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Gianna Alfanno
Ms. Brandi Bradley
ENC 2135
February 4, 2016
Student Council Community and Genres
Behind every dance or fundraising event that Panamanian students attend in high school,
and posters and announcements taped across the hallways, there is a hard working committee in
charge of its perfection. In Colegio Brader, each grade has its own student council. The student
council is an organization ran by strong student leaders who work to enhance the high school
experience, and represent their class in front of the rest of the school. The members of student
council are elected into positions such as: president, vice-president, secretary, and treasurer. This
community is mainly recognized as the link between students and the administrative body of the
school.
In order for this organization to be successful, there are two main phases to go through.
First, the members must maintain a good relationship; it all starts within the inner circle before
reaching out to the student body, principals, and teachers. If each member in the council is on a
different page, things will not run smoothly. The second part would then be to take their message
and interact with the student body. It is safe to say that to reach good governance,
communication is absolutely crucial in this community.
When it comes to communication, varying genres is a great way to come across different
elements of a community. Genres are basically a compositions kind, category or sort and are
significant to consider since they represent possibilities (Braziller and Kleinfeld, 5). They can
differ depending on the audience and the composers purpose, which can be to inform, persuade,

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or narrate. Additionally, genres may also depend on the composers own interests and skills.
Taking this information into account, the student council uses two main genres: social media and
formal meetings.
Considering that the audience of this community is the members themselves (teenagers),
the student council makes use of modern digital mediums such as Facebook and WhatsApp. Both
platforms provide the creation of private groups where only the people added in are allowed to
view its content and participate in the conversation. Through Facebook, student council members
are able to use both visual and text-based modes to update their fellow mates, send reminders,
and even create polls. It is an easy way of sharing content such as: documents, videos, pictures,
articles, or other supporting information; overall helping the community interact. This is a
beneficial medium for members to propose ideas and also to keep the whole council organized
and connected.
The second digital medium this community uses is WhatsApp, which is a mobile
messaging app. The student council chooses this option of texting because it is not limited to a
certain type of phone; it is available for iPhone, Blackberry, Android, Windows and Nokia. This
is convenient due to the fact that not all members have the same line of smartphone, so this way
the communication is not limited; everyone is included. On the other hand, WhatsApp shares the
same visual and text-based mode as Facebook, with the exchange of texts, videos and pictures.
But in comparison, this texting app allows the use of audio, as members can send voice memos
and make online calls. These features are very helpful for more urgent situations that require
quick responses. Evidently, social media is a very effective way of communicating within the
community of the student council. They are accessible, fast, and easy genres, especially with the
audience being teenagers whom are known to spend most of the day with their smartphones and

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laptops at hand. However, at times, it can be inadequate. After all, it is a more informal way of
communicating and things will not always come off clear enough. Intentions and emotions can
get lost in posts and texts, causing misinterpretation. Besides, with social media there is no
assurance that all members saw what was posted or discussed.
The second genre the student council puts to use is formal meetings. The council will
schedule weekly meetings in which everyone sits around a table to dialogue or present,
implementing audio and visual modes. During these meetings the members exchange ideas,
review the ongoing activities, plan for the future, ensure that different interests and opinions are
harmonized, and decisions are made. Additionally, it is necessary to document all of what is
discussed here, for which the printed medium is included too. This will help assess, analyze, and
evaluate plans and results. Members can print propositions to read aloud at these formal
meetings or have them digitally on laptops, tablets, or smartphones as well.
Face-to-face is the best medium of communicating within this community because it is
more personal and therefore more powerful. Members are engaging in an up-front conversation,
which brings intimacy and body language. When in a conversation, body language is key.
Expressions and postures often communicate more than words. Moreover, it ensures
engagement; it is in real time and every member proves to be focused on the discussion. Voice
and tone are also helpful to make points and intentions behind arguments understood.
Members in the community will always have a different purpose for which they
communicate. Sometimes they seek to persuade, to convince the audience of something, usually
to agree with about a topic, issue, or idea, or to take a specific action (Braziller and Kleinfeld,
177). For example, if one member believes that a bake sale is the best way of raising funds, he or
she must seek the approval of the rest of the council; therefore, they will try to persuade them.

