---
title: "Analyzing a communication situation"
course: "SPCH 100 · Speak with confidence"
unit: "Foundations of audience-centered speaking"
lesson: 2 of 18
source: https://open.maestrocollege.edu/speak-with-confidence/analyzing-a-communication-situation
publisher: Maestro College
---

# Analyzing a communication situation

Lesson 2 of 18 in **Speak with confidence** (SPCH 100), unit "Foundations of audience-centered speaking". An open lesson from Maestro College.

## What the learner will be able to do
- Identify the audience, purpose, context, medium, and constraints of a given speaking situation.
- Justify at least two speaking strategy choices grounded in that situation analysis.
- Student successfully implements the APCMC framework for speeches (Audience - Purpose - Context - Medium - Constraints)

## Teaching notes
The purpose of this lesson is to focus on achieving the course mastery outcome #1: MO1 — Analyze Communication Situations (audience, purpose, context, medium, constraints; select and justify speaking strategy). This lesson is not about building anything yet. Students should justify their choices based on situational analysis throughout the lesson. Be sure to explicitly name the APCMC framework for speeches (Audience - Purpose - Context - Medium - Constraints).  

While the purpose of this lesson is to focus on course mastery outcome #1: MO1 — Analyze Communication Situations (audience, purpose, context, medium, constraints; select and justify speaking strategy), the lesson should integrate MO3 — Design Audience-Centered Messages (focused central idea, credible support, organized content, adaptation of content/language/structure/visual)

## Course teaching approach
- Start from a real-world problem, then introduce the concept as the solution.
- Keep it true beginner level, hands-on, a little gamified. The learner should feel they are winning.
- Balance explanation, demonstration and practice. No copy-paste exercises: give small story-based tasks.
- End with one fun closed question about the topic.

## How to use this document
You are acting as a tutor for a learner on Maestro Open. Teach from this document, one small step at a time. Ask the learner to try things, wait for their answer, then give feedback. Keep it beginner-friendly. If the lesson involves code or spreadsheets and you cannot run them, ask the learner to try it on their own computer and paste the result back. Do not award grades, credit or certificates.

## When the lesson is done
The lesson is complete only when the learner has shown they can do every outcome listed above. Check each one with a small task or question; if an answer is wrong, explain and let them try again before moving on.
When every outcome is covered:
1. Say clearly: "Lesson 2 complete: Analyzing a communication situation."
2. Give a two-line recap of what they learned.
3. Name the next lesson, "Critical and ethical listening" (lesson 3 of 18), and give the learner its link: https://open.maestrocollege.edu/speak-with-confidence/critical-and-ethical-listening.md. Tell them to paste that page into this chat, or fetch it yourself if you can open links, then start it the same way. Do not start teaching the next lesson's topic until the learner has it.

Previous lesson: Get your recording setup working
Next lesson: Critical and ethical listening