Communication Preparation: General Points
TOPIC
In general, people agree that it is wise to know WHAT one would like to communicate before the
communication take place. That is why the choice of a topic has usually a clear priority in one’s
preparation.
AIMS and OBJECTIVES
Before communication begins, the communicators should decide not only WHAT they would like to
talk or write about but also WHY they should talk or write about it. In other words, they should know
what they want to achieve while paying special attention to the relevant and efficient aims and
objectives of their communication.
Task List as many aims, goals and objectives for communication in academic/professional settings as
possible.
C) AUDIENCE ANALYSIS
It is also essential to know WHO you are going to communicate with. A well-prepared story, speech,
talk, presentation, journal article, social media post, podcast or video communicated to the wrong
audience can have the same effect as a poorly prepared communication delivered to the correct
audience. They both can fail terribly. That is why it is critical that a communication preparation includes
audience analysis, which means we should try and gather as much information about the target
audience and their needs as possible.
Task: Read the questions below and discuss changes in your preparation for the given situations.
1. Who are they?
2. How many do I want to impact?
3. What is their knowledge of the story subject matter/background/culture?
4. Why are they listening to me/watching me/reading my text?
5. What do they expect from me?
6. What are my needs as a communicator? What are their needs as my audience?
Task Read the texts below, think of the audiences each of them can be appropriate for. Is any of them
more interesting to you personally?
a) Once upon a time, there was a House of Kings. They lived in a small country but wanted to rule
bigger lands. They were not very good at making wars, so they tried another way and enlarged their
kingdom by marriages. It worked. Step by step, marriage by marriage, they managed to build a great
empire. Kings and queens ruled happily over their empire, but one day, a cousin from a neighbouring
country, who loved warfare, came to visit the King and suggested that another neighbour had offended
the King. The king was not willing to react because he knew that the only response to an offense or
insult was war, and war was something he was not good at. But the cousin insisted and kept bringing
new reasons why the war was necessary, so finally, the King agreed and together with his cousin
attacked their neighbour. Because warfare was something this House of Kings was really not good at,
the King lost. But he did not lose only the war, he lost the empire and his House never ruled any
kingdom, not even a small one, ever again.
b) The Habsburgs was an extremely influential royal family. They started small, at the castle of
Habichstburg in Switzerland in 11th
century. The family gained momentum primarily through politically
beneficial arranged marriages in 1273, when Rudolf became the Roman German King and moved the
family seat to the Duchy of Austria. In 15th
century, continuing with the practice of politically motivated
marriages, Fredrick married his son Maximilian to Mary of Burgundy and acquired what is today the
Netherlands, Luxembourg and Belgium. Maximilian's son, Philip the Handsome, became ruler of
Burgundy in 1493. Then, he married Joanna of Castile, and his eldest son, Emperor Charles V, inherited
not only Austria, Southern Italy and Castile and Aragon, but also the Spanish colonies in the Americas.
In 1526, Hungary and Bohemia were also added to the dominions, through marriages. The Habsburgs
had become a world power, ruling an empire on which the sun never set because it was so extensive
that at least one part of their territory always had daylight. Their matrimonial achievements brought
the famous hexameter Bella gerant alii, tu felix Austria nube (“Let others wage wars: you, fortunate
Austria, marry”). Later, the Habsburg dominion remained in central Europe only. In 1908, Emperor
Franz Joseph annexed Bosnia Herzegovina, which made neighbouring Serbia angry. In 1914, Archduke
Ferdinand, the heir to the throne, was shot during a visit to the Bosnian capital Sarajevo, by a Serb
nationalist. German Kaiser Wilhelm II pressed Franz Joseph into reaction, and two months later, the
First World War began. It lead to the disappearance of the Habsburg empire. The last emperor Charles
was sent into exile to Madeira in 1919 and the Austrian Republic banned any member of the family
from Austria unless they renounced their claim to the throne.
c) 11th century origins (Switzerland) → 1273 first elected King of Germany →1278 gaining Austria,
Styria, and Carinthia → 1438 elected the King of the Romans (the family keeps the title till 1806) →1452
Frederick III crowned Holy Roman Emperor → 1516 inheritance of Spain (including the Americas,
Naples, Milan, the Netherlands) → 1521–1522 split of the lands into Austrian branch and Spanish
branch → 1618–1648 Thirty Years' War; devastates the Holy Roman Empire (~8 million dead) →1683
defeat of Ottomans; expansion into Hungary and Transylvania → 1700 end of the rule in Spain →1713
Pragmatic Sanction →1740–1748 – War of Austrian Succession →1804 establishment of the Austrian
Empire →1806 dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire →1867 forming of Austria-Hungary →1914–1918
World War II; Austria-Hungary collapses; the family rule ends.
d) I = Interviewer; HH = Habsburg Heir
I: Welcome, Your Highness! The Habsburgs—one of the most powerful dynasties in history! How did it
all start?
HH: Ah, the glory days! It all began humbly in the 11th century at Habichtsburg Castle in Switzerland.
But things really took off in 1273 when my ancestor, Rudolf I, snagged the title of Roman-German King.
That’s when we moved our power base to Austria and started our climb to greatness!
I: And your family had a secret weapon—marriage! How did that shape your empire?
HH: Oh, we practically wrote the book on marrying for power! In the 15th century, Frederick III pulled
a genius move by marrying his son, Maximilian, to Mary of Burgundy. That deal alone brought us the
Netherlands, Luxembourg, and Belgium! Then Maximilian’s son, Philip the Handsome (and yes, he
really was), hit the jackpot by marrying Joanna of Castile. That set up our biggest win—Charles V, the
emperor who ruled an empire so big, the sun never set on it!
I: That’s incredible! Just how big was this empire at its peak?
H: Huge! Over 7 million km2
, I guess. And by 1526, we added Hungary and Bohemia—again, all thanks
to strategic marriages. People even said, Bella gerant alii, tu felix Austria nube—‘Let others fight wars;
you, lucky Austria, just get married!’ We had Europe, the Americas, and beyond!
I: But then things started going downhill… What happened?
HH: Well, power shifts, you know? By the 19th century, we lost Spain and Americas, Bourbons took
over there, but lost Americas pretty soon. So, we were mostly ruling Central Europe. But then Franz
Joseph made a risky move in 1908, annexing Bosnia-Herzegovina. Serbia wasn’t thrilled. Then came
1914—boom! My great-great-uncle, Archduke Franz Ferdinand, was assassinated in Sarajevo. That lit
the fuse for World War I, and, well… it was the beginning of the end.
I: And what about Charles I, the last Habsburg emperor?
HH: Poor Charles! He tried to hold things together, but in 1919 he was exiled to Madeira. Imagine—an
emperor, stranded on an island! And then Austria banned our entire family unless we renounced our
claim to the throne. Harsh, right?
I: That’s rough! So, what’s the Habsburg legacy today?
HH: Oh, we may not have thrones anymore, but our mark on history? Unforgettable! From politics to
architecture to art, our influence is everywhere. The Habsburgs? We’re legendary!
I: No doubt about that! Thanks for the inside scoop, Your Highness!
HH: My pleasure!
e) 👑 The Habsburgs: From humble Swiss origins to global power! 🌍 Strategic marriages expanded
the empire across Europe and beyond. But tragedy struck in 1914 with Archduke Franz Ferdinand's
assassination, sparking WWI and ending their reign. A tale of ambition, love, and loss. #History #Royals
#Habsburgs
f)
https://www.reddit.com/r/HistoryMemes/comments/ju4ddd/birth_defects_go_brrrr/?rdt=34403