Communication
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The Modern Rhetorical Triangle
Video 1 (Ananthaswamy, 2011)
Speaker
The speaker delves into the topic of astrophysics with an interesting incident that inspired his career. He manages to hold the interest of the audience, and shares useful information. The main purpose of the speaker is to educate the audience about the extreme conditions under which astrophysics is studied. The speaker provides pictures that illustrate his point. He explains clearly the reasoning behind the points that he has raised. In addition, he substantiates facts with examples, which helps the audience to elucidate the meaning of each statement.
The speaker has made a successful presentation. He has provided a concise, yet informative talk by using solid captions and striking images to lend credibility to the topic. He has been able to address the topic at an interesting level and has added some humor in between to lighten up the subject.
Audience
The audience expects an interesting talk about astrophysics and related topics. The information provided by the speaker manages to capture their attention. The members of the audience respond to the speaker at various stages of the presentation. Even though, the talk is based on a serious topic, they are able to react to the humor interjected into the presentation. The audience appears to find the talk appealing. At the end of the session, they leave with information that could add to their knowledge or inspire them to study the topic in detail.
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The audience element has been successful in taking an interest in the topic. The audience apparently gets the information that they are expecting from the speaker. They have acquired knowledge about the subject and can utilize it to their advantage.
Situation
The situation is well set by the speaker as he launches his narrative. He sets the background of the presentation with a suitable introduction. This helps the audience get a better understanding of the topic. Use of imagery enhances the presentation and adds clarity to the subject being talked about. Points listed out in the course of the talk are emphasized by effective comments accompanying the display of pictures. In sum, the situation appears to be adapted for effectual communication with the audience.
The situation element has managed to successfully create in the audience an awareness of the topic. It has enabled to hold the interest of the audience and keep them engrossed in the talk. It has linked the audience and speaker together for delivering the intended message.
Video 2 (Krauss, 2011)
Speaker
The speaker delivers an interesting talk on Cosmology to an audience that anticipates an informative discourse on the subject. He uses short captions to put his ideas across to the audience. Furthermore, graphical pictures add to the clarity of the presentation. He enlivens the audience through small jokes all along the course of the talk, which enhances the lucidity of the concepts presented. He manages to get into the core of the topic and hold sway over the listeners.
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He develops a rapport with the audience and successfully maintains the momentum of his discourse throughout the talk.
The speaker element has been quite successful in delivering the intended message to the audience, backed up by a well-prepared situation. Questions framed to point the audience in the right direction have enabled the author to convey the concepts in a resourceful manner.
Audience
The audience comprising students expect a proficient lecture on cosmology. They connect with the speaker’s concepts that are elucidated in an illustrative manner. In the course of adding to their knowledge, they enjoy the humor thrown into the lecture, which enables them to look at the subject in a new light. They take away valuable information, which will be useful to them in their fields of study. The theoretical knowledge gained during the presentation helps them apply it to the practical areas of study.
The audience element has accomplished the main task set out before them, which is gaining knowledge about the topic and comprehend the various concepts presented in the course of the lecture. The rapport shared by the audience with the speaker and the well-organized situation enforced by imagery have resulted in conveying the message to the audience, who has developed a sense of respect and trust towards the speaker.
Situation
Background information provided by the speaker has rendered the presentation very effective in communicating to the audience the intended message. The talk has been highlighted by brief captions that enable the audience to understand the concepts being laid out before them. The situation has been lightened by humor interspersed with the serious discourse. Pictures of devices
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used in the field of study as well as images of scientists have imparted clarity to the theories presented at the session.
The situation element has served its purpose well. It has augmented the process of learning for the audience. Furthermore, it has aided the audience in relating to the ideas put forth by the speaker.
Discussion
Both the presentations have been effective in delivering their messages. Imagery and graphs have been used by the speakers to illustrate their point. While the first talk relied more on video clips that have been recorded on field, the second put together the concepts of the topic through verbal reasoning and short captions and graphs. Videos 1 and 2 have made effective use of visuals to convey the intended message to the audience.
Both are sprinkled with humor to lighten the topic being discussed. However the presentation in Video 2 has managed to add a tinge of humor to scientific concepts, thereby enlivening the atmosphere and relaying useful information to the audience
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References
- Ananthaswamy, A. (2011). What it takes to do extreme astrophysics. TED. Retrieved from http://astronasty.blogspot.in/2011/04/2-exceptional-astrophysics-videos.html
- Krauss, L. (2011). Lawrence Krauss explains how you get `A Universe from Nothing’. Open Culture. Retrieved from http://www.openculture.com/2011/09/a_universe_from_nothing_by_lawrence_krauss.html
