COMMUNICATION FOR

VARIOUS PURPOSES

MODULE 7 YOU ARE EXPECTED TO:

6hrs/2 weeks
➢ Enumerate and explain the various purposes of
communication;
➢ Follow guidelines to create clear coherent and
effective communication materials;
➢ Differentiate the types of speeches; and
➢ Write an editorial on environmental issue.

OVERVIEW

Wherever we are, whatever we do, we always have a definite purpose, agree? The
authors of (this module) are referring to communication why? This chapter is your first
entry to a more comprehensive state of the art SPEAKING.
Your definite purpose is to communicate, which is usually intentional, perceptive
and functional, yet, the intention sometimes creates unintentional and dysfunctional
result. To avoid unintended negative effect in the oral and written discourse, one needs
to disseminate clear information, correct language and be sensitive to cultural differences.
Lull & Coopman (2012), retorted that communication is designed to serve three (3)
basic functions; (a) to provide information, (b) to persuade or argue, and (c) to entertain,
honor or praise, and so on.
Well this is it. Your preparation and purpose of expressing your thoughts and
arguments is undeniably the important form of communication.
Considering that this chapter highlights the PURPOSES of various
communication, again the pneumonic device is back and take each letter seriously for
you to understand better the objectives of this lesson.

FUNCTION/PURPOSE
Communication as it exists, has basic purpose of expressing ones thought or
feelings and whatever is the purpose, people communicate to obtain ____________.
FIRST is to provide information. We live in an information age and providing
information deals with objects, processes, events, and concepts (Lucas 2012).

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Objects include anything that is visible tangible, and stable in form, maybe non-living or
living such as places, structures, animals and people.
Besides, processes explain how something is made, done and how it works.
Examples are how to write an autobiography, flow of communication at home, and joining
an FB chat group.
Events can be anything that happens or is regarded as happening. Examples are
sleep deprivation, fight against corruption, vaccines for COVID, while concepts may
consist of beliefs, theories, ideas, principles, and the like. Philosophy of Education, and
Religions are some of the examples.
Formal situations requiring informative communication outside your school, or
institution can be found in different type of informative talks such as public lecture,
status report, briefing, fireside chats, and chalk talk. All of these are quite known to
you but you are un aware that such types of informative talks are considered as important
opportunities for disseminating information.
Understanding each type of informative talk will guide you and it varies according
to your purpose. What is it then? There are seven guidelines for informative speaking.
The authors of this module are introducing (as cited from Jaffe, 2010) you the guidelines
to help you produce comprehensible and effective messages. Let us have the acronym
DOC BPS.
(1) Do an obstacle analysis of the audience. The parts of the message are
to be identified so that the audience will find it easy to understand. Remember,
your end goal as a speaker is to have your listeners/viewers understand.
(2) Organize the material carefully. Why? The use of transitional devices
(“moreover,” “so” and others) will help your audience identify the flow of ideas.
(3) Compare the known to the unknown. Begin with what is familiar to your
audience and build on this foundation by showing similarities and differences
between your topic and what your listeners know. Example is the different brands
of mobile phones. Making comparison and contrast between ‘apple’ and ‘iphone’
gadgets would give them an interesting view on buying and selling such items.

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 (4) Choose your vocabulary carefully. Your purpose as a speaker/writer is
to involve your audience/listeners to understand, that is you goal, right? Avoid
incomprehensible concepts or terms that could create misunderstanding or
negative reactions in the audience. Use simple words instead.
(5) Build on repitition and redundancy. Repetitive words are somewhat
boring which make your statements redundant. Phrases such as “on the other
hand” and “in other words” build redundancy. What to do? Redefine and reinforce
those crucial points in the minds of your listeners.
(6) Personalize your material to your audience. There are such thing as
perfect speakers. Regardless of age, race, gender, and religion, anyone can be
an excellent speaker provided you will establish a connection between your topic
(speaker) and their experiences, beliefs, and actions. The saying says, “You
cannot throw pearls before swine.” The ultimate goal of both the speaker and the
listeners is satisfaction or appreciation.
(7) Strive to be interesting. It means an interactive conversational manner
proves effective in any informative talk. The speaker’s enthusiasm and the
listener’s engagement is a two-way ticket. Indeed, as a speaker, he must be
interesting with regard to his mode of delivery so that the listeners are invited to
listen attentively.

