Chapters 17 & 18

I thought it was funny how in class and in this chapter it was mentioned that you should make sure the equipment you need for a presentation is available. There have been several instances in which presentations have been made with a newer version of software or required an outside software that is not available on the computer being used. This makes for a "bumpy" presentation with a little awkwardness. Also, I have been victim to improper impromptu talk before. In a presentation, sometimes something is unclear and I'll attempt to clarify only to find more puzzled looks from the audience than originally. Impromptu talk can be a useful tool if used properly. I have learned an important step of impromptu talk is to take just a few seconds to organize your thoughts if you wish to add to your presentation. This typically makes for a clear message being conveyed with minimal confusion.

In our group project website, we utilized Chapter 18's ideas for creating a site map that allows readers quick access to pertinent information. A menu on the left of the screen provides easy access to specific elements of the wizard. One idea presented in the book that I wish websites would practice more often is to limit loading time of web pages. Some people do not have a fast Internet connection and when they want to accomplish the simple task of checking their Hotmail account do not want to waste time for the pages to load unnecessary information. The web designers of Hotmail should consider reading this part of our book. Changes have been made by this website to increase the download time. If a user has a dial up connection, the operation of this email account is extremely inefficient and frustrating. In this case I believe less is more.

In response to Joey's "Persuader's" post

I think Joey talks about an interesting point. He said the Persuader's looks at marketing as the ability to capture the emotions of individuals and figure out exactly what they need and give these needs to them in the form of products and services. I disagree with this statement. I think they CREATE the emotions in individuals and CREATE a need for their products and services. I think the reason this type of marketing exists is because it is manipulative, but profitable. I would prefer to decide for myself what I need. I am glad this documentary has made me even more aware of these techniques. Before, if marketing was too pushy it would make me not buy something just based on that. Now I am more equipped to resist the schemes of marketing and can mostly only be persuaded when I want to be.

Chapter 2, 9 and 10

Chapter 2 is a chapter I should have read quite a while ago. Instead i went to the WSUV resume workshop and had a meeting with the guy who was running the workshop. He gave me very similar advice as this book gives. They both say to be specific and give specific examples of skills/qualities you have. Also, there is not a universal resume format. The layout and content should vary depending on what profession it is for. One extra thing I have learned from this class is that is is extremely important to be precise and to the point. Employers don't want to read novels, they want facts. (unless you are trying to be a novelist perhaps)

Chapter 9 talks about beginning a communication. Beginning communication in a piece of writing is a very important section when getting the readers attention. The book says that you should help your audience solve a problem. When you begin your writing you should write in such a way that encourages the reader to be open to the message you are trying to send. Some guidelines the book gives for creating this are; presenting yourself as a partner, delay presentation of your main point, and establish your credibility. I found it a little confusing that the book says to delay presentation of your main point because it seems to go against prior chapters we have read about stating your main point up front. I thought this approach should only be used for bad news.

Chapter 10. Short, sweet and to the point. I like this kind of writing. This chapter tells you how to wrap up your writing with a summary that echoes your main points and goals. The readers feelings at the end of a piece is as important as the attention grabbing beginning. The ending should be made to provide the reader with the desired feelings. Also, leave contact information and provide a message of openness for further assistance or information. Another great thing to do is to provide direction for the future. Kat has told us to have this same element in our weekly memos as well.

In Response to Chris Marshel's Ch 14 post

I agree with Chris when he says it's difficult to catch all of your mistakes by yourself. Having another person read what you're writing is extremely helpful. I have read a piece at least five times and thought it was great, only to have someone else point out a sentence that sounds terrible and doesn't make sense. In this case, while reading the sentence, I know what I meant to say and I interpreted what I wrote in this way. If time does not allow to have another read my work, I read my paper in my head to see if each sentence makes sense. The book and Chris bring helpful reminders of what steps can be utilized to make quality writing.

Chapter 14 and 15

Chapter 14 talks about revising drafts. One thing I learned from this chapter was the importance of identifying which revision changes to make with the time allotted. This appealed to me because of its usefulness in the workplace and life. You cannot have enough time to put all the effort you can into everything you can in school, work or life. Thus, it is very important to do the best you can with the time you've got. Furthermore, the decisions as to what revisions should be made should be made for the reader and not yourself.

Chapter 15 shows how to have people read your draft and see if it appeals/persuades readers in the way you desire. It is important to choose test readers who represent the target readers and find out what attitudes your draft evokes. Avoiding bias, although sometimes difficult, is necessary in creating writing that communicates effectively to your audience. These are what I would consider the most useful topics presented in this chapter.

In Response to Tayler Black's Journalism and Broadcast Media Post

Tayler talks about how the news often tries to keep you hanging on, waiting for the "most interesting story" near the end of the show. I also have noticed this. I for one don't like to be manipulated in this way so I rarely watch the news. I can understand that the news station needs ratings up and they need to keep viewers tuned in as long as possible, but it's not going to be this viewer.

Post on Journalism

Journalism is not just writing about what happens in the world around us. It involves deciding the ethics of printing a story. Personal ethics and business ethics both play a role in decide what stories to run and/or how much of the story to run. The ethics involved in these decisions are by no means black and white. In fact, there may be many opinions about one particular story. I now have a different outlook on the news programs, understanding that there are sometimes difficult decisions made on what stories to run.

In Response to Brandon Mitchell's post on freelance writing

Brandon is not the only one who thought of spiderman when they heard the word "freelance". I agree that freelance writing would be a great cover/job for a superhero. The idea that your pay is directly proportionate to your effort has to be rewarding. It takes a special person to do freelance writing as a sole source of income, but the possibility for supplemental income through freelance writing can be alluring to a variety of people.

