Bryan Schod
1- Getting to know your audience is imperative because it gives you context on how to best
communicate with them appropriately. Understanding your audience also gives insight in
how best to persuade them in regards to your message.
2- “…make the choice to serve the mentor role more than anything.” This is an example of the
author speaking directly to students who feel RA’s may be only for the power hungry. It
shows more ‘down to earth’ students that being an RA doesn’t have to be simply about
punishing people. “You don’t have to pay for rent…” directly speaks to students who are
having financial trouble, and catches the eyes of students who are looking for more money
friendly ways to pay for college. “You meet a ton of people…” this speaks to those who are
very social and are looking to meet more friends. It allows an opportunity to reach out to
potential RA’s who feel adding to their social life is important.
3- Including these factors definitely improved the persuasiveness of the article, the author
directly reached out to many different types of students and then gave information on why
being an RA would be beneficial to them, rather than trying to simply make broad
statements that appeal to everybody.
4- The author could have spent more time talking to the audience about the credentials of
being an RA, speaking directly to students who was to boost their resume. She briefly
mentions it but I don’t think emphasizes it hard enough. She could also talk to students
about the future opportunities being an RA can bring. Having already worked with the
university opens the door for more possibilities.