Saturday, May 28, 2011
Here's the link to the answers for the midterm:
Wednesday, May 15, 2011
Chiasmus of the Day
"Not everything that counts can be counted, and not everything that can be counted counts." Albert Einstein
***
Cover Letter of the Day
Here's a man who understands the meaning of the word 'decorum'--and he uses bullets, too:
This could be a joke, but then again, maybe not. (Source)
Thursday, May 12, 2011
Business Plan Models.
Video of recent Business Plans to pay some attention to:
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
Here's the Guy Kawasaki video we watched part of in class today:
The website page it came from can be found at this link.
Monday, May 9, 2011
Here is a short video on Power Point presentations that supports the Presentation Zen approach (h/t Teo Stoica):
Here's another from Hadis Ali:
And here's another one that makes similar points in a different style (h/t Ashley Matsumoto):
Sites for free images:
Here are some more free stock photo sites:
You can also use your own photos.
***
For you accountants who think you might want to consider another career after getting your midterm grade, take some advice from the vocatonal guidance folks at Monty Python:
Michael wins by changing the subject:
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
Business Plan Models.
Video of recent Business Plans to pay some attention to:
Monday, May 2, 2011
Good example of 'anaphora'. (h/t Leah Kolllin)
Saturday, April 30, 2011
Clip of the Day:
From Frank Capra's 1932 film American Madness. A variation on the argument from character.
Friday, April 29, 2011
Yes We Can. In class I excerpted a part of Obama's speech after his primary defeat in New Hampshire to provide an example of the use of the 'epistrophe'. This is one of Obama's best rhetorical moments.
Most of you are probably familiar with what will.I.am did with this speech. It's interesting how effective rhetoric has musical qualities. You can see it here if you want.
Here's the original speech. You will also see that he uses the yes-we-can repetition also as an 'anaphora'--beginning sentences and clauses.
***
Quote of the Day
While "most of us like to believe that our opinions have been formed over time by careful, rational consideration of facts and ideas and that the decisions based on those opinions, therefore, have the ring of soundness and intelligence," the research found that actually "we often base our opinions on our beliefs ... and rather than facts driving beliefs, our beliefs can dictate the facts we chose to accept. They can cause us to twist facts so they fit better with our preconceived notions." (Source from a speech given by Bill Moyers in January 2011)
It's possible to change someone's beliefs, but you don't do it by just presenting him with facts as if that's all that's needed--you have to win him over. And that requires rhetorical technique.
***
Movie Clips
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
For you accountants who think you might want to consider another career after getting your midterm grade, take some advice from the vocatonal guidance folks at Monty Python:
This clip works with a "commonplace" about accountants that if it were not in place would make it not particularly funny.
***
Michael wins by changing the subject:
Guy Kawasaki clip used in Tuesday/Wednesday classes.
Monday, April 25, 2011
Clip of the Day
(h/t Josh Scotland)
Tuesday, April 19,2011
Some announcements:
Friday April 2011
Some announcements
Comprise/Compose
I made a big deal about this in class today about how the common use of "comprised of" is always wrong, but I thought it might be useful to summarize my points in writing. Main thing to understand:
The whole comprises the parts--The class comprises thirty-five students.
The parts compose the whole--Thirty-five students compose the class.
The second sentence can be flipped from the active to passive voice, but the first cannot:
The whole is composed of the parts. -- The class is composed of thirty-five students. -- makes sense
The parts are comprised of the whole -- Thirty-five students are comprised of the class. -- makes no sense.
The only way the use of "comprised of" can make sense is if you mean it to be synonymous with compose, i.e., if there is no difference in meaning between the two words, but clearly there is a difference, and you should respect it.
***
Students on the Lookout.
I'm grateful when students come across material that has a business communications or rhetorical technique theme. If you find helpful or interesting articles that connect to themes we discuss in class, shoot me an email with the link, and I'll post it here so others can benefit.
I'm also always looking for examples of bad writing, especially if they are good examples of problems we discuss in class. Here are two such suggestions I've received in the last couple of days:
Mandy Pai found an article on "email punctilio". Check it out here.
