Audience and Voice Exercise
Purpose of Exercise: This exercise raises awareness of rhetorical situation and audience when developing voice. Works well with the reading Role of Audiences in On Writing. It can be applied to any number of paper topics.
Description: Breaking the class into small groups, you will assign a different persona, audience, and situation to each group. The groups will then compose a letter in the voice of their persona, conveying the situation to their audience.
Suggested Time: 50-65 minutes
Procedure: For this exercise, you will have your students break up into groups of three or four. Using the list below, have the each group pick a letter or number from each group. For example, group one will pick a letter A-H, one letter from J-Q, and a number 1-8. Write “Group One” on the board, then write their choices underneath. I have them make up silly group names because it seems to get them more involved. Repeat the process with each group. After they have all chosen, tell them what each letter or number stands for, and what category it is in.
Situation
A. need money B. won the lottery C. engaged D. got a ticket E. failed a test F. got into law school G. got a promotion H. got fired
Voice
J. kindergarten teacher K. Barack Obama L. Arnold Schwartznegger M. Kermit the Frog N. Darth Vader O. pregnant mother P. pilot Q. teenager
Audience
1. group of lawyers 2. group of doctors 3. kindergarten class 4. best friend 5. ex-boy/girlfriend 6. boss 7. preacher 8. cheerleaders
So if group one picks C, L, and 8, then they have to write in the voice of a kindergarten teacher, telling a group of cheerleaders that they got engaged.
Have each group work together to create a letter or story. Remind them that they should think about the kind of language that person or group would understand or use most.
When they are finished, have them read them out loud, using the voice if possible.