Modalities

 The ways audience’s reactions to modalities shift in various contexts and

cultures

Table of Contents

1. Slideshow Overview2. Content Overview3. The Modalities4. General Audience

A. LinguisticB. VisualC. AuralD. GesturalF. SpatialG. Recap and Quick Tips

5. Specific AudienceA. LinguisticB. VisualC. AuralD. GesturalF. SpatialG. Recap and Quick Tips

6. International AudienceA. LinguisticB. VisualC. AuralD. GesturalF. SpatialG. Recap and Quick Tips

7. Conclusion8. References

Slideshow Overview

• The purpose of this slideshow presentation is to give readers knowledge about modalities so that they can apply one or more modes to convey their messages successfully in creative ways to different audiences.

• I use the terms modalities and modes interchangeably for variation purposes.

• I give comparisons between good and bad uses for each mode and each audience.

• Keep in mind that this slideshow is a representation of applied modalities and that it is common to use two or more modes.

Content Overview• What are modalities?

They are the tools we use to convey any type of message.

• I have broken down the audiences into three color-coded groups:

General (Blue) audience is anyone and everyone that is interested in your work.Specific (Green) audience is human resources of prospective specialized companies with whom you want to work.International (Orange) audience is anyone and everyone that live in another country that may or may not share the same cultural context.

Let’s look at the types of modes and the following and appropriate ways to use and not to use them for each audience.

*Some slides are repetitious because reactions from the audience would be the same.

The Modalities

• Linguistic: the use of language• Visual: the images and their characteristics• Aural: the sound• Gestural: the movement• Spatial: the physical arrangement

General Audience

Anyone and everyone that is interested in you and your work.

LinguisticGood

Dr. Jane WrightDr. Jane Wright is a professor of Biology at the University of California, Los Angeles. She received her B.S from UCLA and her M.D. from Penn State University before eventually becoming supervising doctor at the Pennsylvania Hospital Emergency Center in 1997. After her fifteen-year career as a supervisor there, Dr. Wright returned to Los Angeles, where she accepted a tenure position at her alma mater UCLA. In addition to teaching, Dr. Wright is a regular contributor to National Science Quarterly and an enthusiastic Lakers fan. She currently resides in Los Angeles with her husband Frank and their dog Lucy. She can be contacted at Jane (at) Janewright (dot) com.

This bio contains all of Dr. Jane Wright’s professional and educational experiences and achievements. The narrative style makes it feel personal. It also mentions her husband and dog and that she is “an enthusiastic Lakers fan.” At the end, it gives her contact information.

BadMohammad Mustafa AhmedzaiMohammad is 21 years old guy, currently living in Karachi, Pakistan. He is an addicted Web Designer, Computer Enthusiast, Freelance Blogger, Code Extractor and Certified Search Engine Optimizer (SEO).

This professional biography is a bad example for multiple reasons. It is too short and has not been proofread. It is impersonal and filled with titles instead of achievements. In addition, he should have made bullet points instead of listing five things in a row with commas.

VisualGood

This LinkedIn profile attracts a general audience because it is professional and clean, which enhances readability. The content is direct and easy to read as well.

Bad

She is not looking directly at the camera, so this can be considered unprofessional. It is very plain and does not immediately engage the audience.

Aural

GoodFor a general audience, it is typically not a good thing to have any sounds or music on your professional online profiles/website because it will mostly be considered inappropriate and tacky. Also, you never know where your audience is looking at your profiles. For instance, he/she can be in the library or a coffee shop and will be unprepared to have any headphones plugged in.

Bad

Having an animated resume for a general audience is risky. If you were to have one, this is a bad example because the music is too fast of pace and the wrong type of music.

GesturalGood

Bad

Facial expressions count for gestures. These are bad examples of pictures for your online presence because the woman is not making eye contact with the camera, and the man is not smiling, which will give the wrong impressions. Also, you do not want to have a black and white photo.

This is a good headshot because her body language seems poised and confident. She also makes direct eye contact with the camera.

Spatial

Good Bad

The general audience would be unwilling to navigate any further because it is too cluttered.A basic twitter template is the way to go

with the general audience. It is something that most of us are familiar with, and it is professional.

Recap and Quick TipsLinguistic Visual Aural Gestural Spatial

Do not use jargon, slang, or any other specialized language.

Profile pictures are a plus.

Consider not using any sounds for this audience.

Smile. Find a balance of text and pictures.

Look at the camera.

Make sure your visuals are professional and clean.

Stick with colored photos.

More space is better than clutter.

Specific Audience

Human resources of prospective specialized companies with whom

you want to work.

Linguistic Good

Laura ReedJunior majoring in marketing at New York University with an interest in business, PR and social media. Seeking a summer internship to apply my experience assisting a company’s branding needs through social media promotion, digital marketing and ad sales research.

Specialties include:• Social media• Blogging• Journalism• Microsoft Office• Public speaking

Laura is clearly targeting PR firms for her intended specific audience. It is brief and direct with no excess information.

Bad

Christy FontaneChristy is interested in all aspects of film, art, graphic design. She is a student at the art institute in Texas. Her hobbies include photography and painting.

This is a bad example because it is too vague and does not showcase or describe her achievements. She also does not specify which art institute she attended or what kind of photography she takes. This is also too short of a biography.

VisualGood

This LinkedIn profile engages the specific audience with its visuals. The visuals also show the mobile applications that this person has created or has been in the process of creating them to show the specific audience what he has accomplished.

Bad

Visually, this is unappealing mainly because the only visual is a profile picture. For a specific audience, you should showcase your work through visuals instead of simply saying what you have accomplished. Take it as a “see it to believe it” perspective.

Aural

Good Bad

If your specific audience is into animation, this is a poor example of an animated resume because the music is too fast-paced which gives the reader no time to look at it.

