Reading aloud is a rhetorical act. Its purpose is always to communicate, which is a transactional form involving the oral reader and at least one real or imaginary listener. Whenever a person reads aloud, the reader has some intent of reading to someone. In all such situations, readers interpret orally for the mood and meaning that seem appropriate to their intent. Despite the recognized range and frequency of occurrence of oral reading, however, it is for some reason only infrequently considered as transactional communication--a rhetorical act. If a pedagogy that will develop competency in the transactional nature of communication through oral reading cannot focus on the source of the communication nor on the message. It must instead focus on the transactional relationship among the original writer, the reader who chooses to share something aloud, the listener, and the messages developed during the communication situation. The purpose and the value of such a pedagogy lie in the relationship of the reader and listener as they interact in the development of empathy and understanding. Between them, mood and meaning are constructed. (HOD)