Final presentation assignment joanne weatherall

PROFESSIONAL WRITINGENC 3250 CRN 80726

Joanne Weatherall

DESIGN

Messages in documents and presentation slides

should be easy to read and follow.

The following are used to ensure the message is

clearly understood and visually attractive:

• White space

• Headings

• Limit and use appropriate fonts

WHITE SPACE

White space is the empty space on a page.

Use white space to:

• Separate and emphasize points

• Create a visually attractive document

• Make material easier to read

HEADINGS

Headings are used to group points and divide your

letter or memo, or report into sections.

Headings should:

• Be specific

• Cover all material until next heading

• Be parallel at one level

APPROPRIATE FONTS

No more than two fonts should be used in a single

document.

• Serif fonts are easier to read (Courier, Times

Roman, Palatino, and Lucinda Calligraphy).

• Sans serif fonts are good for titles, tables, and

narrow columns (Helvetica, Geneva, and Arial).

PERSUASIVE MESSAGES

Purposes

• To have the reader act by providing enough information.

• To build a good image and form relationships.

• To reduce or eliminate future correspondence.

PERSUASIVE MESSAGES

Best Persuasive Strategy

• Use the direct request pattern when there is no resistance

and when a response is needed only from the people who

are willing to act.

• Use the problem-solving pattern when objection is likely

and action from everyone is needed.

PERSUASIVE MESSAGES

Other Persuasive Techniques

• Build credibility by being factual, specific, and reliable.

• Build emotional appeal by telling stories and using

psychological description.

• Use the right tone based on the situation and who the

message is directed to.

PROPOSALS AND PROGRESS

REPORTS

Reports are needed to make plans and solve problems.

Steps to writing a report include:

• Defining the problem.

• Gathering the necessary information.

• Analyze and organize the information.

• Write the report.

PROPOSALS AND PROGRESS

REPORTS

Proposals suggest a method for finding information or

solving a problem.

A good purpose statement must include:

• The problem or conflict.

• Questions that must be answered to solve the problem.

• The purpose the report is designed to achieve.

PROPOSALS AND PROGRESS

REPORTS

Progress reports are used to inform the funding agency or

employer of your progress.

You can also use progress reports to:

• Enhance your image

• Float trial balloons – Adding detail and requests.

• Minimize potential problems.

FINDING, ANALYZING, AND

DOCUMENTING INFORMATION

Finding information online or in published material

involves research.

Primary research gathers new information:

• Surveys, interviews, and observations.

Secondary research retrieves information that someone

else gathered:

• Library research and online searches.

FINDING, ANALYZING, AND

DOCUMENTING INFORMATION

Analyze collected information:

• Look for answers to research questions, patterns, and

interesting nuggets.

• Analyze numbers and words.

• Evaluate and verify online sources.

FINDING, ANALYZING, AND

DOCUMENTING INFORMATION

Document sources by using MLA or APA:

• Cite sources appropriately.

• Document the bibliography or resources of a cited source.

• Use quotation marks when using the sources exact words.

• Indent long quotations.

• Interrupt a quotation to analyze, clarify, or question it.

• Use brackets around added or changed words.

SHORT REPORTS

Patterns of Organization:

Informative or closure reports summarize completed work or

research that does not result in action or recommendation.

• Introductory paragraph.

• Chronological account.

• Concluding paragraph.

SHORT REPORTS

Patterns of Organization:

Feasibility reports evaluate several alternatives and

recommend one of them.

• Explain the decision to be made.

• List the alternatives.

• Explain the criteria.

SHORT REPORTS

Patterns of Organization:

Justification reports recommend or justify a purchase,

investment, hiring, or change in policy.

When choosing the headings and organization:

• Indicate what you’re asking for and why it’s needed.

• Briefly give the background of the problem or need.

SHORT REPORTS

• Explain each of the possible solutions.

• Summarize the action needed to implement your

recommendation.

• Ask for the action you want.

SHORT REPORTS

Basic strategies for organizing information:

• Comparison/contrast.

• Problem-solution.

• Elimination of alternatives.

• General to particular or particular to general.

• Geographic or spatial.

• Functional.

• Chronological.

TECHNOLOGY AND SOCIAL MEDIA

Technology and businesses:

• E-mail may seem informal but should be kept professional.

• E-mail is not private as employers can legally check it.

• Continue using you-attitude and positive emphasis.

• Re-read and proofread messages before sending it.

TECHNOLOGY AND SOCIAL MEDIA

Web writing and Blogging:

• Keep style simple.

• Be clear, concise, and complete.

• Use titles, headings, and bulleted lists.

• Keep it professional in a business setting.

TECHNOLOGY AND SOCIAL MEDIA

Keeping social networking professional:

• Know your online friends, as well as their friends.

• Set privacy controls appropriately.

• Read user agreements carefully.

• When in doubt, create two pages: personal and business.

WHAT DID I LEARN?

• The design of a document, website, or e-mail must

include enough white space to be visually attractive.

• Headings and subheadings are just as important.

• The reader interprets the message easier when using

appropriate fonts.

WHAT DID I LEARN?

• Knowing your audience and how they are likely to

react will help to create a persuasive message.

• When there is a problem or conflict, writing a proposal

can help to define the problem and offer solutions.

• Research is necessary when writing a proposal or

report.

• Researched material must be evaluated and verified.

WHAT DID I LEARN?

• When a long report is unnecessary, write a short report.

• A short report should contain the needed information to

make a decision.

• A short report is essentially a summary with

conclusions and recommendations.

WHAT DID I LEARN?

• Technology has become a priority for many businesses

today.

• E-mail, fax, instant message, blogs, social media…

• It is very important to keep a professional tone when

using social media for a business.

• Websites should be kept simple.

• Provide a user friendly site by providing titles,

headings, and bulleted lists.

ASSIGNMENTS LINKED TO CONTENT

• All of the writing assignments were very helpful in

learning the content of this class.

• The analysis assignments used outside resources aside

from the textbook that served as a useful learning tool.

• The writing assignments ensured the material in the

textbook was used as a hands-on learning experience.

• The Anything Else Café is a very useful tool that

provided the class with additional help and advise.

WHY DOES THIS LEARNING MATTER?

• Society today is surrounded with technology that is

changing every day.

• It is imperative to learn these necessary skills in order

to grasp society in today’s business world.

• Learning how to properly write a simple e-mail using

proper netiquette is very helpful considering many

social media users do not pay much attention to

grammar.

GOALS FOR IMPROVEMENT

• I have already begun utilizing the material learned in

this class by improving the way I write.

• The assignment that asked to write a letter to a business

that I was unhappy with their service was very eye

opening for me. Comparing my actual e-mail to my

rewritten letter was astonishing! The rewritten letter

submitted in this class was much neater, definitely more

white space was used, and it was a much better

professionally styled letter.

GOALS FOR IMPROVEMENT

• I will continue to improve my writing skills.

• Keep my writing professional in business situations.

• Create a personal account when not appropriate for

business.

• Reread and Proofread.