Alexis Thompson found another useful grammar site. If you're still struggling with parts of speech check it out here, or get Elizabeth Gordon's The Transitive Vampire.
Thursday, April 14, 2011
Hilda Black Tips
Hilda was a client in the past, but she chose not to use your tax prep services this year. She tried to save money by preparing her taxes herself.
You have the conversation in question recorded, so there is no dispute about what actually was discussed in the phone conversation in April.
A tax-deferred account is one in which income can be sheltered until retirement. If you put $2000 from your yearly earnings in an IRA, for instance, you don't pay any tax on that amount in the year that you shelter it. But you will pay a tax when you withdraw it. You don't pay, though, if you move it into another similar shelter.
You need to find a proactive approach. Don't be defensive or reactive.
Your grade on this assignment will depend more on the effectiveness of your sentences. Show me you've learned something from our discussion of sentences in class.
I'll be posting a rubric after the next class.
***
Film Clips used in Class #6:
Put a warning label on cheddar cheese?
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
Brando does Mark Antony--The "funeral oration" from Shakespeare's Julius Caesar.
What are his goals? What rhetorical strategies does he deploy to achieve them?
Words of the Day
Irony: When the connotation of what you say is the opposite of the denotation. In other words, You say one thing, but mean the opposite. Sarcasm is a form of irony. Marc Antony uses irony in his funeral oration in the clip above, even though at first it seems as though he is being quite straightforward and sincere.
Commonplace: It’s a verbal tactic to strengthen the ethos dimension of your argument--it seeks to evoke the “pre-fab consensus.” Uses code phrases and buzz words that work to identify you as a member of a particular tribe or group.
The Advantageous. A tactic for deliberative argument in which you focus on what is good for the audience. Your audience doesn't care about what you want need; it cares about getting its own needs and problems solved. Prove you have the best solution. This argument is not based on what is right or wrong, but on pros and cons on a practical level.
Redefinition: Accept your opponent's language, but redefine what it means:
Roommate: You're just talking like an egghead.
You: If talking like an egghead means knowing what I'm talking about then I'm talking like an egghead.
Clips from Class #5:
Otter before the student court
***
Best way to keep problematic words correctly in mind is to have some model sentences that use the words correctly as a template when they come up.
It may rain today. (looks likely)
I might get a raise. (not likely, but not without hope.)
The dog often lies here by the fire.
The dog is lying by the fire.
The dog lay by the fire for over two hours.
The dog has lain by the fire since breakfast.
The counselor's advice affected my thinking about dropping out of school.
The CEO effected significant changes in budgetary policy within a week of taking office.
His chewing me out had quite a negative effect on my motivation.
I don't like your affect, you ill-tempered, surly grump.
The team comprises fifteen members.
Fifteen members compose (not comprise) the team.
The team is composed of (not comprised of) fifteen members.
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
More on Decorum:
Obama's Speech in Arizona:
Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy
A model of "demonstrative" rhetoric.
You can find the text here.
Thursday, April 7, 2011
Memo Punctilio Assignment
Basic Evaluation Criteria:
Clips used in Thursday's classes:
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
Analysis Hints: Use the Problems, Goals, Audience format I put up on the board and just fill in the blanks.
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 Tuesday.
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.
Clips used in Tuesday's classes:
Monday, April 4, 2011
Clip of the Day
***
Can you find the mistake?
It's certainly possible that there was some other motivation --- there is such a thing as palace intrigue --- but for the most part it's safer to assume that in a crisis a president isn't going to appoint someone whom he thinks is making things worse.
Whomever from The Office
***
Me, Myself, and I. "Don't say myself if you mean me or I. Me is a perfectly good and acceptable word. I think myself is misused so often because as people are speaking, 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.
***
Rhetorical Words of the Day
Aporia: Admitting that you don't know. Establishes that you're not an arrogant know-it-all, that you have doubts, that you're sincerely seeking answers. It invites the audience to start coming up with its own answers:
"I'm not sure what to think. I was really taken by surprise."
Or sometimes it can be used to express exasperation:
"I have no idea why he did that; it boggles the mind."
