B. Foundations of Language · Foundations: Speaking, Listening, Words and Fluency

Speaking for Real Audiences: Analyze, Select and Adapt Your Strategies

B1.3 A1.1 A1.2About 45 minutes

Learning goals

I can analyze the purpose, audience and context before I speak.
I can select strategies (register, structure, appeals, examples, visuals) that fit my analysis.
I can use ethos, logos and pathos to make a message credible, logical and meaningful.
I can adapt my speaking while I talk, based on how my audience is responding.
I can communicate clearly and coherently in formal and informal situations.

Words to know

purpose
Why you are speaking: for example, to inform, persuade, request, inspire or honour.

audience analysis
Thinking about who your listeners are: what they know, what they care about, and how they feel about your topic.

context
The situation: where, when, how formal, how much time, in person or online.

ethos
Building trust: showing you are credible, fair and know your topic.

logos
Using logic and evidence: facts, reasons and clear steps.

pathos
Connecting to feelings and values: stories, vivid images, what the audience cares about.

adapt
To change your plan to fit the situation, before or while you speak.

Remember from Grade 7

In Grade 7 you analyzed your audience (what they know, what they care about), chose a structure (chronological, problem–solution, main points, compare and contrast) and spoke on the spot with PREP (Point, Reason, Example, Point). In Grade 8 you'll do a deeper analysis of purpose, audience and context, choose from a bigger set of strategies (including three classic appeals), and practise adapting while you speak. These skills matter a lot next year, when high school brings presentations, interviews and new audiences.

Let's start with a puzzle

Jonah wants to start a school community garden. He has to speak about it three times this week:

To his Grade 8 class, to recruit volunteers.
To the school council (parents, the principal), to ask for $400 for soil and seeds.
To the Grade 2 class, to invite them to plant seeds.

If Jonah gives the same speech three times, it will fail at least twice. The Grade 2s won't understand "budget allocation". The council won't care that "it'll be fun to get dirty". Strong speakers analyze first, then select and adapt their strategies.

Wooden raised garden beds full of soil and young vegetable plants beside a brick school, with watering cans and a trowel. — A school community garden like the one Jonah wants to start. The same garden matters in different ways to volunteers, the school council and a Grade 2 class, so each audience needs a different speech. AI-generated image

Analyze three things first: your purpose, your audience and the context. Together they decide your strategies: word choice, structure, appeals and delivery.

Analyze	Questions to ask
Purpose	What do I want listeners to know, feel or do at the end? Is there a main purpose and a second one (for example, inform and persuade)?
Audience	What do they already know? What do they care about? Are they likely to agree, disagree or not care yet? How old are they? What is my relationship with them?
Context	How formal is it? How much time do I have? In person, online or recorded? How many people? Will there be questions?

Analyzing all three takes two minutes and saves a talk.

Selecting strategies

Once you've analyzed, choose strategies on purpose:

Register and words: formal or informal; technical terms (and whether to define them).
Structure: which Grade 7 structure fits your purpose? A problem–solution structure suits a request.
Examples: choose examples your audience will recognize.
Visuals and props: a photo, a chart, an object.
Length: shorter for young children or a busy meeting.

Three classic appeals

More than 2,300 years ago, the Greek thinker Aristotle described three ways speakers persuade. We still use his Greek names:

Ethos (credibility): Why should they trust me? Show what you know, be fair to other views, be respectful. "Our class has been planning this for a month, and we've talked to two local gardeners."
Logos (logic): Does it make sense? Use facts, reasons and steps. "$400 buys soil and seeds for six raised beds, which can feed the school's breakfast program in the fall."
Pathos (feelings and values): Why should they care? Connect to what matters to them. "Imagine Grade 2 students picking the first tomato they grew themselves."

The best talks use all three, in a balance that fits the audience. A council needs more logos; young children respond to pathos.

Aristotle's three appeals, with an example of each from Jonah's garden talk. Each corner answers a different question the audience is asking.

Worked example

Let's adapt one message for three audiences

Jonah's message: Our school should start a community garden. Plan an opening for each audience.

Grade 8 class (purpose: recruit; informal; peers who might not care yet): Start with what they care about. "Who wants to skip a class period every Friday in June? Okay, not skip, but spend it outside. Here's how." Strategies: humour, a hook, peer language, a clear sign-up.
School council (purpose: request $400; formal; adults who care about cost and learning): Lead with ethos and logos. "Good evening. I'm Jonah, from Ms. Ortiz's Grade 8 class. We're asking the council to fund six raised garden beds, at a total cost of $400." Strategies: formal register, problem–solution structure, a budget slide, links to learning, then questions.
Grade 2 class (purpose: invite and excite; informal; young children): Short sentences, a prop, and pathos. "This tiny seed (hold it up) can grow into a whole bean plant. Do you want to help us plant some?" Strategies: simple words, a real seed, a question to answer, under three minutes.
Check coherence: each version still has one clear message (start a garden) and a clear ending that tells the audience what to do: sign up, approve the money, or come and plant.