Below is an example of short informative speech. Exposition of information may be

supplemented by narration or description.

Cebuano Visayan: A Dominant Lingua Franca

Among countries, speaking diverse languages, a phenomenon called
“lingua franca,” occurs. A lingua franca is any of these various languages used
as a common or social or commercial tongue among these people of diverse
speech for the purpose of mutual intelligibility. The Philippines is one of these
countries with diverse languages, and regional lingua francas emerge as natural
sociolinguistic phenomena. A lingua franca is not chosen deliberately, but rather
occurs naturally since this language has acquired, through time and usage, a
social status in a social group.

If one travels and communicates with Filipinos from Aparri to Jolo, one
should observe that McFarland (1994) and Sibayan (1978) were indeed right in
their scientific agreement that Filipinos do have free lingua francas: Ilocano for
Northern Luzon, Tagalog for Southern Luzon, and Cebuano-Visayan for the
Visayas (Western, Central, Eastern) and Mindanao.

Clearly, Cebuano-Visayan is the natural lingua franca of two-thirds of the

Philippine population (Visayas and Mindanao) while one-third of it is shared by
Ilocano and Tagalog as lingua francas.

-A. O. Pesirla

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 CONNECT:
Click on the YouTube link to understand how languages evolve.
Title: How Languages Evolve
Uploader: TED-Ed, May 27, 2014
Address: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iWDKsHm6gTA

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Name:________________________ Course:__________ Schedule:____________

ACTIVITY 1
Answer in complete sentences below.
1. Who are the two linguist who agreed scientifically that Cebuano-Visayan is a dominant
lingua franca?
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________

2. What “knowledge” have you acquired from this informative expository speech?
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________

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 Next is persuasion which is the process of creating, reinforcing, or changing
people’s beliefs or actions through arguments. So, when you speak to persuade, you
act as an advocate, why? It is because you convince your listeners to agree with you
and to act on that belief. What is then your goal? You may defend an idea, refute an
opponent, sell a program and to inspire people to action. Example is teenage
pregnancy. What convincing and effective power will you use to persuade teenagers not
to engage in early pregnancy? What type of argument will you adapt so that your
audience will accept and agree on your propositions or viewpoints.

Considering the differences between informative and persuasive speeches,

one specific description of an informative speaker is his being an expert on a topic
and seeks to facilitate audience understanding about it. In contrast, a persuasive
speaker takes the role of promoter or proponent, advocating a particular view on a topic
he wants the audience to adopt. In addition, he is not only an expert of the topic but he
also goes beyond arguing on a topic or subject. Thus in writing persuasive speeches,
the writer/speaker intends to influence others and the speech is successful if it pushes
the audience to willingly make the change as suggested. For instance, a doctor
persuading a patient to stop smoking or an environmentalist persuading the students to
plant more trees.

On the other hand, Aristotle is one of the first people to theorize about persuasion and
believes that persuasive messages lie on three elements which he calls proofs, namely
logos, ethos, and pathos.

Logos is a persuasive strategy of constructing LOGICAL arguments (reasoning) that

support your point of view. Examples: “Grief is a universal emotion.” “Keep something
for the rainy days.”

Ethos is the Greek word for “character.” The speaker attempts to persuade others by
using PERSONAL ( knowledge of credible source /authority). Examples: As a teacher of
English, I can assure my students that acquiring communication skill can be achieved
through reading and writing. “Culture and vocabulary grow hand in hand.”

Pathos is a persuasive strategy of appealing to EMOTIONS. Examples: YOU are not

safe with drugs but with GOD you are completely safe and secured. “A person who
loves, grieves. Below is a short persuasive speech adapted from Mark Dupont. Read it
well and answer the questions that follow on the next page.

