EVALUATING

COMM 01: CHAPTER 05

MESSAGES &/
0R IMAGES
 PURPOSIVE COMMUNICATION

Chapter V: Evaluating Messages and/Images

A. Evaluation
- is the systematic process of determining the value and significance of
something under study using criteria governed by a set of standards. In
purposive communication, it is important that messages and their sources are
analyzed and evaluated to determine whether they effectively and efficiently
serve their purpose.

• Messages are always made and sent for a purpose; responses, whether
intentional or not, are always expected. But responses are always based on
how the receiver understands the meaning of the message. Hence, to
optimize understanding, senders must be careful in crafting their messages;
receivers must analyze and evaluate the received messages thoroughly
before giving the appropriate response. Incorrect or haphazard evaluation
may result to an erroneous response.

B. Questions to Ask When Evaluating Messages

1. What is the message?

o Determine the subject; determine the message that contained the
subject.
2. What is the purpose of the message?
o Usually, a message is sent to inform, persuade, entertain, among other
purposes.
3. How is the message conveyed by the text?
o The sender can utilize the traditional means of conveying the message-
paper and pencil- or the new way which is over the internet.
4. Who is the target audience of the message?
o Directly or indirectly, messages are sent for a specific audience. Identify
the receiver so that the appropriate feedback can be given.
5. What other ways of presenting the message are there?
o There can be more than one medium in conveying a message. Determine
all possible means, and probably, the best one.

*A picture conveys thousands of things

C. Images
o Images, like pictures and illustrations, are visual representations of different
types of texts reflecting different aspects of an individual's culture.
 o Images are attention-getters. When you see a picture, you analyze it within
seconds, then you understand the scenario and the meaning within it.

*Meanings are individually construed.

❑ Individuals involved in communication play a significant role in meaning

construction, which means that they actively create meaning taken from
experiences or phenomena through symbolic representation.

*Interpretation
❑ Culture and language play a vital role in the assessment and/or interpretation
of messages

D. Different Levels of Evaluating Messages

Here are the levels, including certain questions, to guide you to determine the
merit of images you intend to use.

❑ Content Analysis
• What do you see?
• What is the image about?
• Are there people in the image? What are they doing? How are they
presented?
• Can the image be looked at different ways?
• How effective is the image as a visual message?

❑ Visual Analysis
• How is the image composed? What is in the background, and what is in
the foreground?
• What are the most important visual elements in the image? How can you
tell?
• How is color used?
• Can the image be looked at different ways?
• What meanings are conveyed by design choices?

❑ Contextual Information
• What information accompanies the image?
• Does the text change how you see the image? How?
• Is the textual information intended to be factual and inform, or is
intended to influence what and how you see?
• What kind of context does the information provide? Does it answer the
questions where, why, when, how and for whom was the image made?
 ❑ Image Source
• When did you find the image?
• What information does the source provide about the origins of the
image?
• Is the source reliable and trustworthy?
• Was the image found in an image database, or was it being used in
another context to convey meaning?

❑ Technical Quality
• Is the image large enough to suit your purposes?
• Are the color, light, and balance true?
• Is the image a quality, digital image, without pixelation or distortion?
• Is the image in a file format you can use?
• Are there copyright or other use restrictions you need to consider?

*Read, listen, evaluate and analyze critically

E. Evaluating Sources

❖ Avoid websites that end in “lo” as they take sound information and
packaging with false information and packaging with false or misleading
data
❖ Beware of websites that end in “com.co” as they are often fake versions of
the real news resources.
❖ Watch out if known and reputable news sites are not also reporting on the
story.
❖ Odd domain names generally equate to odd and rarely truthful news.
❖ Lack of author attribution mean the source can be suspicious or not to be
trusted.
❖ Check the About Us

*Key Takeaways

❑ Recognize an author’s point and the support for that point

❑ Evaluate an author’s support a point and determine whether that support
is solid or not
❑ Reading critically includes these skills:
▪ Separating fact from opinion
▪ Detecting propaganda

F. Criteria in Evaluating Sources

❑ Author’s Credentials
o Do the author’s credentials (education, work experience, field of
specialization, research, etc.) show that he/she has accomplished
significant contribution to the subject? Is he/she well-known on the
 subject in the field? Have other experts critically examined the
writings of this author? (If so, are they favorable about the item you
are looking at?)

