Module 25

Using Visuals

You want to use visuals only for points you want to emphasis. In your rough draft, use visuals to:

• See that ideas are represented completely.
• find relationships.
• make points vivid.
• emphasize material.
• present material more compactly and with less repetition.
• focus on information that decision makers need.

The number of visuals you need depends on the purpose, kind of information you are presenting, and the audience. Every visual should tell a story. Stories can be described in sentences or tell how something changes. To find stories you should:

• Focus on a topic.
• Simplify the data.
• Look for relationships and changes.

It matters what kind of visuals you use. The visuals much match the story you are telling. Every visual should have a title that tells the story, a clear indication of what the data is, clearly labeled units, labels, the source, and the source of the visuals. Make sure to use color carefully and be sure that the visual is accurate and ethical.

Module 24

Long Reports

When writing a long report you will have a introduction, background, body, conclusion, recommendations, references, and appendixes. You will organize your time by writing parts as soon as you can and spending time on sections that support your recommendations. Also be sure to write all the sections your long report will have. Spend the most times on the ones more important to your reader. First you will have the title page of the report which contains who it is prepeared for, who it is prepared by, the release date, and the title of the report. The title of the report should be as imformative as possible. Letter or memos of transmittals should be used when you are a regular employee of the organization. You a letter format if you are not. Transmittals serve certain purposes such as to transmit the report, orient the reader to the report, and to build a good image of the writer and the report. You also want to include a table of contents and a list of illustrations. You executive summary will tell the reader what the document is about. To write this you ust know the report support and recommendations. The introduction must include the purpose and scope and also the limitations, assumptions, and methods. Even though the current audience may know the history make sure to include the background or history for future reference. Your conclusion at the end is there to summarize the points you made in your report. Then finally your recommendation offer solutions to the problem.

Modules 27

Resumes

When writing a resume you can encourage the employer to pay more attention to your resume by showing your qualifications and how they will fit in with the company.  Make sure to emphasize your achievements, use buzzwords and jargon for the company, design the resume to appeal to the human eye, consider using a career objective with the employer’s name, and include skills that are helpful to almost any job. You should choose the resume that makes you look best. Chronological resumes have more of your work history on a time lined bases. Skill resumes use headings or key aspects of the job you are applying for. So they are more specific to the job you are looking for. 

When comparing chronological and skill resumes you will see that there are similarities like career objective, summary of qualifications, education, honors, and references.  If the regular categories don’t fit into what you would like you should create new categories. If you have a lot of qualifications you should not limit your resume to just one page. To create a scannable resume take out all of your formatting. That will help make sure the resume is scanned correctly.

To prepare an online resume if the employer request one you should:

• Include email link at the top of your resume.
• Omit your phone numbers and street address.
• Add links to other pages that might add more information about you.
• Be professional.
• Put your strongest qualification immediately after your name and email.
• Specify the job you would like
• Use list, indentations, and white space for a visual variety.
• Proofread the resume very carefully.

Module 22

Finding, Analyzing, and Documenting Information

This module starts out letting you know how to find imformation online and print. You can do so by using keywords to search the information. When writing questions for surveys or interviews make sure to test the questions to make sure that they are clear or neutral. Closed questions have a limited number of responses unlike open questions. You can decide who to interview by doing random sample surveys or using judgement sample. You should analyze the data by looking for answers to your research questions, patterns or using interesting nuggets. You should check your sources and also use MLA or APA format. Make sure to use Citation when writing papers so the source is known.

Modules 17 & 18

Listening

The form of communication we practice most often is listening. Listening is crucial so you should polish your listening skills on the job and as well in your personal life. Good listeners consciously follow four practices. Good listeners pay attention because it requires energy. They focus on the speakers in a generous way. Listening errors happen when the listener is not paying enough attention.Good listeners also focus on the other speaker in a generous way. Some people listen looking for flaws or moments when they can attack the other speaker. In contrast good speakers listen in a generous way and realize that although the other speaker may not be as polished they still have something to say. They realize that they can learn something even from someone they may not like. They also avoid making assumptions and ask questions because it can provide useful information they may be seeking. They also listen for feelings and facts consciously. Active Listening is feeding back the literal meaning, the emotional content, or both. You can show someone you are listening by acknowledging their comments in words, nonverbal symbols, and actions.