"I don't know about you, but I can't understand a word he's saying."
Dialysis: A yes/no figure of speech. Examples:
Husband: You seem a little put out with me this morning.
Wife: Put out, no. Furious, yesCo-worker: She says they’re using a new system.
You: New, yes. Systematic, no.
Litotes. Ironic understatement: She doesn't look a day over two hundred.
***
Proactive with Mr. Goodwin
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,
Wednesday, March 31, 2011
Words of the Day
Commonplace: accepted values of a community summarized in adages, and cliches. "You're creeping along at a snail's pace." "The children are our future." "Freedom isn't free." "Everyone has a right to choose." "I'm living the American dream."
Amplification: Word pile on: “Entertaining, thrilling, completely addictive, and a little scary.”Adding detail after detail to make your case, and when the audience thinks you're done, you say, "And that's not all--I'm just beginning to tell you how wonderful X is.
Tactical Concession: Instead of challenging your opponent's facts or assumptions, you concede that he is right. This has a disarming effect, and makes him feel that he has been heard and is well understood. You then either change the subject or use those facts or assumptions as the foundation for the argument you want to make. Good example: In Up in the Air, the Clooney character concedes that his brother-in-law-to-be is right about marriage being pointless. He changes the subject to focus on the real issue, which is whether he wants a future in which he is alone and scared. He changes the tense. This is how you felt last night when you were lonely; How do you want to feel tomorrow and the next day and the next?
Chiasmus: A figure of speech that structures elements cleverly in an ABBA pattern. You can take the boy out of the country, but you can't take the country out of the boy. Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country. Boy = A, Country = B; You = A, Country = B.
Antithesis (syncrisis): Figure of speech that compares opposites."Not that, but this." It can be used to redefine terms, change the subject, or reframe the discussion on terms more favorable to your argument: "It's not manipulation; it's instruction." "It isn't just a matter of faith; it's a matter of science."
Prolepsis: Anticipating your opponent's counterargument: "Some will say . . ., but I say . . ." In the movie "All Quiet on the Western Front," a militaristic German schoolteacher tells a class of boys, "Perhaps some will say that you should not be allowed to go yet - that you have homes, mothers, fathers, that you should not be torn away by your fathers so forgetful of their fatherland...by your mothers so weak that they cannot send a son to defend the land which gave them birth." You get the idea.
Links to this week's movie clips:
- Tobacco Industry front man
- Can I//May I
- Clooney confronts his brother-in-law-to-be
- Newman confronts Nurse in The Verdict
The Information Interview Memo
Due 7/29. 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:
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
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.
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
Hilda Black Final Draft Hints:
Thursday, July 8, 2010
Hilda Black Rough Draft: Read through the material on bad news messages starting on p. 51 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.
Rough Draft due Tuesday; final draft due Thursday, 7/15.
***
Grammar Tips
More on Semicolons: Use a semicolon between independent clauses joined by a conjunctive adverb or a transitional phrase.
INCORRECT:
They browsed carefully through reference, however, no clear answer appeared.
Heroes have fallen on hard times; for instance, the men of Dale.
CORRECT:
Spelling bees were her specialty; nevertheless, she failed to spell “urbiculture” correctly.
J. M. Barrie is most famous as the author of Peter Pan; however, I prefer his ghost story Farewell Miss Julie Logan.
Life is long; the work of a scholar, however, is never done.
See also this article in the New York Times, "Celebrating the Semicolon in a Most Unlikely Location."
***
Me, Myself, and I. "Don't say myself if you mean me or I. Me is a perfectly good and acceptable word. I think myself is misused so often because as people are speaking, 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.
Friday, June 2, 2010
NO OFFICE HOURS MONDAY because of the holiday.
***
Memo Punctilio Draft Tips: There are two basic criteria by which I will evaluate whether you get a pass or a redo:
First--Content: Is there adequate development? Do you have specific, useful inforamtion that is designed to help the boss solve his problems.
Second: Packaging: Is it well designed as a business document? Do you use headings and lists? Do you use the background, purpose, preview opening? Do you have a logical, helpful organizational scheme? Does your close work to focus on the next step?
