Page 384 - Gabrijela Kišiček and Igor Ž. Žagar (eds.), What do we know about the world? Rhetorical and argumentative perspectives, Digital Library, Educational Research Institute, Ljubljana 2013
P. 384
What Do We Know about the World?
Role Description Example from texts promot-
Addressee ing Xylo Mepha
Ratified
participant The person to whom the text is di- Readers of Sunstore magazine
Overhearer/ rectly and explicitly addressed. where a print ad for Xylo Mepha is
Bystander published.
Gatekeeper Someone who the text is not di- A health professional who receives a
Regulator rectly addressed to but is entitled paper copy of a brochure, which was
to take part in the communicative mainly created for chemists’ clients.
event as a right.
Someone who can come in contact A friend of the journalist who re-
– directly or indirectly – with a text ceives the press release promoting
without either the principal or the a new nasal spray who is informed,
author’s knowledge. He is not the by the journalist himself, about the
addressee to whom the principal di- product.
rects the text. Overhearers include
opinion leaders, who can be affect-
ed by the text even if they are not
addressees. The importance of an
overhearer varies according to the
text distribution.
Someone who, thanks to his/her The chemist’s assistant who is in
role in a specific social context, can charge of restocking the coun-
decide whether the text can reach ter with brochures and who does
its addressees or not. not do it.
A government or control authori- The Swiss Federal Council gives gu-
ty that gives norms and regulations idelines about how medical produc-
for how communication should be ts must be advertised in the Ordi-
maintained and how texts should be nance on Advertising for Medical
written. It can be either a national or Products. For example, only non-
independent institution. -prescription drugs, such as Xylo
Mepha, can be advertised to the ge-
neral public.
6. Educational Application
The notion of stakeholders and the classification presented above
have been introduced in a bachelor course of composition at the Facul-
ty of Communication Sciences of the University of Lugano. Concretely,
students were asked to write texts of organizational genres (such as let-
ters, press releases, reports, proposals, brochures, leaflets, interviews) in
order to face actual communication needs of actual (local) organizations
(which agreed to play the role of principals). For instance, some students
had to write press releases and the related email cover letters for the pro-
Role Description Example from texts promot-
Addressee ing Xylo Mepha
Ratified
participant The person to whom the text is di- Readers of Sunstore magazine
Overhearer/ rectly and explicitly addressed. where a print ad for Xylo Mepha is
Bystander published.
Gatekeeper Someone who the text is not di- A health professional who receives a
Regulator rectly addressed to but is entitled paper copy of a brochure, which was
to take part in the communicative mainly created for chemists’ clients.
event as a right.
Someone who can come in contact A friend of the journalist who re-
– directly or indirectly – with a text ceives the press release promoting
without either the principal or the a new nasal spray who is informed,
author’s knowledge. He is not the by the journalist himself, about the
addressee to whom the principal di- product.
rects the text. Overhearers include
opinion leaders, who can be affect-
ed by the text even if they are not
addressees. The importance of an
overhearer varies according to the
text distribution.
Someone who, thanks to his/her The chemist’s assistant who is in
role in a specific social context, can charge of restocking the coun-
decide whether the text can reach ter with brochures and who does
its addressees or not. not do it.
A government or control authori- The Swiss Federal Council gives gu-
ty that gives norms and regulations idelines about how medical produc-
for how communication should be ts must be advertised in the Ordi-
maintained and how texts should be nance on Advertising for Medical
written. It can be either a national or Products. For example, only non-
independent institution. -prescription drugs, such as Xylo
Mepha, can be advertised to the ge-
neral public.
6. Educational Application
The notion of stakeholders and the classification presented above
have been introduced in a bachelor course of composition at the Facul-
ty of Communication Sciences of the University of Lugano. Concretely,
students were asked to write texts of organizational genres (such as let-
ters, press releases, reports, proposals, brochures, leaflets, interviews) in
order to face actual communication needs of actual (local) organizations
(which agreed to play the role of principals). For instance, some students
had to write press releases and the related email cover letters for the pro-
