 Putting her message directly in the calendar invite rather 5:41 than in a separate email 5:42 or phone call is a medium choice and a power move. 5:46 Yvonne saying, everyone needs to clear their calendars 5:49 and show up for this. 5:50 Finally, we talk about an element 5:51 of context called exigency or the why now of this event. 5:56 What is the immediate reason why this message exists? 5:59 In this case, displeased clients have evidently 6:02 expressed enough concern that the CEO is stepping in. Elements of rhetorical analysis: audience 6:05 All of these context details help us learn a bit 6:08 about the audience that is being addressed. 6:10 With a calendar invite, 6:11 the audience might seem rather obvious, 6:14 but we need to know more than their names 6:16 and job titles to figure out why they were included. 6:19 For instance, if only low performers or only one part 6:22 of the team is included, that might offer more insight 6:25 into what's gone wrong in this product's development. 6:27 There's also an insider's style 6:29 to this message that would need interpretation 6:31 by a particular audience. 6:33 Clearly, Yvonne is assuming 6:34 that her audience already knows what top objectives are 6:38 and what it would mean to reconsider the new department. 6:41 So, if we have an idea 6:42 of what contextual situation brought this message 6:45 into existence and who is being addressed, 6:47 we can start looking 6:48 at the strategies that Yvonne uses to try to reach her goal. Elements of rhetorical analysis: purpose 6:52 We can start by hypothesizing the purpose 6:54 and look for strategies that achieve that purpose 6:57 in a rhetorical analysis. 6:59 In another episode, we talk more specifically 7:01 about how we can figure out purpose. 7:03 We generally look 7:04 at strategies that bring logos or facts and reason, 7:07 pathos or emotion or ethos or authority to a topic. 7:12 For instance, Yvonne brings facts 7:13 and reason into this message 7:15 by not just stating that the clients are mad, 7:17 she cites specific amounts of revenue and work hours lost. 7:22 Those are pretty hard to argue with 7:24 even if the product team feels 7:25 that they've moved as fast as they can. 7:27 She's also relying heavily 7:28 on the credibility or authority of the clients. 7:32 Phrases like multiple clients have expressed 7:33 and they believe are relying on their ethos 7:38 not just her own. 7:39 Finally, the threat to eliminate a new department that is 7:42 in the works may have a pathos or emotional effect. 7:46 If there are any team members who aren't pulling 7:48 their weight and might lose their roles, 7:50 this may put them on a high alert. 7:52 With all of these pieces of evidence 7:53 we can compile some ideas 7:55 about the purpose of the message. 7:57 On its surface, 7:58 Yvonne's note seems geared to justify setting 8:00 up a meeting. 8:02 Upon closer inspection, it seems to be trying 8:04 to motivate a team that has 8:06 fallen behind to find a way to work harder 8:08 or smarter and get back on track. 8:10 Lastly, it serves as a warning 8:12 that there will be wider consequences for the department 8:15 if these objectives aren't met. 8:17 Then we can use all the evidence we've pulled together 8:19 to decide whether these purposes are likely to be achieved 8:22 and how effectively Yvonne will prompt action 8:25 with this message. 8:26 If we were writing a formal rhetorical analysis, 8:28 we'd weigh things that are likely to be effective 8:30 like citing specific figures 8:33 for why the project needs to move forward faster 8:35 against things that maybe weren't so effective 8:38 like the vague threat to dismantle the department 8:41 before Yvonne hears about why the projects 8:43 have been delayed. 8:44 We talk about characteristics of the audience 8:46 and how the strategy does or doesn't take them into account. 8:50 We then come to a conclusion on 8:51 whether Yvonne is likely to see the kind 8:53 of meeting and resulting turnaround she expects. 8:56 The key to a rhetorical analysis is that it's both a set 8:59 of interpretations and informed by evidence. 9:02 It's not enough to just say, I don't think people 9:05 like Yvonne, and this is a harsh message 9:07 so her writing wasn't effective. 9:09 In fact, even if people 9:11 on the product development team grumble, 9:13 we might realize that this message was quite effective 9:16 particularly if the team ends up getting 9:18 into gear and delivering results as Yvonne requested. Conclusion 9:21 While not every rhetorical analysis will explicitly 9:24 mention all of the areas we evaluated today, 9:27 looking at all parts 9:28 of the rhetorical situation is likely to help us 9:31 as we work on the invention stage 9:33 of the writing process for rhetorical analysis of our own. 9:36 We'll have lots of details to work with 9:38 and we can ultimately marshal the best information 9:41 we have to rationalize why we've interpreted the purpose 9:44 and its success a certain way. 9:46 A highly regarded sports commentator will have 9:48 reasons why she says such 9:50 and such team had a really disappointing game today. 9:53 Other than just that they lost the game, 9:55 she'll cite the specifics 9:56 of what made her think of the game as disappointing. 9:59 Similarly, when we slow down and look moment by moment 10:02 for evidence of what is really going on in the text, 10:05 we can better understand its success 10:07 or failure in achieving objectives. 10:09 We are less likely to trust our snap judgments 10:12 when we go this in depth 10:14 allowing us to make confident decisions if for instance 10:17 we need to respond in some way 10:19 to a particular communication, like actually talking 10:22 to Yvonne at that meeting and making a case for ourselves. 10:25 Our own writing improves when we have this level 10:28 of detailed valuation. 10:30 What's more is that we're likely to emerge 10:32 with better strategic thinking that we can apply 10:34 to all our other writing in the future 10:36 and that I'd say is a slam dunk. 10:38 Thanks for watching Study Hall Rhetoric and Composition 10:41 which is part of the Study Hall Project 10:43 a partnership between ASU and Crash course. 10:46 If you liked this video 10:47 and want to keep learning with us, be sure to subscribe. 10:50 You can learn more about Study Hall and the videos produced 10:53 by Crash Course and ASU in the links in the description. 10:56 See you next time.”