REMEMBER: You need to hand in three things: the memo on top, followed by the analysis and the outline. Make sure your name and your class--301 or 302--is in the upper-right hand corner.
***
Usage Tips: Many of you overuse the word 'myself'. Don't use if 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 spoke about it in class, but too many of you need to improve your application of this rule.
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Memo Punctilio. 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 Thursday: Use the Problems, Goals, Audience format I put up on the board and just fill in the blanks.
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 Wednesday.
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.
Monday, June 28 13, 2010
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 penings 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 to you why it was correctly imposed in the first place.
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,
Tuesday March 9, 2010
Social Media in Business Communications
Friday, February 19, 2010
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.
Friday, February 12, 2010
Press Kit Suggestions. Some details to consider in putting together 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. 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.
At the UW, the best place to print is Odegaard. It's inexpensive, and several paper choices are available there.
Don't use card stock except for the brochure and business card. Also, please don't use glossy photo paper for any of the documents, unless it's a sample print ad with graphics that will look better on that kind of paper. Other lighter weight coated papers can be used when you have graphic elements that require a sharper image.
****
Point System. A reminder that to meet the minimum, you have to have four points worth of development. The rule of thumb here is that if the cover letter and the release are worth two points, then the secondary elements should equal in time and effort the time and effort that went into writing the cover and release. Not meeting the minimum will probably result in a grade no higher than a C. If you expect to get an A- or better, you will have to exceed the minimum.
Friday, May 2, 2008
Dr. Reed Letter. 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 spelled out very clearly approach I think you should take. You're free to do it anyway you want, but make sure develop the problem sufficiently and that you present the benefits effectively when when you develop the solution.
I started the discussion of persuasion with a sales letter because you need to start thinking about persuasion as something 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.
You'll also be graded on your fluency and sentence style. Go to one of the writing centers if you need some help with that.
***
Press Kit Suggestions. Some details to consider in putting together 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. 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.
At the UW, the best place to print is Odegaard. It's inexpensive, and several paper choices are available there.
Don't use card stock except for the brochure and business card. Also, please don't use glossy photo paper for any of the documents, unless it's a sample print ad with graphics that will look better on that kind of paper. Some matte finish photo papers might work, but they're not necessary.
****
Point System. A reminder that to meet the minimum, you have to have four points worth of development. The rule of thumb here is that if the cover letter and the release are worth two points, then the secondary elements should equal in time and effort the time and effort that went into writing the cover and release. Not meeting the minimum will probably result in a grade no higher than a C. If you expect to get an A- or better, you will have to exceed the minimum.
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
United Airlines Rough Draft: Read through the material on bad news messages starting on p. 51 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.
Set it up as an email. 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, 2/1.
***
Usage Tip: Compound Adjectives
A compound adjective is an adjective that comprises more than one word. Usually, hyphens are used to link the words together to show that it is one adjective.
Examples:
Please request a four-foot table.
It is a 6-page document.
Her fifteen-minute presentation proved decisive to the outcome of the case.
Claire worked as a part-time keeper at the safari park.
That is an all-too-common mistake.
The student decided to attend a school with a good legal-research-and-writing program.
This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity
Well-written paper, ok; badly-written paper, not ok. No hyphens after 'ly' adverbs.
Thursday, January 14, 2010
Memo Punctilio Draft Tips: There are two basic criteria by which I will evaluate whether you get a pass or a redo:
First--Content: Is there adequate development? Do you have specific, useful inforamtion that is designed to help the boss solve his problems.
Second: Packaging: Is it well designed as a business document? Do you use headings and lists? Do you use the background, purpose, preview opening? Do you have a logical, helpful organizational scheme? Does your close work to focus on the next step?
REMEMBER: You need to hand in three things: the memo on top, followed by the analysis and the outline. Make sure your name and your class meeting time is in the upper right hand corner.
***
Usage Tips: In some of my sections yesterday, I said that many of you overuse the word 'myself'. Don't use if 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 will talk about it in class, but too many of you need to improve your application of this rule.
