Response to Melissa Bonneville's chptr 14 & 15 post

Its interesting that Melissa mentioned the performance test. This test and others are used by many companies when developing manufacturing and assembly process instructions for a new product. Employers do not want to head into full production of a brand new assembly without testing these instructions first. If they did it could cost them a lot of money in set up time that could be wasted. Instead they perform what is called a pilot run. The pilot run is a way to test all of the manufacturing and assembly process instructions for accuracy and completeness. For the pilot run the manufacturing plant sets up to build the assembly for a limited run. The quantity of assemblies built is somewhere between 10 and 20 units. This will give them enough information to determine the majority of required changes to the process control documents. An integral part of writing successful instructions is for the writer to be present during the pilot run. The writer then has opportunity to observe any difficulty in the manufacturing process. Testing your drafts is essential when writing process and assembly type instructions.

Chapters 14 & 15

Chapter 14 (Revising Your Draft)
Chapter 14 begins by describing 3 activities for revising your draft.

• Identify improvements
• Decide which improvements to make
• Make the selected changes

Reviewing your draft yourself and having others review your draft are two possible ways of identifying the desired improvements for your draft. The more difficult yet very productive method is having someone else review your work. I have had coworkers review emails and memos prior to completing the final draft. This had saved me a lot of extra effort. In addition the boss is very pleased when your writing is complete with little or no input from him.

Another important thing to remember is how you give and receive criticism. You must develop a good working relationship with your coworkers so that when you review their work criticism will be well received. Further, when giving suggestions try to phrase them from the point of view of the intended readers. When receiving criticism try to be open and focus on listening to the reviewers point of view.

Many of the strategies in this chapter are employed at my place of work.

Chapter 15 (Testing Drafts for Usability and Persuasiveness)

Testing your drafts for usability and persuasiveness is essential when creating work instructions or similar documents. The objectives of testing are generally to determine how to improve the draft and to determine if the communication is adequate. When seeking test readers try to get individuals that represent your target readers. This will help ensure accurate results.

As a product designer I have had opportunity to write several installation instructions. It was always interesting to see people use them for the first time. Often times I found that the test readers had very good questions that led to some key revisions that added clarity to the instructions.

Response to Vic's TV blog

I too assumed that the media aired what ever they wanted without much thought about ethics. It was good to hear from Mr. Day that they do consider the ethical consequences prior to airing the stories. Vic mentioned in his blog that there is a gray area when it comes to making a decision on whether or not to run a particular story. For many people there is no gray area, but for the media there is because they are considering all of the stake holders. Very well put Vic.

I am glad Vic mentioned the freedom of press that we enjoy in America. Often times we take that right for granted. Some people are responsible while others abuse this right.

TV Journalism Post

Of all the writing styles I have been exposed to TV journalism seems to be the most chaotic. Maybe chaotic isn't exactly the right word to describe it, but it is certainly fast paced. The ethical decisions that each journalist must face on a daily basis would be very stressful. When Jesse Day visited our class he noted that there are ethical decisions you will make that affect you the rest of your life. I think it takes a special person to handle this stress, especially since your choices often have a lasting impact on people's lives. Even with the high stress level there is something to be said about "being in the know" as Jesse stated.

Another aspect I found interesting is that of attribution. The use of attribution by the media seems to have created a bit of a sour taste in the public mouth. I know many people that believe the media hides behind attribution just to get the scoop. However, it was interesting to get the perspective of someone actually working in TV journalism. Although there likely are individuals out there that make a bad name for the media it would not be fair to place them all in the same pot together. As a result of Jesse's guest appearance in our class my perspective toward the media has definitely been influenced in a positive way.

Response to Melissa Bonneville's TV news post

Like Melissa I noticed that the news about the weather was spread throughout the forecast. I am amazed at how they are able to convey just a little bit more information each time and yet keep you hooked for the whole broadcast.

We often talk about how we want to hear more good news, but in reality we want to know that we have it better than others. Dirty laundry sells. However, in light of today's economy it might be better to hear some good news. Maybe this would help us feel secure as well.

I think the rhetoric they use is logos to build up their ethos so that we will watch their broadcast instead of others. This seems to be the most likely since its all about the ratings, right?

TV News

Television writing looks to me to be very difficult. There is only so much time they have for each story. This means that the writing must be boiled down to just the essentials. The choice of words needs to be specific to the target audience which I imagine changes from story to story. This creates quite a challenge.

I was wondering how the writers write so as to portray the voice of the individual news cast. Do they write as a single voice for the station as a whole?

I also find it interesting that they are often times able to get in all of the news stories and interject their personal character. Some do this better than others. Those that are good at it tend to grab my attention more easily.

Freelance writing

Freelance writing at a glance appears to be a lot of fun. After hearing the lecture on this subject I realized that there is a lot of work involved. Before you can write on the subject of choice you must do plenty of research. Then after you've carefully crafted your written work you have to market it. The prospect of writing pitch letters and soliciting businesses only to be turned down could be quite depressing. I suppose if you love to write you could see it as a challenge. Overcoming this challenge must be a pretty good feeling, especially if it's your first time being published.

Response to Tayler Black's Chptr 8 post

I liked what Tayler had to say about the role that voice creates for your readers. In my workplace their are managers that use a condescending tone in their writing. When I get email from them I am not motivated to do anything for them quickly. I often wonder if they think that I am the only person who will view their email. My direct boss does not use this tone in his communication. I am more willing to go the extra mile for him, because I feel that he appreciates me.

Response to Melissa Boneville's Chpt 8 & 19 post

I liked what Melissa said about using chapter 8's guidelines while proofreading a paper. I had similar thoughts about chapter 8 when I read it. Simplifying a sentence and adding emphasis in the right location will make your writing more persuasive and usable.

Melissa talked about writing a proposal and getting a written approval from your client. This approval can act as a contract and in my experience usually does. We should also remember to be careful not to promise more than we can provide. Try not to leave anything up to an assumption by either yourself or your client. As Melissa said communication is the key. This is great advice.

Chapter 8 & 19 Blog

Chapter 8
This chapter is about developing an effective style. Your readers will pick up on the voice you use in your communications. The voice you project can either help or hinder you in persuading your readers. I was especially interested in the section on constructing sentences. I appreciate the examples in each section that show an original and a revised version of a sentence. This is very helpful when writing my own communications. I like the unique way of adding emphasis to a sentence by placing the key information at the end of the sentence. This chapter gives us many ways to construct sentences to enhance our persuasiveness and usability in our writing. I really liked this chapter.

Chapter 19
This chapter is about managing client and service-learning projects. The chapter begins by describing an overall project management strategy. This strategy employs 7 guidelines.

• 1. Determine exactly what your client wants and why
• 2. Develop your own assessment of the situation
• 3. Create a project management plan
• 4. Submit a written proposal to your client and ask for a written agreement
• 5. Communicate with your client often - especially at all major decisions
• 6. Advocate and educate, but defer to your client
• 7. Hand off the project in a helpful way

The guideline I found most interesting was number 6. In my work history I have had opportunity to work with a couple of technical writers. Each of them employed this strategy quite effectively. In fact I came to trust their insight into writing reader centered communications. They were good at being direct and at the same time respecting my wishes when it came to the final publication.

The other guideline that is really important is creating a project management plan. This is something I personally must work on. I usually tend to plow straight into my project without a written plan. A written plan is a must especially with tight deadlines. Also, your client will appreciate your attention to their deadline.