PURPOSIVE COMMUNICATION

MODULE FIVE
Creating and Evaluating Multimodal Texts

Rationale:

People love stories. They are something that always captivate our emotions or get us into
thinking. While the message of most stories are the same—hope, love, victory—the ways in
which we tell them and share them with others have changed dramatically with the rise of
digital communication technologies. With these developments, we have also found more
effective means of reaching the right audiences for our ideas.

While traditional mass media like television, radio, and publications are still used today,
we can’t deny that the use of new media like vlogs, blogs, digital posters, electronic
advertisements and the like have been considered as more in touch with the generation now
and more affordable as well.

As stated before, with the rise of social media, we are no longer strangers to each other.
Our voices can now be heard anywhere in the world. But, how do we evaluate which
messages are worthy or not?

Learning Objectives:

By the end of this lesson, students should be able to:

a. Identify different types of multimodal texts.
b. Distinguish the characteristics of multimodal texts.
c. Convey ideas through oral, audio-visual, and/or web-based presentations for different
target audiences in local and global settings using multimodal texts.
d. Evaluate multimodal texts critically to enhance receptive skills (listening, reading, and
viewing).
e. Demonstrate appreciation of the role of multimodal texts in effective presentation of
ideas.

GAN | 2020 1
Multimodal Texts

Multimodal is defined as the strategic use of “two or more communication modes” to

make meaning, for example, image, gesture, music, spoken language, and written language
(O’Brien, 2018).

A multimodal text on the other hand may take in different forms. It may be:
a. paper such as books, comics, posters
b. digital such as slide presentations, e-books, blogs, e-posters, web pages, social
media, film, video games
c. live like performances or events

The NSW Syllabus for the Australian curriculum also mentions that language modes like
listening, speaking, writing, viewing, and representing are often integrated and
interdependent activities used in responding to and composing texts in order to shape
meaning and that any combination of the modes may be involved in responding to or
composing print, sound, visual, or multimedia text.

Creating Multimodal Texts

The University of Michigan states that in the composition field, multimodal elements
are commonly defined in terms of the five modes of communication: linguistic, visual,
gestural, spatial, and audio. These modes are often combined with the language of design to
create a more effective conversation.

The five modes can be further explained as:

a. Linguistic: word choice, delivery of spoken or written text (tone), organization into
sentences, phrases, paragraphs
b. Visual: color, layout, style, size, perspective
c. Gestural: facial expressions, hand gestures, body language, interactions between
people
d. Spatial: arrangement, organization, proximity between people and objects
e. Audio: music, sound effects, ambient sound/ noise, silence, tone, accent of the
speaker, volume

GAN | 2020 2
 In terms of the design of the texts, the following are the key elements to be
considered:

a. Emphasis: the elements of an image

that are most significant or pronounced
b. Repetition: the repeated pattern of
the same or similar shapes or objects ,
which can also indicate an overall
emphasis or theme
c. Contrast: the sharp differences
between elements that are noticeable
based on their relationship to each
other
d. Layout: the organization of
elements on a page, including texts,
images, shapes, and overall composition
e. Alignment: the way that elements
are aligned on a page, especially text
which is aligned at left, right, or center
f. Proximity: the relationship
between objects in a space, particularly
how close they are to each other; it can
indicate a relationship between objects

In creating multimodal texts, we need to have knowledge of the subject or field of text,
textual knowledge of how best to convey meaning through text; digital multimodal authoring
also requires knowledge of the technology and of the processes required to produce
innovative digital media productions (Mills, 2010 as cited by Victoria State Government,
2018).

GAN | 2020 3
Evaluating Multimodal Texts

In evaluating multimodal texts, one of the things we need to look at is its authenticity.
In language learning, authentic texts are written to fulfill a particular purpose: to inform, to
persuade, to entertain, to describe. By definition, authentic texts are materials that have
communicative purpose.

Autio (2012) in his paper entitled, Authentic Texts as Cultural Mirrors cited Mishan
(2005) in presenting the descriptions of communicative purposes.

Terminology Communicative Purpose of Text

Informative transmit information
advise, order, warn, threaten, permit, persuade
Persuasive
(pertaining to purchase, opinion, action)
Soliciting interact or transact (business or personal)
Instructional gives instructions for implementing a process
causing external manifestation of inner emotions in the form of
Provocative
emotive/ intellectual/ kinesthetic reaction
Interactive interact or transact
engage personal/ internal emotions (including for example
Engaging
humor, pleasure, and displeasure)/ imagination/ reaction

Multimodal texts can be very small and simple, but they can also be very large and
complex. This is why there is a need to look beyond the elements in order to determine the
exact message that the material is trying to communicate.

The following guide questions can be used in determining and evaluating the
messages of multimodal texts:

a. What is the message?

b. What is the purpose of the message?
c. How is the message conveyed by the text and/or image?
d. Who is the target audience of the message?
e. What other ways of presenting the message are there?

