Stakeholder and Genre Analysis

Stakeholder Analysis

            My project focuses on nonpermanent birth control methods for men. I believe it is important to shed some light on ways that men can actively prevent pregnancy in their relationships. It takes a man and a woman to make a baby; preventing pregnancy should not be the sole responsibility of the woman. However, most men are unaware that soon they will have more options than just condoms. I would like to spread the message that there are new options coming, and end the stereotype that birth control is for women unless it is a condom.

            To do this, I could reach out to a wide variety of groups. Men’s Health magazine, Sexploration at Indiana University are two specific groups that I feel like I could use to really make an impact on people. Most readers of Men’s Health magazine are men, so that would be a direct route. Men’s Health is a stakeholder because they can spread my message and influence readers. The readers could learn from me and choose to use one of the birth control methods themselves, or spread my message further. Men’s Health magazine would be a very good choice to use as a stakeholder.

Sexploration is part of Indiana University’s Health Center. They aim to challenge sexual norms in society through outreach efforts and diverse programs. If I reached out to them, they could set up a program related to my topic, spread my message, and possibly continue to be advocates themselves. The majority of their audience is college students, which is an added bonus. I think reaching young people is important. Younger people deserve to know all of their options before they decide which method they want to stick with. This being the case, I believe Sexploration would be the best stakeholder to contact.

Genre Analysis

            The staff at Men’s Health communicates through email and meetings. Simply put, they meet and brainstorm ideas for articles, the projects are assigned, and they go out and do the research they need to do to put their pieces together. This could mean reading other articles, interviewing people, trying out products to give reviews, researching new products or ideas, or conducting surveys. Then they submit their pieces to the editors who put the magazine together digitally. They have a website to maintain as well as a printed magazine that is sent out to subscribers and sold in stores. To them, convincing information is found in topics that would appeal to men and fall under the categories they have listed at the top of their website: fitness, sex, and style.

If I were to reach out to Men’s Health magazine, I believe the best way to do so would be through an email to the editor. I would state my reason for emailing, and I would write an article to be published in the magazine. The editor could choose to publish the article I wrote, or they could use my idea and have people from the team of writers write a their own piece to be published in the magazine. An email makes the most sense because editors use and check their email regularly. A lot of the work they do is online; an old-fashioned letter may not reach them. If I attach my article to the email, they could access it directly as opposed to reading it in print and having to type it out themselves.

As for the team at Sexploration, they use emails, phone calls, flyers, and events to communicate with each other and with the Indiana University community. When making decisions, the students are the most important influence. Sexploration cares about what the students want; feedback is crucial. They cater to students through events and meetings. They choose topics that explore, engage, and challenge sexual norms, and they talk about them. They educate students and aim to openly discuss sex and provide a comfortable and safe environment.

If I were to reach out to them, I would do so in a PowerPoint presentation. I think this would be the best because they are all about making their topics interesting and fun for the students, while still educating. If I made a PowerPoint, my message may be more effective because of the visual aspect. It would be easier to understand if you could see pictures and graphs. Sexploration could create a whole event based on my topic and show my PowerPoint there. They could turn it into a presentation and encourage the people that come to spread the word and break the stereotypes.

My email to Men’s Health would be formal and direct because I would be reaching out to people who are professional and most likely very busy. My attached article would be informative, entertaining, and concise. It would have to be informative and supported with evidence and citations so they know it is truthful. It would also have to be entertaining and concise so it has a higher chance of getting published in the magazine.

My PowerPoint for Sexploration would be much more laid back, fun, and geared towards college students. Sexploration wants to bring in a lot of students, so they want to make sure their events are fun and exciting. My information would be presented in a way that college students would enjoy, but it would also be full of information. Instead of including a slide with my citations, I would include resources for the students to use so they can read further if they want to. I could even make a flyer, brochure, or card to hand out at the event.

Because I want to reach a younger audience, I think my best option for a stakeholder would be Sexploration at Indiana University. I could educate college students and entertain them at the same time by making a PowerPoint presentation to be shown at an event along with a card full of resources students can use. In both, I will tailor my lexis to match lexis that college students would use in a casual setting. I believe this would be the most impactful way to spread my message.