CONNECT:
Check out the link below on for more of Ethos, Pathos, and Logos.
Title: An Introduction to Ethos, Logos and Pathos
Uploader: Christianity 9 to 5
Address: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9L_G82HH9Tg

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Analyze the given text below to answer Activity 2.

Aerobics

The way I look at it, my heart is only going to beat a certain number of times, and
I’m not going to waste some of my valuable heartbeats on aerobics.
Well, I just can’t afford aerobic exercise. I mean, it just takes too long. I’ve got to
study and go to work, and I have an eight o’clock class every morning. I just don’t have
the time.

Hey, I’m only eighteen. My heart and lungs are in great shape. I don’t need
aerobics: that’s for old people, and I’m nowhere thirty yet.

Why should we care about aerobic exercise? We’re either too young, can’t afford
it or don’t want “to waste those valuable heartbeats.” Too young? Autopsies done on
American soldiers killed in the Vietnam war that 55% of young men with the average age
of 22.1 years had arteriosclerosis (hardening of arteries). Can’t afford aerobics? Insurance
companies recognize this fact in the form of discounts to policy holders engaged in
aerobics.

Maybe we can afford it after all, but about those heartbeats? There’s no evidence
that the number of times our hearts will beat is limited. Evidence reveals that aerobic
exercise can improve your health and can increase your life span by strengthening the
heart and improving the lungs and blood vessels. It’s time we learn something more about
aerobics.
-Adapted from Mark Dupont-

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Name:________________________ Course:__________ Schedule:____________

ACTIVITY 2

Referring to the text above (Aerobics by Mark Dupont), identify three (3)
paragraphs below that uses any of the evidences: LOGICAL (reasoning), ETHOS
(personal knowledge), and PATHOS (emotional) and write the paragraphs below.

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 So far, the last four letters of the word FUNCTION will direct you to…
THE ethical principles for persuasive speaking. Parsh (2014) enumerated the
following principles to be followed by persuasive speakers. Are they needed? Earlier, the
three elements of persuasion marked as your preliminary entry toward persuasive
speaking. A speaker is guided of what and how he imparts or relays information to the
interested viewers or listeners so that there is a connection of thoughts and emotions
among them. Persuasion does not only dwell on those elements but more important is
the moral issues or aspects behind the message, agree? CAYA is an acronym based on
the principles below. Ready?
1. Be CAREFUL about whom you trust. Trust must be established and speakers
need to provide credentials to show they are trustworthy. It is like saying, “One word is
enough for the wise.”
2. ANALYZE and evaluate messages for reasonableness, truth and benefit to you
and the community. Both the speakers and the listeners want messages to meet
standards of reasonableness. “The end must justify the means.”
3. ALWAYS be respectful of your audience. Confucious” Golden Rule” helps you
avoid ethical problems. “As you sow, so shall you reap.”
4. AVOID fallacies. Striving to use sound reasoning and critical thinking enables you
to avoid short circuits to reasonable thoughts. The maxim states, “A soft answer turns
away wrath.”
5. YOU and your message are persuasive if you have a long positive history.
Establishing credibility in dealing with people will always stay within you so virtue has
always its own rewards.
In this regard, providing information and the ability to speak and write persuasively
will benefit you from personal relationships, to community activities, and to career
opportunities.
The next function is to entertain, honor or praise and so on. Social obligations…
such as christenings, weddings, funerals, graduations, award ceremonies, inaugurals,
birthdays, retirement dinners--- all these are occasions and they are very special to the
people who take part in them. Speeches delivered in any of these events differ from the
information and persuasive speeches in the following aspects.
One of these is ORGANIZATION. Like any other speeches, speech to entertain,
honor, praise and so on have introduction, body, and conclusion but they suggest subtle
and creative ways and are relatively short. Another aspect is purpose whose primary
requirement is to perform a ritual characterized by qualities or procedures that are
appropriate to the occasion. Style or stylistic devices (narratives, figures of speech)
are used for informative and persuasive speeches while special-occasion speeches use
highly stylistic or ornamental language. As to formality, they are a bit formal but formality
refers more to the degree of professionalism, meaning the speaker is particular of using
neutral, professional, or consultative register.

