"Here, swab my throat."

In this video clip from "The Big Bang Theory," Sheldon demonstrates a rhetorical situation by inquiring to Leonard for assistance. In this episode, Penny returns from visiting family in Nebraska and mentions that some of them were sick during her stay. Sheldon, being extremely cautious, becomes concerned that he will become very ill. Because he views himself as more intelligent then most (or all) people, he decides to conduct research to attempt and discover what the pathogen that Penny carried may be. As Sheldon conducts his study, he realizes that he needs someone to swab his throat and conveniently enough, Leonard enters the scene. This rhetorical situation that Sheldon finds himself in requires the use of communication for solution. The simplistic exigence of this situation is that Sheldon cannot swab his own throat and therefore asks for assistance from his friend Leonard. Even deeper than that, though, Sheldon is attempting to acquire all the information he can about a pathogen he may have so that the doctors may have a "fighting chance," should something happen to him. In order to do that he needs a small amount of help from Leonard and the only way to receive it is to communicate. It is important to note that Sheldon supports his point with personal propaganda so Leonard will be more inclined to help him. The targeted audience in this scene is Leonard. He is the only one currently available to help Sheldon solve the problem at hand. Sheldon faces very few constraints because he and Leonard share a similar intellectual level. His only constraint is that Leonard does not particularly want to swab his throat; his psychological state is not aligned with Sheldon's. Even after trying to convince Leonard by showing him the "facts" it is clear that he does not want to be involved and he thinks Sheldon is overreacting.

The most important factor in this rhetorical situation is Sheldon's awareness of his audience. He knows Leonard well. After all, they are friends and share an apartment. He knows his intellectual capabilities and capacity. He is more than aware that he can give Leonard, in full detail, the summary of exactly what he is doing. He really takes advantage of this by selecting a vocabulary that will convey the exact (i use that term loosely) message he wants. He doesn't have to "dumb it down" so that Leonard will understand. Audience awareness is absolutely imperative to an effective delivery. If Sheldon were to speak that way to a eight year old, it would be completely ineffective. Knowing the audience and adjusting the language, tone, and subject matter to suit that audience is crucial. If the intended audience cannot comprehend what is being presented, the communication is all in vain.

*As a side note, I would like to mention that because this is a television show Sheldon has a secondary intended audience. This is script is ultimately created for the enjoyment of viewers. Therefore, Sheldon's delivery is greatly influenced by attempts to entertain. Part of what makes this humorous is his large vocabulary and intellectualism. I stand by everything I wrote as pertaining to a rhetorical situation, however, I felt this necessary to mention.