Central Luzon State University

Science City of Muñoz 3120

Nueva Ecija, Philippines

Instructional Module for the Course

(COMM 1100 Purposive Communication)

Multimodal and Multicultural Messages

Understanding the purpose, composition, context,
and intended audience of messages

Overview

Many texts are multimodal, where meaning is communicated through

combinations of two or more modes. Modes include written language, spoken
language, and patterns of meaning that are visual, audio, gestural, tactile and
spatial.
Every piece of text carries a message, and every message carries a
meaning that may be true or false as a regular consumer of text and receiver of
information, you need to be more aware and critical about what you accept as a
matter of truth or fact.
The importance of evaluating the effectiveness of our messages is by
developing and using strategic questions to identify strengths and weaknesses.

Objectives

After completing this module, you are expected to:

 Understand the purpose, composition, context, and intended audience of
messages.

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 COMM 1100 (Purposive Communication)

Understanding the purpose, composition,

context, and intended audience of messages

A message is defined as information conveyed by words (in speech or writing),

and/or other signs and symbols. A message (verbal or nonverbal, or both) is the
content of the communication process. The originator of the message in the
communication process is the sender. The sender conveys the message to a receiver.

The messages you develop must answer the questions: Why? Why care? Why
act? A message must explain what's valued, what's at risk and it must align you with
others who share your values and concerns. A message must be short, simple and
repeated to be heard. To be effective, a message must be included in every
communication - written and oral - and used in all free and paid media.

According to John O. Burtis and Paul D. Turman in their book "Leadership

Communication as Citizenship,” intentionally or not, both verbal and nonverbal content
is part of the information that is transferred in a message. If nonverbal cues do not
align with the verbal message, ambiguity is introduced even as uncertainty is increased.
Communication is effective only when the message is understood and when it
stimulates action or encourages the receiver to think in new ways (Bovee, Thill, and
Schatzman, 2003).

I. Purpose of Message

Most media messages serve at least one of three purposes—to educate, to

entertain, or to persuade—and some fulfill all three at once. A blog post, for example,
may entertain its readers but also share some news or promote a cause or product.
Always think about the purpose of a media message before taking it at face value. Also
analyze purpose before sending your own media messages.

a. To inform
b. To entertain
c. To persuade
d. To educate
e. To provide a forum for ideas

II. Composition of Message

The message composition will be based on its purpose. The content should be
thought-off and have undergone a thorough research to ensure that the message that
will be sharing is accurate. The question to be asked is ‘what do we tell our audience to
get the desired result?’

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 COMM 1100 (Purposive Communication)

There are communications where the receiver is expected to have a positive or

neutral reaction, and there are communications about which receivers may have a more
negative reaction. The image of the continuum below is focused on audience reaction
to a message.

a. Positive Messages

This includes messages where the audience is expected to react in a

neutral to positive manner. Positive messages tend to consist of routine or good
news. These messages might be items such as congratulations, confirmations,
directions, simple credit requests, or credit approvals. Also included in this
category might be denials that are somewhat routine or expected. This could be
something like a parking lot closure that inconveniences employees, but in a
minor way. As strange as these sounds, sympathy messages are in this category
as well. Sympathy messages are routine since they will not be a surprise to the
receiver.

Consider the message to be a positive message structure when:

 The receiver likes or expects this news (product shipped on time)

 The receiver needs little education or background to understand the news
(travel arrangement for the conference)
 The receiver considers the message routine, even if not completely positive
(parking lot closed for three days for new striping)

b. Negative Messages

This includes messages where the audience is expected to react in a

negative manner. Negative messages consist of bad news. In these messages,
the sender’s goal is to convey the bad news in a manner that preserves the
business relationship. While the sender must deliver bad news, the sender wants
to avoid an employee quitting or a customer finding another vendor. These
messages might be items such as refusal to provide a refund, cancellation of an
event, inability to support an event and more.

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 COMM 1100 (Purposive Communication)

Consider the message to be a negative communication when:

 The receiver may be displeased (cost for repair is the receiver’s, not the utility
company’s)
 The receiver needs a little persuasion (new log-on procedure takes longer but
is more secure)
 The receiver may be somewhat uncomfortable (new badging system
underway because employees have been sharing badges)

c. Persuasive Messages

The third, overlapping category is persuasive messages. With this

category, the audience is expected to need encouragement in order to act as the
sender desires. In some cases, the receiver is more like a positive audience; for
example, when you’re asking for a recommendation letter or when you’re inviting
someone to attend an after-hours work function. In other cases, the receiver is
more like a negative audience; for example, when you’re requesting additional
payment as a result of a shared error or when you’re providing an extension to
an impending due date.