And NOW, the speeches based on general types of special-occasion are

classified into COURTESY (introduction, presentation, and acceptance); CEREMONIAL
(commencement address, commemorative such as tributes, dedication and eulogies);

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CONTESTS speeches like original oratory, extemporaneous speaking, and dramatic and
humorous interpretation. While the types of speeches based on delivery are composed
of IMPROMPTU, EXTEMPORANEOUS, MANUSCRIPT (or READ), and MEMORIZED.

To give you the specific distinction among the four types of speeches, an
impromptu speech is an unprepared presentation of ideas to groups (typical public
speech audiences). It prioritizes mental preparation, no rehearsal prior to delivery.
Examples: Ambush interview where you answer on-the-spot questions; Self-introduction
in group settings; Giving a toast on a special occasion; and classroom discussion when
the professor asks you to answer a question or comment on an issue.
However, if a speech requires a prepared outline, an extemporaneous delivery is
needed. The flow of your thoughts is guided by your prepared outline. The ideas that a
speaker will be using are given earlier. Extemporaneous speaking apportions a
considerable time for preparation. Examples: Class reports; Seminar/Webinar lectures;
and State of the Nation Addresses (SONAs)
If your choice is to really prepare your speech delivery, then you can have
manuscript or read speech which is written and is expected to be read. There is more
time to work on it. This is the most preferred kind of speech by people in the mass media.
Whatever the situation is, the speaker brings with him/her the script of the speech that is
to be delivered. Some examples of this type of speech is the valedictory address in a
commencement exercises; an inspirational message of an invited guest; keynote address
in a conference; radio and TV speeches; and political speeches.

Lastly is the memorized speech. A method of delivery which is seldom

recommended to anyone. A speaker needs to deliver by rote. This type of speech is
utilized in situations like oratorical competitions; presentation of high-level awards;
welcoming very important dignitaries; political speeches; and banquet speeches.

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Name:________________________ Course:__________ Schedule:____________

ACTIVITY 3
EDITORIAL ON ENVIRONMENTAL/SOCIETAL ISSUES
Form a group, write an editorial on any environmental problem that our province
is now having. Post your editorial (maximum of 2 paragraphs) on our FB Group.
Post your editorial with captions (Title, and the complete name of the members).

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Name:_______________________ Course:__________ Schedule:____________

FEEDBACK 7
Now is the time that you give me what you THINK and let me know how you FEEL about this module by
answering and encircling your answers.

1. How are you right now?

Feeling Good
Feeling Bad
Feeling Confused
2. Were you able to grasp everything in the module? Rate and encircle the number of your answer:
5 – Able to grasp everything and relate to personal experiences
4 – Able to understand the topics and activities
3 – Moderately understand the topics
2 – Need more clarifications
1 – Did not able to understand topics
3. Are the readings and lessons clear? Rate and encircle the number of your answer:
5 – All the lessons are clearly stated in just one reading.
4 – The lessons are comprehensible even without others aid.
3 – Need others to help me occasionally in understanding the topics.
2 – Need assistance from others to understand the terms.
1 – All the lessons are unclear.
4. Tell me the items that need to be clarified.
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
5. Feel free to comment and suggest about module.
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________

REFERENCES/SOURCES:
• Padilla, M., Dagdag, L., & Roxas, F., Communicate & Connect, Purposive
Communication, Mutya Publishing, (2018)
• Jaffe, C. (2010). Public speaking, concepts and skills for a diverse society.
Canada:Wadsworth CENGAGE Learning.
• Persila, Angel. (2004). Freshman English through academic writing. MC:
Carangne Press.
• Lull, J & Coopman, S.J. (2012). Public speaking the evolving act. USA: Stanford
University CENGAGE Learning
• Lucas, S. (2012), The art of public speaking. New York: McGraw Hill.