❑ Purpose
o Why is the source created? Who is the intended audience?

❑ Content
o Does your source contain adequate and appropriate information
about the content? Are the details of characteristics and other
elements supporting the subject presented objectively, correctly and
accurately?

❑ Publication and Format

o Where is it published? In what medium? What is the publication date
of the source? Are the information and statistics up-to-date?

❑ Relevance
o Is the source relevant to your work? How is it relevant to your
research? What is its scope? Does the material address the issue in
your message? Is it tied to the subject?

❑ Documentation
o Does it cite its own sources? Are the sources reliable? Do the sources
allow proper verification of the origin of the information used?

G. Detecting Propaganda

- Propaganda uses emotional appeals instead of presenting solid evidence to

support a point.
- Advertisers, salespeople, and politicians often lack adequate factual support for
their points, so they appeal to our emotions by using propaganda techniques.

*Six Common Propaganda Techniques

❑ Bandwagon - tells us to buy a product or support a certain issue because

“everybody else is doing it.”

- A TV commercial may claim that more and more people are watching
the evening news with a certain anchorperson.
- A cell phone ad may show people in many different kinds of
occupations using a certain cell phone.
- A political ad may feature people from all walks of life speaking out
in support of a certain candidate.
- The ads imply that if you don’t jump on the bandwagon, the parade
will pass you by.
❑ Testimonials - tells us to buy a product or support a certain issue
because a celebrity is endorsing it.
- Famous athletes appear as spokespersons for all sorts of products
from soft drinks to automobiles.
- Movie and TV stars make commercials endorsing products and
political issues.
- Remember, though, that famous people get paid to endorse
products. Also, they are not necessarily experts about the products
or issues they promote.
❑ Transfer - Products or candidates try to associate themselves with
something that people admire or love.
- A political candidate holds a sign saying “Vote for Me” and stands
next to a beauty queen wrapped in a U.S.A. banner.
- A beautiful, sexy woman (or an American flag or other patriotic
symbol) is used to promote a product, candidate, or cause.
- The idea behind this technique is that we will transfer the positive
feelings we have for a beautiful, sexy-looking person or our country
to the product or candidate.

❑ Plain Folks - people present themselves as ordinary, average citizens,

hoping we will identify with them and like them.

- Political candidates try to show they are just “plain folks” by talking
about hard times in their lives. They also pose for photographs while
wearing a hard hat or mingling with everyday people.

- The presidents of some companies appear in their own ads, trying to

show that their giant corporations are just family businesses run by
ordinary folks.
❑ Name-Calling - Use of emotionally loaded language or negative comments
to turn people against a rival product, candidate, or movement.
- A political candidate labels an opponent “soft,” “radical,” or “wimpy.”
- In a taste test, consumers describe the other leading brand of
spaghetti sauce as “too salty” and “thin and tasteless.”

❑ Glittering Generalities - Use of emotionally loaded language or negative

comments to turn people against a rival product, candidate, or movement.

- A political candidate labels an opponent “soft,” “radical,” or “wimpy.”

- In a taste test, consumers describe the other leading brand of
spaghetti sauce as “too salty” and “thin and tasteless.”
REFERENCES

• Domingo, M., Florendo, Z., Reloza, R., Banez, R.C., Merza, H., and
Bose, M.L. (2018). Purposive Communication. Bulacan: IPM Publishing.

• Mooney, A., Peccel, J.S., La Belle, S., et al. (2010). Language, Society,
and Power: An Introduction. 3rd ed. London: Routledge.