Argues that, in terms of demography of attention, broadcast economics, the excitation of wide public commentary, and First and Third World media dependency issues, American Olympic television is a worthwhile object of scrutiny for mass communication researchers. Appraises two studies by Thomas Farrell and Eric Rothenbuhler (same issue). (SR)

Describes a prewriting activity in which students form questions about their classmates' research topics. Notes that this activity provides students with multiple questions concerning their topics, and conveys the message that they will be writing for a real audience of peers. (MM)

Applies general semantics to a public speaking communication apprehension (CA) lab and divides the lab into four main frames or semester sections. Suggests that CA has been treated elementalistically up to now, and that programs need to view the person holistically. States that general semantics applied to CA teaches awareness of the natural order…

Suggests that technical writing is the most challenging profession in the world and sometimes the most boring. List 35 things that the field knows about technical communication (on such topics as audience, editing, writing style, graphics, and training). Suggests that there may be nothing left to invent in the field of technical communication. (RS)

Describes how, in a unit on Russia's history, culture, and future, eight high school students with writing difficulties presented their work to small student groups, a teacher alone, one student, and finally themselves via videotape. Notes that students' reactions to these audience options show how student writers can develop a sensitivity to…

Describes having students in a business communication class subscribe to and participate in e-mail-based electronic conferences in order to learn audience analysis. (SR)

Proposes that writing pedagogies focused on models of audience analysis stultify invention and in doing so compromise the epistemic dimension of the writing they influence. Claims that classical audience analysis assumes a determinism that the separation of reader and writer denies. (HB)

Investigates patterns of college-student reactions to local television newscasts. Finds that significant audience adaptation does not occur during a 30-minute newscast and that there was no relationship between segment placement and level of viewer interest. Suggests that the audience rebound phenomenon overcomes the audience adaptation phenomenon…

Argues that current forensics contest constraints deemphasize the role of the audience. Examines Barbara Bush's 1990 commencement address at Wellesley College as an example of rhetorical sensitivity and acute awareness of her audience. (SR)

Asserts that the means by which student achievement in reading are reported should be a focus rather than an afterthought. Discusses key questions related to developing report cards that serve a variety of audiences. Provides guidance and models of report cards that are more closely aligned with the literacy curriculum than traditional report…

Discusses the rhetorical elements of technical copywriting, including its shared communicative aims with technical writing; authorship considerations such as ethics, education, and professionalism; and the concerns of promotional strategy, audience analysis, choice of media and materials, writing strategy, and style. (SR)

Effective professionals need to be able to communicate their ideas through speaking as well as writing. Successful presentations involve using strategies to overcome anxiety, organizing the presentation, analyzing the audience, and managing nonverbal elements of the presentation. (JOW)

Compares several technical reports written by students showing the influences of a writer's identification with a community on features of the resulting document. Finds that features most affected were personal and community references within the document, writer's stance toward the reader, and definition of the rhetorical problem. (RS)

Examines psychophysiological and cognitive processing of television events to see what kinds of contextual information might be stored as a result of both real and fictional television events and mediated and unmediated television events. Examines decision processes that use this information. Suggests that television may result in contextual…

Explores the results of a random phone survey of 300 small businesses in order to develop a pollution-prevention campaign. Results indicate that respondents understood the concept of pollution prevention and were taking steps to reduce their part in it. Businesses preferred to obtain their information from suppliers, publications, and other…