Usage
Tips: I
noticed when grading the Dr. Reed papers that many of you overuse
the word 'myself'. Don't use it if you can use the word 'me' instead,
which you almost always can. According to grammar granny, and
I agree, people misuse 'myself' so often "because
as people are speaking or writing, they become uncertain
about whether the word they want to use is 'me' or 'I'. They retreat
into 'myself' because they think that's correct in every circumstance." Read
more if you want to know when it's ok to use 'myself.'
Also see this page
about commas and independent clauses. We talked about it in class,
but too many of you need to improve your application of this rule.
***
More Press
Kit Tips: You will be graded on two dimensions.
The first has to do with effective packaging: design, sentence
effectiveness, and usage/mechanics.
It has to look good, and it has read well. It's something that I
have to see as good enough in form to submit to the person you address
it to in your cover letter.
The second dimension
is strategy and development. You need to show me you can work with
the strategies taught in class, particularly regarding the cover
letter and news release. It measures by the
point value
of the
materials
you
develop,
and
how compelling the content is.
I know this isn't
a creative writing class, but I give a special nod to those who bring
imagination
and a certain creative panache to the verbal content of the pieces
you
submit, whatever they may be.
Remember to put
your name/s on the folder on the right side in the upper-right-hand
corner. Yes, even if you have it on the business card or in the signature
of the cover letter. Put a piece of tape there if it's a surface
that won't be visible or won't take ink well.
***
PowerPoint NO NOs:
Thursday, November
12, 2009
Midterm
Tips: O'Connor--Focus on chaps. 1-7.
Remember to bring
a dictionary and some looseleaf or notepaper for Part II.
Spend most of your
time going over notes from class, because 80%+ of the test will bedrawn
from material presented in class an which is summarized in the coursepak.
I'd spend some
time with the drill sheets working especially on the who/whom, passive
voice flipping, and converting weak sentences into strong ones.
Know how to do
situation analysis--it'll be worth 15 of the 75 points.
If you have manageable
questions to clarfiy some limited point that you're not as clear
about as you'd like to be, you can email me over the weekend about
it.
Remember that this
is a communications course, and it's not good enough to be right
but unclear in the way you answer a question. I have emphasized the
importance of making your ideas as easy as possible for the reader
to understand. Format and organize your answers to make them as easy
as possible for me to read and understand. Just give me enough to
show me that you understand the concept. There
is no
virtue in telling me more than I need to know.
***
Press Kit
Suggestions. Some details to consider in putting together
the press kit:
Check the "Press
Kit" link in the right column for samples of primary and secondary
elements that need to go into the Press Kit.
Best places to buy
a two-pocketed folder are the big office supply stores: Staples,
Office Depot, Office Max. You can find a limited selection at some
Kinkos. Varies from store to store.
If you can't print
on your home computer, you can use Kinkos or Odegaard. The most efficient
way to do that is to convert your documents into PDF, transfer them
to a memory stick, and use the Kinkos computers. You'll save time
and money.
Don't use card stock
except for the brochure (in some cases) and business card. A coated
but letter weight paper is good for brochures and fliers. They take
ink
better
for
sharper graphics. But don't use glossy, heavy-weight photo paper.
Friday, October 30, 2009
Dr. Reed
Letter. I
started the discussion of persuasion with a sales letter because
you need to start thinking about persuasion as different from argumentation.
There is a place for argumentation, but in the business world 95%
of the time persuasion is about motivating action. That's why the
problem/solution dynamic is so important to learn how to work with
effectively.
Regarding Strategy,
the key words are Problem/Solution. Key to understanding Problem
development is motivation. Key to understanding Solution is benefits,
primary and secondary.
The first thing
I will look at is whether you work effectively with the problem solution/strategy.
In class I will have spelled out very clearly approach I think you
should take. You're free to do it anyway you want, but make sure
you develop the problem sufficiently and that you present the benefits
effectively when when you develop the solution.
You'll also be graded
on your fluency and sentence style.
***
Remote Area Medical
is not the Dr. Hotz Model for delivering healthcare to people who
can't afford it, but it gives you an idea why something like it is
needed, and not just
in
southern
Georgia.
From
a Sixty
Minutes earlier this year.
Here's another
link with information about Remote Area Medical.
Thursday, October
22, 2009
Hilda Black
Final Draft Hints:
Remember that
this assignment requires that you use the indirect approach. Rememer
the Cheeseburger strategy and you'll be fine.
Watch your tone.
Remember, your goal here is to deepen your relationship with her
as a client. Work on your sentences.
You should assume
that there is an archive with recordings of conversations with
clients to prove that your version of the conversation is factual.
Remember, you are an accountant, and she is a client who has used
your services in the past to prepare her taxes, but not this year.
Monday, October
19, 2009
Hilda Black
Rough Draft: Read through the material on bad news messages starting on
p. 35 in the coursepak, and do your best to work with the indirect
organizational strategy. The models shown in the coursepak should
give you some ideas how to do it.
I've changed the prompt slightly from what I showed today in class.
I want you to set it up as an email rather than as a letter. All that
means is that it should look more like a memo. We'll talk more about
letters when we do the third assignment.
Rough Draft due Wednesday; final draft due Monday, 10/26.
Monday, October
12, 2009
Tips: Memo
Punctilio & Information Interview
Memo
Punctilio
There are
three things you need to hand in to me on Wednesday: First the
summary of the article in a memo form. You need to format it according
to instructions given today in class. It should look like a real-world
work document, and I expect to see full-block style, headings and
at least one list. Second, the analysis, and third, the outline.