Consider the message a persuasive communication when:

 The receiver may be reluctant (please speak to the new employee group)
 The receiver is being asked a favor (please write recommendation letter)
 The receiver may be invited to something somewhat outside regular duties
(please supervise a new book club that will meet on campus after work)

III. Context of Message

Context is one of the basic components of human communication. It refers to

the setting in which communication is taking place. However, there are several different
kinds of communication context to consider.

a. Physical context. This refers to the tangible environment in which the

communication is taking place. It is important to tailor one's communication to
the physical area; someone would scarcely speak the same way in a sports bar
as they would in a place of worship.

b. Cultural and psychological context. Communication will be interpreted in

different ways based on the general feeling of the audience as well as the
zeitgeist of the time. It goes without saying that there's a time and a place for

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 COMM 1100 (Purposive Communication)

most points to be made. This context narrows the points that can be made
effectively to a certain group of people.

c. Temporal context, or context within context. This is the context of when a

certain point can be made, or a message sent, within a conversation itself.
Those skilled in rhetoric know that you can't just blurt out the most stirring part
of your speech—you have to build to it. Similarly, when delivering grave or
tragic news, it is best to place the hard-hitting information where the blow can
best be softened.

Context is the circumstances surrounding a message. The circumstances might

include the setting, the value positions of the people, and appropriateness of a
message. This means considering your audience, the forum under which you are
speaking, the era, and accepted norms.

IV. Intended Audience of the Message

Intended audience, also called the target audience, is a group of people you
hope to influence with your message.

If a message doesn’t connect with the intended target audience, they won’t pay
attention. An effective message uses language that the target audience can easily
understand. It leaves a positive impression, does not offend, and appeals to the unique
experiences, values and preferences of each audience. It is also delivered in ways that
are easily available and digestible, and that readily provoke audience interest.

There are four main qualities for an effective message:

 Simplicity
 Specificity
 Structure
 Stickiness

V. Strategies for Evaluating a Message

In order to evaluate whether a message is effective, we can ask ourselves a

series of questions which reflect a message's simplicity, specificity, structure, and
stickiness. Let's take a look at some of these questions now.

1. Simplicity
In order to ensure that our messages have simplicity, we should ask
ourselves two questions: Is my purpose evident? Is my core message clear?

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 COMM 1100 (Purposive Communication)

The purpose of a message will be either to inform, to persuade, or to

entertain. Knowing the purpose will guide us in the choice of information to
include, and in its organization. Informative speaking will rely heavily on data,
while persuasion will employ emotional appeals, as well as data, and require a
different structure. A message with the intent to entertain will have a very
unique focus. Awareness of purpose is crucial, in order that our audience will
know the purpose of the message, and be able to respond appropriately.

A core message must have a clear and simple focus. One strategy to
ensure clarity and simplicity is to express the core message in a single sentence.
By doing so, we are forced to laser-focus the message, and eliminate
unnecessary or tangential ideas. If this task is difficult, it is a good indication that
the core message is too broad. Writing the core message in a single sentence
should be undertaken early in the preparation stages, but may be reviewed again
later, to ensure that the message has remained on track.

2. Specificity
Specificity refers to our choices of language and its usage. In order to
ensure language is specific, we may ask ourselves:
Is my language specific?
Is my language concrete, rather than abstract?
Am i suing words which have additional meanings and could perhaps be
misconstrued?

3. Structure
Refers to ideas should be organized and easy to follow. Does my message
have a STRUCTURE? Is there a more effective way to arrange my ideas?

4. Stickiness
Anything about a ‘message’ that encourages a visitor or client to stay
longer. A message (multimodal text) is sticky if a visitor or client tends to stay for
a long time and to return. Does my messages ring a bell? How my message will
retain in the minds of the visitors or clients?

VI. Evaluating Images

It is important to critically evaluate images you use for research, study and
presentation images should be evaluated like any other source, such as journal articles
or books, to determine their quality, reliability and appropriateness. Visual analysis is an
important step in evaluating an image and understanding its meaning and also.

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 COMM 1100 (Purposive Communication)

Three Steps in Evaluating an Image:

 Identifying Source
 Interpret contextual information
 Understand implications

Guide to Analyse and Evaluate Images:

 Content analysis
 Visual analysis
 Contextual information
 Image source
 Technical quality

Key Concepts in Evaluating Images and Messages:

 All media messages are “constructed”.

 Media have embedded values and point of view.
 Each person interprets messages differently.
 Media have commercial, ideological or political interest.
 Media messages are constructed using a creative language having its own
rules.

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 COMM 1100 (Purposive Communication)

References

Bovée, C.L., Thill, J.V, and Schatzman, B.E. (2003). Business Communication Essentials,
Paperback, Prentice.

Goemans, M. (2017). Target Audiences: A lesson on fitting the message to the reader.
Retrieved from [Link]
fit-audience-communicating-recommendations-effective-cce-cfice-partners/

Harvey, S. (2018). Who, what, why, and where? Your target audience definition.
Retrieved from [Link]

Sanders, H. (2019). Types of Communication Context. Retrieved from

[Link]
communication-
200553#:~:text=Context%20is%20the%20circumstances%20surrounding,the%
20era%2C%20and%20accepted%20norms.

Suarez, C.A., Perfecto, M.R.G, Canilao, M.L.E.N, and Paez, D.B.I. (2018). Purposive
Communication in English. Ateneo de Manila University Press.

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