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Whoever/Whomever from "The Office":
(H/T Ethan Melville)
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
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 2/15. 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:
Monday, January 11, 2010
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 Wednesday: Use the Problems, Goals, Audience format I put up on the board and just fill in the blanks.
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 Wednesday.
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.
***
Sorry for being so late in getting this up:
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,
Thursday, November 19, 2009
Usage Tips: I noticed when grading the Dr. Reed papers that many of you overuse the word 'myself'. Don't use if 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:
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:
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.
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,
Remote Area Medical is not the Dr. Hotz Model, 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, July 30, 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 and 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 concisely. 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 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, July 24, 2009
Compound Adjectives: A compound adjective is an adjective that comprises more than one word. Usually, hyphens are used to link the words together to show that it is one adjective.
Examples:
Please request a four-foot table.
It is a 6-page document.
Her fifteen-minute presentation proved decisive to the outcome of the case.
Claire worked as a part-time keeper at the safari park.
That is an all-too-common mistake.
The student decided to attend a school with a good legal-research-and-writing program.
This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity
Well-written paper, ok; badly-written paper, not ok. No hyphens after 'ly' adverbs.
Sunday, July 19, 2009
Grammar Tips
More on Semicolons: Use a semicolon between independent clauses joined by a conjunctive adverb or a transitional phrase.
INCORRECT:
They browsed carefully through reference, however, no clear answer appeared.
Heroes have fallen on hard times; for instance, the men of Dale.
CORRECT:
Spelling bees were her specialty; nevertheless, she failed to spell “urbiculture” correctly.
J. M. Barrie is most famous as the author of Peter Pan; however, I prefer his ghost story Farewell Miss Julie Logan.
Life is long; the work of a scholar, however, is never done.
See also this article in the New York Times, "Celebrating the Semicolon in a Most Unlikely Location."
***
Me, Myself, and I. "Don't say myself if you mean me or I. Me is a perfectly good and acceptable word. I think myself is misused so often because as people are speaking, 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.
Thursday, July 2, 2009
Tips: Memo Punctilio & Information Interview
Memo Punctilio
Analysis Tips: Regarding the analysis, remember you're not analyzing the article. You're analyzing the situation as if you were the person in the case asked by his or her boss to summarize it. What are the issues you need to deal with? What are the goals, primary and secondary? What is the audience--Scope, Relationship, Need?
Use the format I put up on the board and just fill in the blanks.
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 toenvision how you will make this document into a useful tool. I'll have more to say about that on Monday. See the model on p. 12 to see what the end product outline should look like more or less .
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.
***
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 receive a maximum of 4 out of the five 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:
Wednesday, June 24, 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 penings 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 to you why it was correctly imposed in the first place.
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,
Friday, May 29, 2009
Best Presentation so far is Cascadia High Speed Rail in my 2.30 class. I have links to the video and its slideshow in the column to the right. Honorable mention to iConecrepes and GymTech in the 8.30 class.
Thursday, May 7, 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 and 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 concisely. 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. 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.
At the UW, the best place to print is Odegaard. It's inexpensive, and several paper choices are available there.
Don't use card stock except for the brochure and business card. Also, please don't use glossy photo paper for any of the documents, unless it's a sample print ad with graphics that will look better on that kind of paper. Some matte finish photo papers might work, but they're not necessary.
****
Point
System. A reminder that to meet the minimum, you have to have
four points worth of development. The rule of thumb here is that if the
cover letter and the release are worth two points, then the secondary elements
should equal in time and effort the time and effort that went into writing
the cover and release. Not meeting the minimum will probably result in
a grade no higher than a C. If you expect to get an A- or better, you will
have to exceed the minimum.
Monday, April 27, 2009
Persuasion. Key words are Problem/Solution. Key to understanding Problem development is motivation. Key to understanding Solution is benefits, primary and secondary.
I started the discussion of persuasion with a sales letter because you need to start thinking about persuasion as something 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.
