EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION
PURPOSIVE COMMUNICATION
PERSUASIVE APPEALS
WORKPLACE EMAIL
COMMUNICATION CHALLENGE
100
Which element of communication refers to the person who initiate and sends the message?
Sender
100
What two things should a communicator consider before communicating?
Audience + Purpose
100
Which rhetorical appeal relies primarily on credibility and character?
Ethos
100
Which email subject line is most effective?
A. “Hi”
B. “Important!!!”
C. “Question”
D. “Request for Schedule Adjustment – September 28”
D. “Request for Schedule Adjustment – September 28”
100
A student sends a message:
“The project is bad. Fix it.”
What is the biggest communication problem?
A. The message is too specific.
B. The message lacks clarity and constructive details.
C. The message contains too much evidence.
D. The message uses formal language.
B. The message lacks clarity and constructive details.
200
A student explains a complicated engineering concept using technical terms that their classmates do not understand. What communication principle is demonstrated?
Clarity of language
200
Purposive communication primarily emphasizes communication that is:
A. Random and spontaneous
B. Purposeful and appropriate
C. Always informal
B. Purposeful and appropriate
200
Which statement primarily uses pathos?
A. “The inspection recorded eight PPE violations.”
B. “I have worked as a safety officer for 15 years.”
C. “Think about your family waiting for you at home.”
D. “The project is 12 days behind schedule.”
C. “Think about your family waiting for you at home.”
200
Question:
Which opening is most appropriate for a formal workplace email?
A. “Hey!!! What’s up?”
B. “Dear Ms. Santos,”
C. “Yo Ma’am”
D. “Hi, I need this ASAP.”
B. “Dear Ms. Santos,”
200
Your groupmate misunderstood your instructions.
Which response demonstrates effective communication?
A. “That’s your problem.”
B. “I already explained it. You should have listened.”
C. “Let me clarify what I meant. The first step is to…”
D. “Forget it.”
C. “Let me clarify what I meant. The first step is to…”
300
Scenario: A student leader needs to announce the schedule for the campus e‑sports tournament. Instead of posting a printed memo on the bulletin board, she uploads the announcement to the official Discord server so everyone gets notified instantly.
Question: Which communication element is being considered?
Channel
300
Before giving a presentation, a student asks:
"Who am I speaking to, and what do I want them to understand or do?"
What communication practice is this?
A. Audience and purpose analysis
B. Encoding failure
C. Noise reduction
A. Audience and purpose analysis
300
“According to the survey of 500 students, 78% reported that flexible study hours improved their ability to complete assignments.”
Which appeal is strongest?
Logos
300
You need your supervisor to approve a document.
Which closing is MOST appropriate?
A. “Send it ASAP.”
B. “Thanks.”
C. “I would appreciate your review and approval by Friday, if possible. Thank you for your time.”
D. “Okay bye.”
C. “I would appreciate your review and approval by Friday, if possible. Thank you for your time.”
300
A class representative says:
“Our proposal is supported by attendance data from the last three semesters.”
Which appeal is being used?
Answer: LOGOS
400
A student vlogger explains how to prepare for finals. He starts with an intro, gives step‑by‑step study tips, and ends with a motivational conclusion.
Which communication principle is demonstrated?
Organization and Clarity
400
You are explaining reinforced concrete to:
- Construction engineers
- Construction workers
- High school students
Should you use exactly the same explanation for all three?
No. The message should be adapted to the audience.
400
“I’m not certain about the specification. I’ll verify it using the project documents.”
Which rhetorical appeal is being used?
Ethos
400
Which email is MORE effective?
Email A:
“Sir, I can’t attend tomorrow. Something came up. Please understand.”
Email B:
“Dear Sir, I am writing to inform you that I will be unable to attend tomorrow’s meeting due to a family emergency. I apologize for the inconvenience and will review the meeting materials afterward.”
Email B
It provides context, maintains professionalism, and states the next step.
400
Your manager sends:
“Please revise the report.”
You aren’t sure which sections need revision.
What is the MOST effective response?
A. Guess what they mean.
B. Ignore the message until the deadline.
C. Ask a specific clarification question.
D. Reply “Okay” and submit the unchanged report.
C. Ask a specific clarification question.
500
A classmate says. "I'm okay," but avoids eye contact, speaks quietly, and has a tense posture.
What should the listener recognize?
Non-verbal cues
500
Question:
Complete this formula:
WHO? = ______
WHY? = ______
HOW? = ______
Answer:
WHO? = AUDIENCE
WHY? = PURPOSE
HOW? = MESSAGE
500
Question:
A student argues:
“Our university should provide more charging stations. A campus survey found that 72% of students regularly run out of battery during long school days. As an engineering student who spends six hours a day in laboratories, I have experienced this problem myself. Think about how stressful it is when students need to contact their families during an emergency but have no battery.”
Identify the three rhetorical appeals and the evidence for each.
Ethos?
Pathos?
Logos?
Answer:
- Logos — “72% of students” → statistical evidence
- Ethos — “As an engineering student…” → personal experience/credibility
- Pathos — “Think about how stressful…” → appeals to emotion
500
Question: EMAIL RESCUE 
You receive this email:
Subject: HELP!!!
“Sir, I need the document now. You haven’t sent it yet and I really need it. Please send ASAP because I have to submit this later. Thanks.”
Identify at least three problems with this email and explain how you would improve them.
Possible answers:
- Subject is vague → use a specific subject.
- Tone may sound demanding/blaming → use respectful language.
- Deadline is unclear → specify the actual deadline.
- Purpose/request isn’t clearly organized → state exactly what document is needed.
- “ASAP” is vague → provide a specific requested time.
- Missing professional greeting/sign-off → add appropriate opening and closing.
500
You are asked to convince your classmates to support three-days a week face to face classes.
Give ONE statements using each rhetorical appeal.
Ethos=credibility or experience
Pathos=audience's emotions
Logos=evidence, reasoning
Scoring:
100 -recognizable ethos statements
100 -recognizable pathos statements
100 -recognizable logos statements
+
200 -for relevant, persuasive and appropriate statements