Working and Writing in Teams

This module focuses on teamwork and why it is essential to an organization succeeding.  The kind of messages groups should attend to ate messages that are appropriate at different points in the groups development. These messages fall into three categories which are informal, procedural, and interpersonal. The roles people play in groups can be positive and negative. Being a leader in the group does not mean that you do all the work yourself. Most groups keep the balance with three kinds of leaders. Informal leaders, interpersonal leaders, and procedural leaders. When handling conflict you should get the real issues and repair bad feelings.You can create the best co-authored documents by talking about your purposes and audiences and discuss drafts and revisions as a group.

Modules 15 & 16

Choosing the Right Word

This module mainly talks about using the right word and why it is important to do so. Using the right word helps you look good and get the response you want. It shows that you are apart of the discourse community. It also helps you create a friendly image of you and your company. It's important to get your meaning across so write in a way that is understandable to the reader. Using the write word also helps you get the response you want from the reader. Words get there meaning depending on the usage. It's ok to use jargon when it is essential. If you are not sure if the reader knows the meaning then define the term. Some words with similar sounds may confuse the reader. 

Revising Sentences and Paragraphs

When writing it is good to sound both businesslike and friendly. You should avoid contractions, slang, and pay closer attention when writing uncomfortable messages. When revising sentences there are six styles you can use. First use active verbs most of time, you should also use verbs to carry weight of your sentence. You can also tighten you writing  by not making it too wordy. It's also good to vary sentence length and sentence structure. You can mix several different sentence patterns several different ways. Parallel structure should be used to make your writing smooth and forceful. It is also good to put your readers in you sentences by using second-person pronouns rather than third person. When revising paragraphs you should check for topic sentences and begin most of your paragraphs with topic sentences and use transitions to link ideas. Different cultures usually have a different style of writing that they may prefer.

Chapter 8 & 13

Reader Benefits

The main points in this module focus around reader benefits. Reader benefits are important because they improve the audiences attitudes and actions. You can start to identify the readers benefits by brainstorming. Think of feelings, fear, and needs that may motivate your reader. Identify feature of your product and think of how they could benefit the reader.When you identify you should use strong, vivid details. When deciding what benefits to use you should follow three principles. Use at least one benefit for each part of your audience, use intrinsic, and use the benefits you can develop most fully. Also be sure to have you-attitude when stating reader benefits.

E-mail Messages and Web Writing

Since formats are still evolving most emails will prompt you to supply various parts of the format . When using subject lines you want to be specific, concise, and catchy.When writing e-mail  message the negative and persuasive messages should be more direct than paper messages because readers read and reply to e-mails so quickly.  You should use attachments when the reader expects and needs them. When writing on the web use good business writing principles and consider how people will interact with the text you use. You can use blogging on the job as long as it is professional. This also goes for social networking tools. Other technologies that use the internet are fax, phone, instant messaging, and videoconferencing.

Modules 11 & 12

Negative Messages

 A negative message always has several purposes. The first purpose is usually to give the reader the bad news so they can understand and accept it and the second purpose is to build goodwill of the writer or organization involved. When doing so you want to make sure to show that the readers are taken seriously even if you cannot make them happy. You only use the subject line in a negative message if you think the reader will ignore it. How you organize a negative message depends on you purpose and who the audience is.  Letters to people outside of you organization should be indirect and build goodwill. When informing superiors you state the problem but also a solution. When writing peers it is good to get their input. You should consider using a buffer when the reader values harmony or as to serve another purpose. It helps you delay the negative situation but is very hard to write. To be effective a buffer must put the reader in the right state of mind. The most common types of negative messages are Rejections and refusals, disciplinary notices and negative performance appraisals, and layoffs and firings.

Persuasive Messages

Persuasive Messages are used for many things. Orders and request, sales and fundraising, job application letters, and reports to name a few. They are firstly used to have the reader to act and provide information so the reader knows what to do. The second purpose is to build a good image of the company or writer involved. The best persuasion strategy depends on how much and what kinds of resistance you expect. The best subject line for a persuasive message is a direct request, the topic, to a question.  It should be organized by first have the direct request so that the reader can act. To identify and overcome objections you should talk to your audience. Other persuasive techniques you can use are to build credibility, build emotional appeal, use the right tone, and offer the reader a reason to act promptly.

Modules 9 & 10

Formats for Letters and Memos
                                                  
The two main points illustrated in Module 9 is how to set up letters and also how to set up memos. When setting up a letter it is important to use block or a modified formatted. These are the two most common formats to use when writing a letter. You will still use the formality in the beginning as you would use in a greeting or when talking to someone. When closing you will use sincerely or cordially or if it is less formal you can close with your own choice of closing. As subject line is very important when writing a memo because it tells you what the memo is going to be about. Subject lines are optional when writing letters.