The Assignment. You will be graded first on whether you can show me that you understand how to work with the persuasive strategy as I have outlined and discussed it in class. I'll have more to say about the assignment on Wed., and it's important that you be there to hear what I have to say. It's also important that you bring a rough draft, or the discussion will just wash over you because you won't really understand the issues if you don't grapple with them first.
You'll also be graded on your fluency and sentence style. If you go to The Writing Center in the Foster Library, the peer tutors there can help you out with that.
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Information Interview Assignment. (Memo Due 5/13.)
Tips on 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 startiang 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.
Second, when you contact the person you select, establish your credibility by identifying yourself as a junior in the UW Business School. Tell such persons how you got their 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 adapatible 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, ask for a referral for another information interview at the end. When you get home, take notes about what you learned, and write a thank you note.
The Memo.
Due 5/13. 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.
Here are some suggestions to insure your memo is effective:
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
Analysis Hints for Monday: Regarding the analysis, remember you're not analyzing the article. You're analyzing the situation as if you were the person in the case asked by his or her boss to summarize it. What are the issues you need to deal with? What are the goals, primary and secondary? What is the audience--Scope, Relationship, Need?
Use the format I put up on the board and just fill in the blanks.
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 toenvision how you will make this document into a useful tool. I'll have more to say about that on Monday. See the model on p. 12 to see what the end product outline should look like more or less .
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.
Saturday, April 4, 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. We'll talk about it later, but note that the rective objective is identified in the opening and the proactive obectives in the close. This is almost always the case.
Dear Mr. Goodwin:
I am writing to you in response to your August 15 letter questioning the $108.00 in overdraft fees charged against your account. Enclosed you will find a credit for this amount. Apparently a miscommunication between you and United Oregon Bank led to our imposing this charge.
In your letter of August 15, 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 customers, and we understand that miscommunications like this happen. On this occasion we have no problem refunding 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,
Thursday, February 19, 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 and 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 concisely. 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:
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. 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.
At the UW, the best place to print is Odegaard. It's inexpensive, and several paper choices are available there.
Don't use card stock except for the brochure and business card. Also, please don't use glossy photo paper for any of the documents, unless it's a sample print ad with graphics that will look better on that kind of paper. Some matte finish photo papers might work, but they're not necessary.
****
Point
System. A reminder that to meet the minimum, you have to have
four points worth of development. The rule of thumb here is that if the
cover letter and the release are worth two points, then the secondary elements
should equal in time and effort the time and effort that went into writing
the cover and release. Not meeting the minimum will probably result in
a grade no higher than a C. If you expect to get an A- or better, you will
have to exceed the minimum.
Sunday, February 8, 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. If you go to The Writing Center in Lewis Hall, the peer tutors there can help you out with that.
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
Information Interview Memo. Here are some last-minute suggestions to insure your memo is effective:
***
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. If you go to The Writing Center in Lewis Hall, the peer tutors there can help you out with that.
***
More on Resumes.
Q: What could be worse than the boring résumé you've been sending
out all your life?
A: Twelve minutes' worth of boring, awkward video of a nervous job hunter talking
to a camera about how she wants a job. Read
more.
***
Me, Myself, and I. "Don't say myself if you mean me or I. Me is a perfectly good and acceptable word. I think myself is misused so often because as people are speaking, 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.
***
Office Hours. Unless I announce otherwise, office hours from now on will be held every Tuesday and Friday in the Balmer Cafe from 1-2 pm. If that doesn't work for you, talk to me and we'll find some other time to meet.
Monday, February 2, 2009
Business Plan. It doesn't matter to me what your business is about. It can be simple or complex. You should aim to find something that most of the people in the group feel some enthusiasm about--and that you can decide on quickly. Try not to dither on endlessly. Don't get too hung up in the problems that any idea inevitably has--you'll find a way to work it out. Make a decision and go for it.
But I should add that you shouldn't set things up so it's too easy for investors to decide. We in the audience should all feel a degree of skepticism when we first hear about your business. It will then be your job to overcome our skepticism by presenting skillfully.
