Rhetorical Situation is the circumstances that at least one person uses some type of communication to alter the perspective of at least one other person.

There are 4 main parts to a rhetorical situation:

• Writer
• Audience
• Message
• Purpose

As you compose your message, you must “consider not only how well it will match your readers’ knowledge, but also their needs, interests, values, and beliefs. Consider as well their reasons-or purposes-for reading what you’ll write.” (Palmquist)

An example would be me (writer) sending a letter (message) to a patient (audience) that I need them to send in financial documents (purpose) for medication foundation assistance.

Mike Palmquist. (1994-2023). Understanding Writing Situations. The WAC Clearinghouse. Colorado State University. Available at https://wac.colostate.edu/repository/resources/writing/guides/.