Freelance Writing

I did not realize how much magazines used freelance writing in their publications. For some reason I just pictured a large staff doing all of the stories that appear in a magazine. This large staff always had to be coming up with new creative articles or else they would be fired. I was wrong. It's good to know that there is such a market for freelance writing. It seems to be a great field for those who thrive on independence and don't mind the variation of income that may come with the job.

In Response to Inna Drachan's Ch8 & 19 posts

I think Inna points out an important part of this chapter. She talks about how the book says to use strong, simple words to stress what's important and get your point across. Many of us need to keep this in mind when preparing a document. Too often we try to sound sophisticated by using big words, but this may hinder the effectiveness of the document.

I also agree with Inna when she discusses project management strategy. When you have a plan for a project it allows you to focus on the associated tasks at hand and get them done efficiently and on time.

Chapter 8 and 19 readings

Chapter 8
Based on the title of chapter 8, "Developing an Effective Style" I thought it would be about individuality. As I started reading I soon discovered writing style was a broader subject. It makes sense that style would also refer to scientific writing and legal writing as well. Once again, a main focus is about reader centered writing. Your first thoughts should be about the reader's expectations. I would summarize the guidelines for creating voice as thinking about the reader in every possible aspect while still "saying things in your own words". I would say these guidelines are meant to create an effective voice instead of just your voice. What I mean by this is that your voice after following these guidelines would be more persuasive, due to the reader centered approach.

Chapter 19
Chapter 19 was very interesting because it is related to my job, school, and my future job. At my job I work with a Construction Manager and have looked at such things as a critical path schedule with milestones. Our senior design projects for school have requirements such as a deliverable given by our industry sponsors. After reading about these I realize the project presentations had a very brief list for a deliverable. Finally, in my future job I will need to know and understand how to use the tools from this chapter to best serve my client's needs.

In Response to Melisa Dawson's Post

I agree with Melisa's view on including topic sentences, forecasting statements, transitions, and echo words. Headings are a great way to clue your reader in on what you might be talking about. At work, I receive documents asking for clarification of building plans. Sometimes, the person asking the questions will just start talking about some bolt or something without any background information. They could very easily say, "On page C-34..." and save involved parties much time looking for a page and trying to understand what bolt they are talking about. I believe this fits in-line with a topic sentence. So I too am a big fan of headings as well as topic sentences.

Chapters 6 and 7

Chapter 6 talks about how to perform research with an efficient, streamline approach. Instead of researching aspects of a topic that interest you, you should only focus on the aspects most important to the reader. In the guidelines presented in the book, I think the author should have clarified guideline 3. In the previous guidelines he says to be efficient, but then in guideline 3 it says to explore each source and expand your research. Maybe it's supposed to be implied, but perhaps the author should have distinguished pursuing only sources that pertain to your scope.

Chapter 7 states that top-down processing can help the reader understand and remember your message. Also, the book suggests to present your generalizations before your details. The book goes further to say that sometimes you don't want to put your generalizations first. This case would include instances in which generalizations may provoke a negative reaction from your reader. In this case one would want to explain the relevant groundwork first before the negative point. This seems to follow logos rhetoric because it uses a structured argument to have the reader follow a logical argument to arrive (hopefully) at the same "negative" conclusion.

In response to Robert's Ch 3 post

In Robert's third paragraph he talks about how forming relationships with other departments can ease in communication with them. I completely agree. I've also found that forming relationships with people who have various backgrounds can be extremely helpful. If you are good at certain things, it's good to be able to communicate with people who are good at things you are not.

Chapter 3

I found it interesting in chapter 3 when the book talks about how the way things are now becomes the way you want things to be. This is done obviously through you writing, the readers responding, the readers acting the way you want, and finally the way you want things to be. I understand the thought process behind this idea, but who's to say that the way you want things to be will happen? Even if one's writing is excellent, things may not turn out the way you want. It seems that in the book they are implying if you write well enough you'll get your way. Skilled writers may get what they want on many occasions, but can they always get their way?

Freestyle Post

I can honestly say I don't get too excited about writing. If I loved to write, I may have chosen a writing-related major and not Mechanical Engineering. I'm anticipating this class to be more related to my field than other English classes based on the fact that professional/technical communication is necessary for engineers to communicate with eachother, and ESPECIALLY other fields. I am looking forward to the skills I will gain from this class since it will help me sound more professional. In order for new ideas to be approved and funded, managers/investors need to feel the designer is a professional capable of accomplishing said tasks. So perhaps instead of thinking of this class as a "mandatory class" I should think of it as an very important class for my success in the future.

Chapter 22

Chapter 23 is very central to my major of Mechanical Engineering. The formatting appears to reflect the previous chapters' ideas of clear, efficient communication. The format is to briefly describe the situation/solution, state the problem in more detail, how to provide a solution, what the solution entails, what is required to complete the solution, and the concern for cost impacts. This organized structure for a proposal can break down the steps in solving a problem so those who are not in the writer's specialized field can understand what is being requested.

Comments about CH 1, 20

Chapter 1 shows the importance of considering all audience members who may read your message. Also, communicating efficiently is important as to show respect for other peoples time.

Chapter 20 suggests for a writer to be short, concise, orderly, formal, and follow format conventions. Things to keep in mind when communicating professionally is be respectful and include positions of readers, and provide necessary information so all parties will understand what you are trying to communicate.