Students will often glare at me in confusion as I stand before them and attempt to communicate essential rhetorical concepts, and in those moments I am transplanted. I am no longer the teacher of a very tired and very perplexed class, I am the student that sat in ENL 101 and struggled to understand what ‘rhetoric’ even was.
As communicators, we often understand the deeper meanings behind much of our professional rhetoric without the need for extra analysis; this bestows upon us a responsibility. We have to effectively, accessibly, and strategically transfer meaning to our audiences without losing them in the snare of complex rhetoric.
Dreher and Plain Language Methodology
The best way to do this is to utilize plain language, a concept that is thoroughly explored in Kira Dreher’s “Engaging Plain Language.” Dreher suggests frameworks for pedagogy and technical communication, focusing particularly on accessibility. To Dreher (and I happen to agree) the usage and integration of plain language in academia and governmental agencies will help to reduce the exclusion of audiences that so often occurs in professional communications.
Engaging with plain language in pedagogy is tricky, particularly in business communication. There are specific rhetorical “standards” that are upheld as being more professional or formal in comparison to text language or plain language. However, communication is dynamic, especially in regard to digital communications. Plain language is used far more frequently on sites like LinkedIn, Twitter, and Handshake, three sites that can potentially lead to occupational connections.
How we can Integrate Plain Language in our Pedagogy
So what can you do if you can’t rely on the standards of ‘professional’ communication? Typically, understanding the standards of communication in each situation can be supremely helpful when communicating with stakeholders.
This methodology is expressed in Dreher’s exercise, “Plain Language in Your Discipline,” wherein students research plain language requirements in their field and discuss strategies, content, and considerations these guidelines offer in comparison to the ‘general’ guidelines.
My class and I do a version of this exercise where we evaluate the professional digital communications of various businesses and make lists of the textual and visual norms that we have noticed. From these lists, we will flesh out the concept of ‘professional identity,’ and learn how to create an effective professional identity in professional communications.
I love the flow of this post, Aurora. You present a problem, follow up with methodology, and then suggest solutions in the classroom, brilliant.
Nicely done Aurora. This classroom exercise is a good way to incorporate generation z’s digital literacy and push the rhetorical value of an organizations ethos via online communications.
Hey, Aurora! I think it’s great that in these situations you put yourself in your students’ shoes. Indeed with how dynamic communication is, student might struggle to understand “rhetoric” so applying it to their specific discipline is an absolute must. I like how you do this through various writing and various mediums (digital vs. print).
Love your point about how communication is dynamic and the ways you incorporate this idea into your teaching. The pic of the dog is spot on, too.