GAN | 2020 4
a. What is the message?
Liking isn’t helping.

b. What is the communicative purpose of the message?

It is provocative. It urges people to act and to help out, not just to like posts asking for
assistance.

c. How is the message conveyed by the text and/or image?

The message was conveyed by showing a child who is in the hospital. There are hands
that are doing a ‘thumbs up’ around the child. This is a symbol for the ‘like’ reaction
which is common in social media sites. It can be seen that the people are not directly
helping the child by doing the thumbs up.

d. Who is the target audience of the message?

The message is intended for everyone, but specifically those who are in social media and
prone to do such acts.

e. What other ways of presenting the message are there?

This can also be presented using video clips and sound bites.

GAN | 2020 5
Reading and Listening Critically

The evaluation of multimodal texts require readers and listeners to practice critical
reading and listening. Critical reading and listening are activities that require
communicators to move beyond superficial engagement and analysis with a text.

Critical Reading

Critical reading is an important activity in evaluating multimodal texts. It

helps with the following activities:

a. Examining the evidence and logic

b. Assessing external influences on the argument
c. Investigating the limitations of the text
d. Evaluating the interpretation and facts presented
e. Deciding to what extent you accept the validity of the argument and
conclusion

While many people undertake reading as a passive activity, we can get more
from our readings when we actively engage with the presented materials. Critical
reading offers the following benefits:

a. It promotes comprehension and absorption of material.

b. It provides context for facts, events, and people.
c. It ensures that knowledge is judged on its merits.
d. It improves concentration.
e. It demonstrates the ability to perform an essential academic skill.

GAN | 2020 6
 Critical Listening

It is as important to listen critically as it is to read critically. Critical listening

is a process for understanding what is said and evaluating, judging, and forming an
opinion on what we hear. The listener assesses the strengths and weaknesses of the
content, agrees or disagrees with the information, and analyzes and synthesizes the
material.

Critical Listening Strategies

a. Find areas of interest in the material you are listening to.

b. Reserve judgment: recognize your emotional biases.
c. Work at listening: mentally summarize and review what is being said,
organize information, and find connections to what you already know.
d. Avoid distractions (internal or external).
e. Listen for and note main ideas; focus on central themes.

Source: The Writing and Communication Centre, University of Waterloo

Comprehension Check
Choose at least five (5) terms from the lesson. Then, write your own definition based on
your understanding.

TERMS DEFINITIONS

GAN | 2020 7
Learning Enrichment Tasks

Work in groups. Create a public service campaign about any topic that impacts the
community. You may use the guide below for the planning of the activity.

Note: Examples of topic may include fighting fake news, teenage pregnancy,
smoking, and environmental protection among others.

Since this is a campaign, the plan should include not just one way of
communicating the message. Choose the ones that will be most effective in
reaching your target audience.

The duration in accomplishing the task will be determined by the instructor.

Topic

Intended Audience

Tactics/ Ways to
Communicate the Message
(poster, video, article, social
media posts, others)

Tagline

Effect/s Desired

GAN | 2020 8
LESSON TEST
Evaluate the following multimodal compositions.

1. What is the message?

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

2. What is the communicative purpose of the message?

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

3. How is the message conveyed by the text and/or image?

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

4. Who is the target audience of the message?

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

5. What other ways of presenting the message are there?

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

GAN | 2020 9
1. What is the message?
_________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________

2. What is the communicative purpose of the

message?
_________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________

3. How is the message conveyed by the text and/or

image?
_________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________

4. Who is the target audience of the message?

_________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________

5. What other ways of presenting the message are

there?
_________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________

GAN | 2020 10
RESOURCES:

Autio, L. (2012). Authentic texts as cultural mirrors. Retrieved from

https://jyx.jyu.fi/bitstream/handle/123456789/40071/URN:NBN:fi:jyu-
201210242768.pdf?sequence=1

Creating multimodal texts. (n.d.). Retrieved from

https://www.education.vic.gov.au/school/teachers/teachingresources/discipline/
english/literacy/multimodal/Pages/createmultimodal.aspx

Manzano, B., Arador, M., & Ladia, M. (2018). Purposive communication for college freshmen.
Bulacan, Philippines: St. Andrew Publishing House

Sweetland Center for Writing. (n.d.). The language of multimodal texts [PDF File]. Retrieved
from https://lsa.umich.edu/content/dam/sweetland-assets/sweetland-
documents/teachingresources/SupportingMultimodalLiteracy/
Supplement1_LanguageOfMultimodalTexts.pdf

What is multimodal text? - Creating multimodal text. (n.d.). Retrieved from

https://sites.google.com/site/aismultimodaltext/1-what-is-multimodal-text

GAN | 2020 11