Organizational Rhetoric

If you haven’t already, go to Canvas to make a posting (at the related assignment link) on the organization you have selected for your Client Project.

Respond to the following questions with the website of your selected organization in mind. Include in your posting a link to the website and, if possible, embed at least one image (screenshots, etc) from it. If the website has an abundance of content, at this stage you may choose to focus only on the homepage to answer these prompts. You can answer each in a few statements; you don’t have to write your entire review of the website yet. However, feel free to write as much as you can, since you can use this content in your Client Project (formal report) later.

Please enumerate your answers to each prompt at this point to help me identify how you have addressed a particular prompt.

1. Which of identity strategies of organizational rhetoric can you identify in the sample? (You may want to refer to the Worksheet for Identifying Rhetorical Strategies in Organizational Texts in the appendix of our course textbook.)

a) Does the rhetor use association strategies? If so, with what does he or she associate the organization and how?

b) Does the rhetor use differentiation strategies? If so, from what does he or she disassociate the organization and how?

c) Are there examples of branding strategies in the rhetoric?

d) In what ways do these strategies help focus on what is central and enduring about the organization?

e) How do the channels of delivery (social networking media, a race car) contribute to identity creation or maintenance?

f) In what ways might the rhetoric use an already-existing identity to advance the goals of the organization?

2. What are the key elements of the rhetorical situation? (You may want to refer to the Worksheet for Describing Rhetorical Situations in Organizations in the appendix of our course textbook.)

a) Would you say this is a situation that calls for identity-building rhetoric or identity maintenance rhetoric? Or both? Why?

b) Which types of audiences seem to be target audiences in this situation?

c) What constraints common to identity situations are present in this case?