One message, three versions. Each is chosen from an analysis of purpose, audience and context, and each still has a clear message and a clear call to action.

Adapting while you speak

No plan survives every audience. Watch your listeners and adjust:

Puzzled faces? Slow down, give an example, or define a term.
Restless or checking phones? Shorten a section, ask a question, or move to your strongest point.
Nodding and leaning in? Keep going; you can add a detail.
A question or objection? Thank them, answer briefly and honestly, and link back to your message. If you don't know, say so: "Good question. I'll find out and get back to you."
Online and cameras off? Check in more often: "Type a 1 in the chat if this makes sense."

Clear and coherent

Whatever you adapt, keep the spine of your talk: one main message, points in a logical order, and a clear ending. Adapting means changing how you say it, not losing what you're saying.

Just for fun

Funny-but-true fact: before Aristotle's appeals ended up in your homework, he was a private tutor for a boy of about 13: the future Alexander the Great. So yes, ethos, logos and pathos have been Grade 8 material for over 2,000 years.

Hands-on activity

The three-audience challenge

You need: one or two family members, index cards or scrap paper, a timer, and a small prop if you like (a ball, a seed, a photo).

Choose a real message, such as "Our family should get a dog", "Our street should hold a cleanup day" or "Grade 8s should be allowed to ___".
On three cards, analyze purpose, audience, context for three audiences: (a) a 6-year-old, (b) a friend your age, (c) a formal group like a city councillor or principal.
On each card, list three strategies you'll use (for example: simple words + a prop + a question).
Give each version in one minute. Your family member plays the audience. Ask them to show you one reaction partway through (looking confused or bored). Adapt on the spot.
Ask for feedback: Which version was clearest? Where did you use ethos, logos and pathos?

What to look for: three clearly different versions with the same core message; word choice and length that fit each audience; at least one appeal named and used; and a real adjustment when the audience reacted.

Your turn

Name the three things to analyze before you speak.

Which appeal is this? "I've volunteered at the animal shelter every Saturday for two years."

Which appeal is this? "The shelter takes in about 30 cats a month but only has room for 20."

Which appeal is this? "Picture a kitten spending its first winter outside in the snow."

You're explaining a science fair project to a Grade 3 class. Name two strategies you'd select.

During your talk, the audience looks puzzled. What could you do?

Why might a city council need more logos than a group of young children?

More practice: warm-up

Which appeal is about credibility?

Which appeal is about logic and evidence?

Which appeal is about feelings and values?

Is a job interview formal or informal?

What does it mean to adapt while you speak?

More practice: on your own

Analyze the audience: you're giving a speech at a Remembrance Day assembly to students in Grades 1 to 8, parents and a veteran.

Rewrite this opening for a formal audience: "Hey guys, so, like, I'm gonna talk about bus stuff."

A friend's speech asking for a later school start time has lots of pathos but no logos. What could they add?

Someone asks a question you can't answer at the end of your presentation. What should you say?

You planned a 5-minute talk, but the organizer says you only have 2 minutes. How do you adapt?

Challenge

Write a 3-sentence opening for a talk asking your principal to approve a lunchtime chess club. Use ethos, logos and pathos, and label each.

Explain why using too much pathos with a skeptical audience can backfire.

A video call presentation to your class is going badly: people's cameras are off and no one is responding. Suggest three ways to adapt, and explain why each helps.

Check your understanding

Quiz

Before planning a talk, you should analyze...

"According to Statistics Canada..." is mostly an example of...

Which opening fits a formal talk to the school council?

Your audience looks confused. The best adjustment is to...

A speaker shares a story about a family who lost their home in a flood. This mostly uses...

Which change keeps a talk coherent when you must cut it short?

For parents and teachers

Big idea (B1.3, with A1.1 and A1.2): Grade 8 students analyze the purpose and audience for speaking in formal and informal contexts, and select and adapt speaking strategies to communicate clearly and coherently. This lesson introduces ethos, logos and pathos as a vocabulary for strategy choice; students will meet these terms again in high school English.

How to help at home:

Before your child presents (or asks you for something!), ask: Who is your audience? What do you want them to do?
Point out appeals in ads: "Is that ad using ethos, logos or pathos?"
Play the audience: look bored or puzzled on purpose so your child practises adapting.

Common difficulties:

One speech for everyone. Practise the same message for two very different listeners.
Mixing up ethos and logos. Ethos = who is speaking (trust); logos = what the facts and reasons are.
Panic when adapting. Remind them that a pause, a question or an example is enough; they don't need to rewrite the talk.