***
Pointers for Assignment Two. First, If you don't have it because you missed class or because you misplaced it, you can print it out from the link in the column to the right. Then, check out the material on bad news messages that I have laid out on on p. 31ff. in the coursepak.
Set up the document as if it were an email.
Your goal in doing the rough draft is not to come up with a perfect piece of writing but to think about strategy--content and organization issues. Key here is to think about what it means to use the indirect approach. You can check your thinking against what I'll have to say about it in class.
Sentence Style. If you were having trouble following what I was trying to say about active voice sentences, the best antidote is just to practice making weak sentences stronger and to gain some facility in flipping passives to actives and actives to passives.
Friday, January 16, 2008
Information Interview Assignment. Due 2/11. 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 a developed description of two or three things that came up during your conversation that you found most useful, and I want you to treat those subjects as A-head subtopics. I need you to attach a business card from the person you interviewed and a copy of the thank you letter or note you wrote.
Tips on 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 startiang 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.
Second, when you contact the person you select, establish your credibility by identifying yourself as a junior in the UW Business School. Tell such persons how you got their 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 adapatible 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, ask for a referral for another information interview at the end. When you get home, take notes about what you learned, and write a thank you note.
****
Memo Punctilio. Due 2/21: Final draft of the summary memo, the revised analysis of the situation as we went over it in class, and the revised outline.
Regarding the analysis, remember you're not analyzing the article. You're analyzing the situation as if you were the person in the case asked by his or her boss to summarize it. What are the issues you need to deal with? What are the goals, primary and secondary? What is the audience--Scope, Relationship, Need?
Key to the outline is identifying at least two major subtopics, and showing you understand what needs to go into the opening and close. See the model on p. 12 to see what the end product outline should look like more or less .
The draft should be the outline with meat on it. You need to incorporate the formatting ideas discussed in class, particularly the use A-heads and perhaps B-heads to identify subtopics. I also expect you to incorporate some lists.
The draft should use the full block style. See the assignment guidelines link to the upper right for some other tips. Make sure you put your name in the upper right hand corner and the time your class meets.
Thursday, January 8, 2009
Reminder to bring your resume to class Monday.
***
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. We'll talk about it later, but note that the rective objective is identified in the opening and the proactive obectives in the close. This is almost always the case.
Dear Mr. Goodwin:
I am writing to you in response to your August 15 letter questioning the $108.00 in overdraft fees charged against your account. Enclosed you will find a credit for this amount. Apparently a miscommunication between you and United Oregon Bank led to our imposing this charge.
In your letter of August 15, 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 customers, and we understand that miscommunications like this happen. On this occasion we have no problem refunding 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,
Friday, November 7, 2008
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 and 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 concisely. 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:
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. 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.
At the UW, the best place to print is Odegaard. It's inexpensive, and several
paper choices are available there.
Don't use card stock except for the brochure and business card. Also, please don't use glossy photo paper for any of the documents, unless it's a sample print ad with graphics that will look better on that kind of paper. Some matte finish photo papers might work, but they're not necessary.
****
Point
System. A reminder that to meet the minimum, you have to have
four points worth of development. The rule of thumb here is that if the
cover letter and the release are worth two points, then the secondary elements
should equal in time and effort the time and effort that went into writing
the cover and release. Not meeting the minimum will probably result in
a grade no higher than a C. If you expect to get an A- or better, you will
have to exceed the minimum.
****
PowerPoint NO NOs:
(h/t Kevin McDonald)
Friday, October 24, 2008
Information Interview Memo. Here are some last-minute suggestions to insure your memo is effective:
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. If you go to The Writing Center in Lewis Hall, the peer tutors there can help you out with that.
Sunday, October 19, 2008
Hilda Black Hints:
October 12, 2008
More on Resumes.
Q: What could be worse than the boring résumé you've been sending
out all your life?
A: Twelve minutes' worth of boring, awkward video of a nervous job hunter talking
to a camera about how she wants a job. Read
more.
***
Me, Myself, and I. "Don't say myself if you mean me or I. Me is a perfectly good and acceptable word. I think myself is misused so often because as people are speaking, 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.