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Not always will members share the same opinions; there will at most times be someone who
disagrees. But it is the councils obligation to come to terms. This may sometimes lead to
combining ideas. Another purpose of composition can be to inform, or share facts and details
with the audience (Braziller and Kleinfeld, 91). In this case, the members can notify one another
of their current financial status or maybe of opinions, concerns, or interests the student body has.
Furthermore, to guarantee that the previously mentioned purposes are effective, rhetorical
appeals are implied. Rhetorical appeals are elements that help the composer get the audience on
board (Braziller and Kleinfeld, 11). When making a statement, Ethos is important because
council members must demonstrate credibility. No council member will want to believe in
anothers propositions if they do not seem sure of themselves, and appear trustworthy. They
accomplish this by stating professional opinion, like advice from a teacher or parent. Likewise,
using facts or sharing experiences from previous events or other class generations can also help.
By providing the audience with perspective and vision, members will most likely open their
mind to new opportunities.
Pathos is another way of connecting to the audience by appealing to their emotions and
values. Considering the age of the audience, the composer can try to be humorous, relatable, or
motivational. A member of the council who is trying to persuade or grab the audiences attention
will try not to bore them, but rather make them feel connected. Members can take it to a personal
level and move others. For example, when members of the council feel hopeless or are not
convinced of an idea, another member should remind them of their goals and make them feel like
it will all work out, motivating them and thus accepting challenges.
Lastly, when communicating with fellow members, Logos must always be present; the
statement must make sense thus have evidence. A member will not buy an idea if it is insensate

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or pointless. On the contrary, they look for propositions that will make them feel like it is the
most reasonable thing to do. Members can mention in their compositions things that the rest of
the council should be well aware of, that is logical arguments. For example, if a member suggests
that for the bake sale the students who are better in math should be in charge of the cash register,
that will appeal to the audiences logic and will agree.
When it comes to the second phase of communication within the community of student
council, the rhetorical situation slightly changes. Now, the members address a different audience:
the student body. Since the age range is still the same, the use of social media is appropriate. The
entire class has its own private Facebook group, through which announcements are made, ideas
and opinions are stated, pictures and videos are shared and voting polls are held. From time to
time, the student council will convoke formal meetings during free periods. But this genre of
communication is not as effective due to the large number of students and the lack of time. Not
every opinion can be stated, things will not be set clear enough and it can be hard to get everyone
focused. The members main purposes of communicating will still be to inform and persuade.
For example, members will notify the class of decisions that were made, due dates, their
financial status, upcoming events, strategies of work, etc.; and they will try to persuade them to
work hard, get them fired up for events, or to overall cooperate. These purposes can only be
effective with the use of all three rhetorical appeals. When talking to their fellow classmates,
they have to seem credible, logical and also appeal to their senses.
The student council in Colegio Brader seeks to organize the student body, expand its
capabilities, and ensure an honorable connection between them and the head of the school. This
community also inculcates democracy and leadership to young adults. They achieve all this by
carrying a good relationship between its members through the use of two completely different

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communicating genres. Social media is a more informal and quicker way of getting into contact
with other members of the council, especially in extracurricular hours, and can also provide
various ways of being creative, sharing content, and contributing to the discussions held in the
group. Formal meetings are an effective way of participating, and is actually more reliable due to
the fact that members are across from each other physically.
Most people would expect the Social media genre to be ineffective, since the members of
the student council are teenagers and Social media is mainly known as a source of entertainment
rather than a way of holding more serious situations. But it would prove them wrong. All in all,
genres are integral to the communication this community holds, and by maintaining not only one
but two main genres the council makes sure they are connected one way or another. Each has a
different approach to it and can assure activeness from behalf of the members. Without the
ability to share ideas, the group will likely suffer or fail. Social Media, such as Facebook and
WhatsApp, and formal meetings create the opportunity for the group to brainstorm, discuss the
variations on project directions and come up with creative solutions to existing problems.
Informed and enterprising members are crucial to the proper functioning of the whole
community. All of this will only move the group closer together as a unit and is probable to lead
to a better finished product. As a result of the well use of these genres, of their good
communication, and therefore, good organization, the student council has proudly and
successfully carried out a variety of activities, including: Talent Shows, Bake Sales, Bingos,
Civil Days, and many more, all which have received amazing feedback from the rest of the
school.
In communities like this, it is all about making good decisions; without constant and
well-grounded communication, this is not attainable. Council members work hard to reach a

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consensus; even though not everyone can be pleased, they to do their best to make sure that the
student body is in a good position regarding the entire school. Members of the student council
community have said it has helped them grow as individuals. As the schools website states, the
communities of Colegio Brader are committed to training future leaders of Panama and prepare
its students through a competitive curriculum, with a scientific and humanistic perspective so
that they can think and act according to Christian values of responsibility, respect and tolerance
with empathy and resilience (Colegio Brader). They learn to stand for their ideas, and accept
those of others; to coexist and be tolerant within a community; to promote and protect students
rights and responsibilities, needs and interests; and above all, to realize the importance of
communication. Student council is a remarkable opportunity to take part in shaping the world
one small step at a time.

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Works Cited

Braziller, Amy, and Elizabeth Kleinfeld. Bedford Book of Genres. Bosten: Bedford/St. Martins,
2014. Print.

"Missin." Colegio Brader. Social Media Panam, 2014. Web. 20 Jan. 2016.
<http://www.colegiobrader.edu.pa/>.