Communication Theory: Power, Rhetoric, and Public Advocacy

Communication Perspectives

Communication as Representation

Communication is often viewed as abstract or separated from our daily lives and the world around us.

Communication as Constitutive

Communication is constitutive, meaning it shapes reality, often resulting in unequal power distribution.

Historical Context and Rhetoric

Ancient Greece

In Ancient Greece, communication was primarily oral, and nothing was written.

Rhetoric

Rhetoric is the ability to engage effectively with one another.

The Ramus Shift

In the 15th century, Ramus separated the creative process from the delivery process.

Critical Theory and Advocacy

The Critical/Cultural Turn

This movement focuses on power-based inequalities and emphasizes the importance of cultural context.

Public Advocacy

Public advocacy involves engaging the public through careful and responsible communication to create a better world for your community and family.

Reflexivity

• Definition: A back-and-forth movement of thinking about how we act, why we act, and the cause-and-effect relationships involved.
• Process: Reflexivity is an ongoing cycle; you must constantly stop, go back, and recheck your actions.
• Application: In public advocacy, we must recognize that we are part of the problem to effectively find solutions.

Logical Fallacies

• Slippery Slope: The assumption that one event will inevitably trigger a series of increasingly terrible (or positive) events, similar to the logic used in gambling.
• Straw Person Argument: Setting up counterarguments in a way that makes them easy to refute.

Dialogue and Media Influence

The Dialogue-Open Mind-Reflexivity Connection

By listening to issues with an open mind and utilizing reflexivity, you can discern the needs of a group and engage in meaningful dialogue.

The Process of Interpolation

Interpolation occurs when we internalize external ideas. For example, films present stories for us to relate to; when we respond, we become members of the audience and are more likely to consume the message. To prevent manipulation, you should listen to diverse sources and gather information from a broad range of perspectives.

Media, Culture, and Power

Media is defined as a means of communication that provides the public with entertainment. Power is defined as the capacity to act toward the achievement of one’s aims and interests.

Challenges in Critical Engagement

• Exhaustion: The point at which you need to stop what you are doing to recover.
• Cynicism: A state where you become so tired that the work of critical engagement feels pointless.
• Nihilism: The most severe stage, where one feels unable to find a way out of a seemingly hopeless situation.