Thursday, October 9, 2008
Office Hours. Unless I announce otherwise, office hours from now on will be held every Tuesday and Friday in the Balmer Cafe from 1-2 pm. If that doesn't work for you, talk to me and we'll find some other time to meet.
Memo Punctilio for Monday. Choose at least two sentences from the assignment you prepared for class today that you think would would benefit from the revision techniques taught today in class. If you have passive sentences flip them to active. If you have no passives but a concentration of 'to be' sentences, revise those. Indicate which sentences you have revised on the new draft by highlighting them--underline them or use a different color so they pop out. I want to check them against the original sentence.
Also, take another look at your paragraphs. Are some too long and chunky? Look for ways to break them down, and don't be shy about using lists.
PTO Extra Credit. The spirit of this exercise is not for you to get extra points but for you to reinforce good usage by noticing troublesome words and phrases that are both correctly and incorrectly used. Don't bring a pile of them into me the last week; bring them to me as you find them. Remember that they have to be either something O'Connor specifically talks about or that I talk about in class. Typos don't count. Poorly written sentences don't count unless they have a specific usuage mistake O'Connor or I talk about.
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
Post Interview Assignment. 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 Monday. I want a developed description of two or three things that came up during your conversation that you found most useful, and I want you to treat those subjects as A-head subtopics. I need you to attach a business card from the person you interviewed and a copy of the thank you letter or note you wrote. The due date is October 22.
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
Memo Punctilio. Due Next Class: Final draft of the summary memo, the revised analysis of the situation as we went over it in class, and the revised outline.
Regarding the analysis, remember you're not analyzing the article. You're analyzing the situation as if you were the person in the case asked by his or her boss to summarize it. What are the issues you need to deal with? What are the goals, primary and secondary? What is the audience--Scope, Relationship, Need?
Key to the outline is identifying at least two major subtopics, and showing you understand what needs to go into the opening and close. See the model on p. 12 to see what the end product outline should look like more or less .
The draft should be the outline with meat on it. You need to incorporate the formatting ideas discussed in class, particularly the use A-heads and perhaps B-heads to identify subtopics. I also expect you to incorporate some lists.
The draft should use the full block style. See the assignment guidelines link to the upper right for some other tips. Make sure you put your name in the upper right hand corner and the time your class meets.
Thursday, October 2, 2008
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.
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 1, 2008
Information Interview Tips: 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. Here's the link to the Husky Career Network if you want to start there.
Second, when you contact the person you select, establish your credibility by identifying yourself as a junior in the UW Business School accounting program. Tell them how you got their 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, 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 adapatible 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, ask for a referral for another information interview at the end. When you get home, take notes about what you learned, and write a thank you note.
I'll have more to say about what you need to write for me next week.
Saturday, September 27, 2008
Here's the video for last night's debate:
In your evaluation of the debate, pay particular attention to body language and tone issues--what we'll be talking about in this class as 'style'. A lot of post-debate analysis focussed on that, and many think that the debate was won and lost on that level. Who do you think won on style?
Ordinarily, a debate is won on points scored on the basis of who makes the most attacks that go without effective rebuttal. It's like a boxing match in that respect--who gets the most hits? In a debate like this it's not a matter of who's right on the facts--most people don't know what the facts are--it's a matter of who got the most net hits. Who do you think won on points?
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
First Assignment: Watch at least the first hour of the debate Friday evening, and use the Debate Evaluation form linked in the column to the right to score the effectiveness of each candidate as a communicator. This exercise requires that you put aside your political preferences, and even what you know already about each candidate, and try to look at each candidate as if you were seeing him for the first time. We'll discuss your evaluations in class Monday.
The debate starts at 6pm, and you can watch it live on PBS (channel 9) or the cable news channels. If you can't watch live and don't have Tivo or DVR to record it, I'll put up a YouTube of the debate on this website when it becomes available.
***
Resumes: We will be doing a workshop on resume building and other job finding skills Monday. If you have a resume, bring it to class. If you don't have one, slap a rough draft together that you can develop further based onsuggestions made in class. You might want to look ahead in the coursepak to the materials presented on pp. 77ff.