If your specific audience is into animation, this is a good video of the template of an animated resume. It is the appropriate pace and gives the readers time to read and engage your resume in a creative way.

GesturalGood

Bad

Facial expressions count for gestures. These are bad examples of pictures for your online presence because the woman is not making eye contact with the camera, and the man is not smiling, which will give the wrong impressions. Also, you do not want to have a black and white photo.

Let’s say that the audience here are retailers. This is a great picture of a friendly face showcasing her teas.

Spatial

Good Bad

This is a boring layout and an uncreative/ineffective use of space.

If your specialized audience is graphic designers, then this is a good example because it is creative and showcases his work in his pictures.

Recap and Quick TipsLinguistic Visual Aural Gestural Spatial

Use job ad language.

Showcase your work with your visuals, if applicable.

Make sure the pace is the appropriate speed.

Smile. Find a balance of text and pictures.

Tailor your content to the audience.

Use colors. When in doubt, choose a slower speed.

Look at the camera.

More space is better than clutter.

It is okay to use jargon in this case.

Stick with colored photos.

International Audience

Anyone and everyone that live in another country who may or may not

share the same cultural context.

Linguistic Good

Dr. Jane WrightDr. Jane Wright is a professor of Biology at the University of California, Los Angeles. She received her B.S from UCLA and her M.D. from Penn State University before eventually becoming supervising doctor at the Pennsylvania Hospital Emergency Center in 1997. After her fifteen-year career as a supervisor there, Dr. Wright returned to Los Angeles, where she accepted a tenure position at her alma mater UCLA. In addition to teaching, Dr. Wright is a regular contributor to National Science Quarterly and an enthusiastic Lakers fan. She currently resides in Los Angeles with her husband Frank and their dog Lucy. She can be contacted at Jane (at) Janewright (dot) com.

This bio contains all of Dr. Jane Wright’s professional and educational experiences and achievements. The narrative style makes it feel personal. It also mentions her husband and dog and that she is “an enthusiastic Lakers fan.” At the end, it gives her contact information.

BadLaura ReedJunior majoring in marketing at New York University with an interest in business, PR and social media. Seeking a summer internship to apply my experience assisting a company’s branding needs through social media promotion, digital marketing and ad sales research.

Specialties include:• Social media• Blogging• Journalism• Microsoft Office• Public speaking

International audiences may not know the jargons “PR” and “Blogging.” They also favor more personal information instead of strictly work related interests and specialties.

VisualGood

Not only is this well-organized and professional. It also includes a profile picture which gives the person’s online identity a physical identity making it more personable. The layout and style of this LinkedIn profile reflects the person’s personality.

Bad

We have established that international audiences are more personal than the U.S. This is a bad example because there is no profile picture, and it lacks color.

Aural

GoodFor an international audience, it is typically not a good thing to have any sounds or music on your professional online profiles/website because it will mostly be considered inappropriate and tacky. Also, you never know where your audience is looking at your profiles. For instance, he/she can be in the library or a coffee shop and will be unprepared to have any headphones plugged in.

Bad

Having an animated resume for a general audience is risky. This is a bad example because the music is too fast of pace and the wrong type of music.

GesturalGood

Bad

Facial expressions count for gestures. These are bad examples of pictures for your online presence because the woman is not making eye contact with the camera, and the man is not smiling, which will give the wrong impressions. Also, you do not want to have a black and white photo.

This is a good headshot because her body language seems poised and confident. She also makes direct eye contact with the camera.

Spatial

Good Bad

The audience would be confused about where to begin.

A basic twitter template is the way to go with international audiences. It is something that most of us are familiar with, and it is professional.

Recap and Quick TipsLinguistic Visual Aural Gestural Spatial

Do not use jargon, slang, or any other specialized language.

Profile pictures are a must.

Consider not using any sounds for this audience.

Smile. Find a balance of text and pictures.

Look at the camera.

More space is better than clutter.

Stick with colored photos.

Conclusion

As you can see, there are many similarities and subtle differences in the way we should handle multimodal tools for each of our audiences. The best way to decide whether or not you have used modalities in the best way is to find a friend and gain a different perspective.

References

• A, Bilal. (2014, May 20). Animated Resume. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rUgunAoFnsI.

• Bort, Julie. (2013, October 24). 17 New Ways To Make Your LinkedIn Profile Irresistible To Employers. Retrieved from http://www.businessinsider.com/make-your-linkedin-profile-irresistible-2013-10?op=1.

• Han, Eun Jung. (2010, November 30). Support vector machine-based facial expression recognition method combining shape and appearance. Retrieved from http://opticalengineering.spiedigitallibrary.org/article.aspx?articleid=1096522.

• Musilin, Kristin. (2014, January 27). How to write a professional profile bio for LinkedIn, Twitter & more. Retrieved from http://college.usatoday.com/2014/01/27/how-to-write-a-professional-bio-for-linkedin-twitter-more/.

• Ong, Josh. (2013, November 13). Here’s How to Create Twitter’s New Timelines in Tweetdeck. Retrieved from http://thenextweb.com/twitter/2013/11/12/heres-create-twitters-new-custom-timelines-tweetdeck/.

• Philaphandeth, Karina. “The way audience’s reactions to modalities shift in various context and cultures.” PDF.

References

• http://www.wikihow.com/Write-a-Personal-Bio

• http://www.linkedmediagroup.com/linkedin-caveats-social-media-execs-dont-talk/

• http://www.mybloggertricks.com/2011/06/design-professional-looking-us-page.html

• http://notable.ca/nationwide/young-professionals/Laurel-Edwards-Young-Professional-Profile/

• http://imgarcade.com/1/neutral-face-expression/