Both should reflect the discussion we had today, and you need to
make changes if necessary.
Information
Interview
Getting
and Conducting the Interview
First, figure out
who you want to meet with. I'm pretty flexible about who you choose,
but ideally it should be somebody doing something now that you can
see yourself doing some time in the future. It won't be that useful
for an accounting major to meet, for instance, with a research biologist.
I suggest starting with your own personal network of friends and
family to get a referral. Don't do an information interview with
your uncle, but ask your uncle for a referral. You can also see if
you can find someone through the Husky
Career Network.
I'd also prefer that you have a face-to-face interview rather than
a telephone interview, but a telephone interview rather than no interview
at all. But telephone interviews will not get the full extra points.
Second, when you
contact the person you select, establish your credibility by identifying
yourself as a junior (or whatever) in the UW Business School. Tell
this contact how you got his or her name, and that you want to talk
to people with established careers in accounting (or whatever)--to
get a better understanding about what the career possibilities are
in the field and to ask his or her advice about how to shape your
education and training before enter the job market. Ask for about
a half hour of his or her time at their convenience. If they can't
do it, ask if they can they suggest someone who they think would
be willing to do it.
Third, go into the
interview with clear objectives and have a strategy. Be prepared
with open-ended questions that will stimulate your interviewee's
thinking. Get them to talk about their own experience and insights.
Ask them for advice about specific issues that concern you. Be adaptible
and go with the flow in the interview. Don't go on and on about yourself.
This is not about you, so only talk about yourself in response to
questions your interviewee asks you.
Fourth, at the end
ask for a referral for another information interview. When you get
home, take notes about what you learned, and write a thank you note.
The Memo
Due 7/22. I want
a memo addressed to me reporting on your meeting. You should set
it up using the direct informational strategy we talked about in
class. I want you to attach a business card from the person you interviewed
and a copy of the thank you letter or note you wrote. (minus a point
for either that's missing.)
Here are some suggestions
to insure your memo is effective:
Set it up as
a memo with the correct heading. You are writing the memo to me
reporting on your meeting.
Make sure you
use full-block style and use headings and lists where appropriate.
Tell me something
about the person you met with and how you came to set up the meeting
you're reporting on. What did you hope to learn?
Tell me what
you learned: Did you meet your goals? Exceed them? Any pleasant
surprises or disappointments?
Tell me what
your future prospects for a continued connection or relationship
might be.
Thursday, October 8, 2009
Assignment One is
up in the column to the right if you didn't get it in class. Also
check out the Guidelines link for info about how to set things up
in your assignments.
Analysis
Hints for Monday: Use the format I put up on the board
and just fill in the blanks.
When you are
trying to define the issues, look at them in this case as being
arranged concentrically, with some issues more at the periphery
influencing the most important issue in the center.
When defining
objectives think about them in two categories: reactive--what you
have to do at a minimum to put out the metaphorical fires--and
proactive--what possibilities are there to go beyond the status
quo ante.
When defining
the audience, the most important element is to define the need,
because what you choose to include in your summary should be determined
by its usefulness in meeting your boss's need.
Outline
hints: You need to have at least two major subtopic headings
structuring the body of your outline. These subtopics should be
equal in importance. The biggest challenge in this part of the
assignment is envision how you will make this document into a useful
tool. I'll have more to say about that on Monday.
Remember, your goal
in this assignment is to create a document that will be more useful
or helpful for your boss than the original article.
Wednesday, October
5, 2009
Goodwin
Revision: Here's a revision of the message to Goodwin
that attempts to fix the problems both had, and to add a proactive
dimension that was missing in both. Note that the reactive objective
is identified in the opening and the proactive obectives in the
close. We'll get into this more when we talk about openings and
closes in the strategy phase of the course.
Dear Mr. Goodwin:
I am writing to you in response to your August 15 email questioning
the $108.00 in overdraft fees charged against your account. Upon
receiving your email, we investigated and learned that apparently
a miscommunication between you and United Oregon led to our imposing
this charge. Enclosed you will find a credit for this amount, but
we would like to take this opportunity to explain what happened.
In your August 15 email, you mentioned that you had instructed
the United Oregon Bank of Portland to transfer $45,000 to your account
here on August 1. Unfortunately it did not make the transfer until
August 10--which explains why on August 8 we charged your account
for the overdraft.
We value your account with us, Mr. Goodwin. You have been one of
our most reliable and valued customers, and we understand that miscommunications
like this happen from time to time. On this occasion we are happy
to refund to you the $108. But please contact United Oregon to be
sure that they send future transfers on the date you specify.
Perhaps an overdraft line of credit would be appropriate if you
anticipate this kind of miscommunication in the future. You might
also consider consolidating your accounts in such a way as to make
these transfers unnecessary.We’ll have one of our personal
bankers contact you in the next week to see if we can help you to
meet your banking needs in a more streamlined way.
Sincerely,
Monday, September
21, 2009
Welcome to Business
Communications for Fall Quarter 2009. I'll be using this space
as the quarter progresses
to summarize and emphasize points that
I make in class. Check in at least once a week to make sure you're
up to speed.
Check out the various links in the panels to the right and left. Some
of these will be more relevant later in the course, but it won't hurt
to familiarize yourself with what's on the site now. The assignment
links will be activated the class day I introduce the assignment. Even
if you miss class, you should know what the assignment is.