Rhetorical Tetrahedron: Audience in Writing

Rhetorical Tetrahedron: Audience in Writing

• Two types of audiences (as per Scholar Andrea Lunsford):

  • Audience invoked (intended audience): the reader(s) you have in mind while drafting. You design your piece for this audience to welcome and engage them.
  • Audience addressed (actual readers): who reads or engages with your writing when published.

• How to work with the invoked audience:

  • Identify 2–3 descriptors for your intended audience.
  • For each descriptor, list what might be expected from them in terms of rhetorical appeals:
  • Ethos (character/credibility)
  • Pathos (emotional appeal)
  • Logos (logical appeal)
  • Use these descriptors to write a more focused and intentional piece.
  • Example prompts:
  • If the invoked audience is a child, what kind of ethos, pathos, and logos would they expect?
  • If the invoked audience is a parent, what would they want or need from the piece?
  • If the invoked audience is a high school senior applying to college, how should ethos/pathos/logos be balanced?

• How to distinguish audience addressed vs invoked through an example:

  • If you want to invoke teenagers but publish in Highlights (a magazine for children 12 and under), the audience addressed (the actual readers) is mismatched with the audience invoked (the intended readers you designed for).
  • This mismatch highlights the role of circulation in determining the actual audience.

• Circulation as a key factor:

  • The publication venue and its distribution affect who actually reads your piece.
  • Example: Aimed at teenagers but published in a magazine for younger children creates a mismatch due to who has access to the publication.
  • Circulation considerations can lead to tailoring content for different audiences or producing multiple pieces for different venues.

• Publication venues and audience access:

  • To reach an academic audience in a specific field, publish in a recognized academic journal in that field.
  • Academic journals are often not publicly accessible; access may require institutional affiliation and library login.
  • Ball State library example: many sources in academic journals require login and institutional access, which limits readership to those with affiliation.
  • If readers lack university affiliation, they may not be able to read certain sources, even if the content seems relevant.

• Practical takeaways for drafting:

  • When observing rhetoric in daily life or drafting, take a few minutes to establish the intended audience and consider how that audience shapes the rhetoric.
  • This practice leads to a deeper understanding and appreciation of the author’s decisions.

• Context and next steps:

  • The essential takeaway is that the audience is specific; rarely is the reader “everyone” or “anyone.”
  • For marketing or politics, it is common to create multiple messages for different audiences rather than a single universal piece.
  • In ENG 103 (and similar courses), you might be tempted to assume the instructor is always the audience, but instructors may challenge you to consider audiences beyond the classroom.
  • Reflect on: If this piece weren’t for class, who would you be writing for? Read assignment expectations thoroughly or discuss the audience with the instructor.

• Beyond the instructor: potential audiences and expectations (illustrative, from the slides):

  • Audience expectations can include well-established logos with ample consideration of certain factors (note: the transcript cuts off here in the provided material).
  • Consider that there are audiences beyond the instructor and tailor messages accordingly.

• Why this matters ethically and practically:

  • Ethically, understanding your audience helps avoid misrepresentation and ensures appropriate tone, evidence, and claims.
  • Practically, audience-focused writing improves clarity, persuasion, and relevance by aligning content with readers’ knowledge, values, and access.

• Quick connections to foundational principles:

  • Relates to the traditional rhetorical triangle (ethos, pathos, logos) by adding audience specificity and circulation as critical shapers of rhetoric.
  • The concept complements the idea that authors anticipate readers’ knowledge, beliefs, and constraints.

• Summary of key ideas:

  • Audience is specific: rarely is the audience “everyone.”
  • Distinguish invoked (intended) vs addressed (actual readers).
  • Use 2–3 descriptors to tailor content and appeals for each audience descriptor.
  • Circulation and publication venue determine accessible readership and thus influence audience expectations.
  • Always consider audience when drafting and seek clarification from instructors if needed.
  • Extend thinking beyond the classroom to real-world contexts and ethical implications.

• Context cue from the material: NEXT: Context

• Notable concepts to remember:

  • Invoked audience: the readers you design for.
  • Addressed audience: the readers who actually engage with your piece.
  • Circulation: how distribution channels shape who can read your work.
  • Publication venue: its prestige, access, and audience reach.
  • The mismatch example (Teenagers vs Highlights) as a concrete illustration of audience vs circulation dynamics.

• Simple actionable steps for writers:

  • Before drafting, sketch 2–3 descriptors of your invoked audience.
  • For each descriptor, outline expected ethos, pathos, and logos considerations.
  • Check alignment between invoked audience and where you publish (circulation).
  • Read assignment expectations and confirm with the instructor about audience assumptions when needed.

• Optional cross-reference prompts for study:

  • How would you adapt a piece for a child reader vs a college applicant?
  • What publication venues would best reach a given academic niche? What are their access constraints?
  • How does audience consideration change when the purpose shifts from informational to persuasive to reflective?