Discuss the differences between sex and gender. How can you use this knowledge in an audience analysis?
What will be an ideal response?
Answer: Sex is the biological male or female designation of an audience member. Gender is the culturally constructed and psychologically-based perception of one’s self as feminine or masculine, and can fall anywhere along a continuum from female to male. Use of this knowledge provides a speaker with clues about the listeners, creating a clearer understanding of the demographic to which they are speaking. This in turn helps a speaker to develop and clear and effective message.
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The dialectical perspective on argument and audience
(a) explores how we use communication to influence or change people in situations where they have choices to make. (b) explores argumentation as a series of formal rules for distinguishing sound arguments from unsound ones. (c) explores the structure of conversations in which people offer and analyze reasons. (d) explores the ethics of the practice of argumentation.
Karen signs up for a marathon. In order to spend some extra time with Karen by running together, her boyfriend signs up, too. What strategy for communicating in developing relationships is Karen's boyfriend using?
a. focusing on improving the other person b. giving assurances c. being positive d. sharing joint activities