A Letterhead is a reprinted stationary with the organizations name, logo, address, and phone number. When using courtesy titles in letters you should always use Ms. or Mr. unless you are on a first name basis with the person. When you know the readers name and gender do not use courtesy titles that indicate marital status. If you know the readers name but not the gender either call the company for the gender or put the person's full name. When you are not aware of the person’s name or gender you can either use their position or job title, use the general group they belong to, or omit the salutation and use a subject line in its place. When using a Memo you should omit both the salutation and the close.

Effective, Informative, and Positive Mesages

When you have an informative or positive message they usually include several purposes. There is usually a primary purpose which gives good information or news and a secondary purpose to build a good image.  The best subject line for an informative or positive message is the subject line. This aids in telling the reader why they need to read the document. The subject line should be specific enough to separate it from others but broad enough to cover everything in the message. Subject lines should be concise and no more than about ten words. An organization should put the good news and a summary of the information first.  Then give the clarification and details and present any negative elements in a positive light. They should continue by stating the benefits to the readers and end by using goodwill.  The most common types of informative and positive messages are Transmittals, confirmations, summaries, adjustments, and thank-you notes.

Website Design

  GoJane    

      

      GoJane is a website that is strictly women’s clothing. When you first enter this website you will see a space at the left top corner to sign in or register. This is something you might be first searching for if you are a consistent shopper or you may be buying something you will have to register your information. The font, text, and colors on the page are very consistent. They also have links that will directly connect you to your Face book and Twitter accounts which is very relevant for their audience of younger women. The very center of the home page is a slideshow of women in different outfits, the newest shoes, and the latest clothes. The left side if the screen is dedicated to different tabs women may be looking for. They have the new styles first because this seems the first thing a shopper would be looking for. Then they have where you can shop by category. This makes it easier for the shopper to get to what they are looking for quick and easy. The organization name and logo is at the top left corner of the screen. It stands out very much and you don't forget what website you are on. You can also shop by favorites. That is where you can shop by what a lot of other people have bought. They also have tabs where they have put outfits together you can select and a tab for the sales that are going on.   At the bottom they also have the contact information, a help center, and more information about the site. This is a very easy website to maneuver. They are definitely appealing to their audience in a way that is effective. I can say this because I am in fact a part of this audience and I love visiting this site because it’s not messy and I always find what I'm looking for without issues.

Target

      Upon entering the Target website you will first see a display of summer items that they have. Patio furniture, pools, water slides, and stuff for outdoor activities. At the very top of the screen they make it known that they have free shipping every day. This is information that someone viewing the site with intentions on buying would be very pleased to know. The use their white space very nicely and the color scheme is pretty thoroughly done. It's mostly red, white, and black. At the top of the screen they make it very easy to find what you are looking for. You can either type in the search box or click one of the category tabs that range from gender, age, to home and beauty. They also have showings of what's on sale on the website on the left side of the screen and also at the bottom. I like this website but there is a lot going on, on the home screen. It seems they want to push all this information on you at one time almost. At the bottom they have a career services tab, company information, and a spot to enter your email and receive special exclusives. I like this site I just wish the home page wasn't doing so much. This site caters to a very diverse audience. All ages, demographics, and personalities. They have clothing, stuff for your home, and stuff for outdoors. Its a one stop shop and thats what I like about it.

Modules 4 & 5

Planning, Writing, and Revising

When writing a paper the first step of the process is to plan. The problem or purpose of you writing has to be figured out and then you have to make an outline or organize topics. After you have gathered all your information you can begin to write your paper. It doesn't have to be perfect it can be a list, or a formal draft to give you a sense of where you are going. After you have finished writing you paper you can begin the Revision process. You revise it by evaluating it against the goals you set at the beginning of your paper. The paper should be complete, understandable, and organized. After rearranging, adding, and deleting you can check the spelling and word choices in your paper.  Most of your time should be saved for planning and revising. Planning as much as you can by brainstorming and clustering is very important. Making yourself free write for 10 minutes without stopping or you can cluster and write your topic in the middle of the page and write down ideas around it.

