Bullock's writing on rhetorical situations is divided into 5 main points regarding any type of writing: purpose, audience, genre, stance, and media/design. These 5 components are all intertwined; a piece of writing isn't complete without all of them present.
Every piece of documented writing, whether it be a persuasive speech, an editorial, or commentary, has a specific purpose. Before starting, any writer should identify his or her purpose. A writer should be constantly keeping in mind of the audience- what do you want the audience to think or feel when they read your piece of writing? I found this very helpful, because a lot of times when I'm writing a long paper, I tend to lose track of what my original purpose was.
Identifying a certain genre is also vital, and goes along with who your intended audience is. For instance, if you are writing an article for a town newspaper, you would want to appeal to an average, middle-aged citizen. But if that newspaper was a college campus newspaper, you would want to address to young adults.
The fourth component is stance- having an attitude and opinion on the topic you are writing about. A writer must be clear and concise so that his or her stance is obvious to the reader.
I found the last point, media and design, very interesting. Bullock refers to medium as "a way for information to be conveyed from one person to another", such as verbal or nonverbal.
The media you choose for your piece of writing depends on how you're going to convey it. You could choose to write it in print, give a speech, or post it on the internet, just to name a few.
Design is also very important because, as humans, our initial opinions depend on how something looks. If your writing is in some sort of crazy font, for example, it would be hard for the reader to focus on the point you're trying to make.
Bullock's helpful information regarding rhetorical situations gives any writer the basic principles for any piece of writing.
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