Once you get to the revision process you are re-seeing the document. Revising is the most important and time taking part of the paper. You will be making changes that will satisfy your purpose and the audience. You will also be editing by making surface changes to the paper. Then you finish by proofreading. This could be a very repetitive process.  It's important to have a thorough revision of your paper and check for content and clarity, organization and layout, and style and tone. You should not let a grammar checker to the editing for you because it may not always be correct. Also, even though there is a spell check you should still proofread to make sure there weren’t other errors the spell check might have missed. You can get good feedback on your paper by cycling it, but don't get upset about negative criticism because it is the best for you to make you become a better writer. Also sometimes writers block gets in the way of our ability to compose a good paper harmoniously so it is good to practice writing regularly, talk positive to yourself, free writing for ten minutes, and setting modest goals are good.

Designing Documents, Slides, and Screens

When designing paper pages you should use five guidelines. Use white space to separate and emphasize points, use headings, limit the use of words set in all capital letters, use no more than two fonts in a single document, decide whether to justify margins based on the situation and the audience.  When designing a presentation the slides should be kept simple, be relevant, and interesting. Use big fonts, use bullet points rather than complete sentences, use clear concise language, make only 3-5 points on each slide, and customize the slides with the company’s logo or charts.

Designing a Web page is much more detail oriented because it is for another user to navigate through. You have to pay attention to content, navigation, and the first screen. The design should be interesting and never created from scratch. The first screen should be extremely easy to use. Minimize the number of links that users have to click to get to their desired place. Use small graphics and keep animations at a minimum. They take time to load and if you do have animations include a skip button. Provide a visual variety for the user like bullets or numbered list. Provide a link to the homepage and contact information for the creator of the page. To know if your design works you should test it.  Watch someone else use the document to do a task and see if they seemed confused or lost at certain points. Ask the person to think out loud so you will know where the design still needs work. Test it with people who might have the most trouble with it because there will always be someone who will struggle with a not so clear webpage. You should think about your design at each stage of the writing process. This is when the best designs are created because you are thinking about your audiences.

Modules 1 & 2

Module 1 is about Business Communication, Management, and Success. This module highlighted many important aspects of communicating in a business setting and how it relates to management and success. The module continuously stresses the importance of communication skills and that the better your communication skills the more successful you will be in your life. Communication is used in all levels of the work world and it is really important for modern supervisors. Not only do they want you to be able to Communicate, but you should also have good writing skills. Good communications skills in the workplace are vital to how well you do with the company.

Another important aspect is how business writing differs from other school writing. In school writing you show what you have learned and how you can demonstrate your intelligence. In business writing it is to meet organizational need. There are also other dimension they differ in like audience, information, organization, style, document design, and visuals. Managers are very important when it comes to unifying people and helping them work together to achieve the goals of the company. The three basic jobs of a manager are to collect and convey information, to make decisions, and to promote interpersonal unity. All of this could not be established without the correct form of communication. There is a certain level of communication skills a manager must possess to reach to small groups and to do formal presentations.

There are three basic purposes of messages in an organization. They are to inform, request or persuade, and to build good will. It is important to explain something to your readers. When you request or persuade the reader you want there to be some kind of action there and to be able to convince them. Building good will is creating a good image for you and the organization and keeps that rapport where people want to do business with you. Writing a correspondence is not a very cheap process. When writing something for a company it has to be run through a cycle. That is where it will cycle from writer to superior and so on. This could take a lot of times to do so and it cost money. What cost even more money is a poor correspondence. It takes more time to read and it requires more revision. There are five things that make a good message effective. The message is clear, complete, correct, saves the reader time, and it builds goodwill.  PAIBOC can be used to understand how to analyze your business situations.

Module 2 is centered on adapting your message to your audience. There are five kinds of audiences in an organizational setting.  You have your initial audience who is the  first receive and assign the message, the gatekeeper has the power to stop the message before it gets to the primary audience. If it makes it to the primary audience they decide whether to accept recommendations. The secondary audience comments on the message and finally the watchdog has the political, social or economic power. To be successful the message must meet the audiences’ needs. The audience is very central to the communication process. Empathy and common sense should always be used because every situation may not be the same and the audience is not just like you.  When analyzing individuals or members of a group it is easier to analyze them as individuals and you can find out how aware the audience is of your topic, demographics, personalities, values and beliefs, and past behaviors.

After analyzing the company you can use the information to strategize, organize, style, document design, and visuals. If your audience has different needs the focus should be on the gatekeepers and the decision makers.  You can reach your audience by using important messages requiring multiple channels. Some of these are speed, accuracy, cost, number of messages, and number of people reached, efficiency, and the ability to promote.  A written message is easier to go into detail on and present extensively and you can minimize undesirable emotion where as in oral messages you can answer questions and resolve conflicts immediately and use emotion to persuade the audience.