Harty, p 167 -207 Reports and Other Long Documents

1. report writing is a dynamic situation, and the reader often is not the anticipated audience; therefore reports must be explained well and easy to understand for people from all knowledge bases

2. though writers tend to focus mostly on the body, the abstract is the most important part of the report

3. you have to take the reader's time constraints into account and realize that they might not fully read your report and scrutinize it

Formal reports – longer, more detailed, may require a cover letter
Informal reports- shorter, less complex format

Possible audiences for reports:
the layperson
the executive
the expert
the technician
the operator

Mathes and Stevenson- “Audience Analysis: The Problem and a Solution”

Writers are often preoccupied with their own problems and ignore their audience

Writers often make false assumptions about their situation, usually with regard to the audience’s level of knowledge of the subject and the report’s importance

Efficiency is almost more important than being completely thorough, the report must be able to be read quickly

Three types of audiences: horizontal, vertical, and external

Horizontal audiences are often assumed to pose few challenges, but they often share only educational level and rank within the company- their backgrounds and needs may be very different

External audiences can judge the entire organization by a report, and concerns for tact and business relationships can complicate things

Egocentric organization charts identify potential readers as individual people, not company positions and classify them as ‘near’ or ‘far’ from the reader in proximity rather than using the hierarchical relationship

Systematic characterization of people in EOC

Operational characteristics- what is the person’s role and what are his/her needs?
Objective characteristics- specific, relevant background data about the person
Personal characteristics- information unique to the person that may be important

Classify audience based on how they will use the report

Primary audience acts on basis of information in the report
Secondary audience is affected by these decisions and actions
Immediate audiences transmit the information the report contains

Richard Dodge- “What To Report”

Report summary should include what the report is about, the implications of the work, and the action called for by the report

The summary, introduction and conclusion are often read more closely than the body itself

Write a report at a technical level suitable for readers without your level of background knowledge

Managers should meet with report writers at four stages of the project:
At the beginning of the project
At the completion of the investigation
After the report is outlined
After the report is written

Christian Arnold- “The Writing of Abstracts”

The abstract forms the first impression and is read most often by all readers

Abstract helps technician decide whether he could read the report with profit (descriptive) and provides administrator with most of the relevant information he needs (informative)

Abstracts should be short, self-contained and easy to read

Vincent Vinci- “Ten Report Writing Pitfalls: How To Avoid Them”

Keep the audience in mind
Writing to impress can hinder communication
Clearly define the purpose of your report
Be consistent with mechanics
Eliminate excessive modifiers
Define the terms you use
Introduce the subject, purpose, scope, and plan of your report
Remove excessive information
Highlight important information
Revise your finished report

Project Proposal

Though various people are interested in learning to play the guitar, the inconvenience of setting up private lessons and the anxiety of learning in front of others can prevent potential learners from pursuing this dream. To fix this problem, I am designing a simple self-teaching guide for learning the fundamentals of guitar that anyone can enjoy at their own pace at any time. This guide will establish the basic skills of guitar and enable the user to then continue to learn on their own or to pursue private instruction with a newfound confidence and a lifelong hobby.

Many people are interested in learning to play the guitar and are probably familiar with learning strategies like taking lessons from a personal instructor. However, these people may not realize the disadvantages of starting out with personal instruction: lessons cost money and involve arranging your learning schedule around a teacher’s availability. In addition to this, most people will find that they are somewhat uncomfortable learning a complex skill in front of someone else and may struggle to keep up with their instructor’s expectations of progress. Therefore, the most ideal medium for learning the basic skills of guitar would provide users with clear and relevant information that they can enjoy at any time they please, all in the comfort of their own homes.

The idea of learning how to play guitar may seem appealing to many different people regardless of their depth of knowledge about music. This instrument is widely popular in many different types of music and can be played both individually and in cooperation with other musicians. Learning any new skill can be a fulfilling accomplishment, but the guitar provides a unique sense of satisfaction for anyone who enjoys music. The ability to produce and perform music is rewarding experience that will last a lifetime and will appeal to people of all ages and interests, and the guitar itself is the most popular and accessible form of musical self-expression.

The guitar is self-contained and requires little other than the instrument itself to be able to produce music. While the piano and drums are also popular instruments to take up, the guitar is more portable and can be played in a variety of environments and living spaces; in addition to this, it encompasses a much larger breadth of musical styles than other instruments and holds the most potential for individual expression. A person interested in taking up guitar can easily find a beginner’s model for a relatively cheap price, and the durability of the instrument makes a used guitar a good starting point. Finally, the guitar allows musical newcomers to forget their fear of music theory and confusing sheet music because guitarists have developed a simplified format of sheet music unique to the guitar called tablature. This notation actually represents how the hands are placed on the guitar rather than forcing the user to interpret this from sheet music, and as a result it greatly simplifies the learning process.

While the guitar has some attributes that make it easier to learn than other instruments, it can still be intimidating for someone who has no experience. In order to remedy the problems brought about by personal instruction, a more effective learning tool might be a personal guide that people can use on their own time at their own pace and in the comfort of their own home, free of the anxiety that comes with struggling to learn in front of others. A clear, concise guide that covers the essentials of guitar in a self-teaching format will allow users to gain knowledge along with the satisfaction of teaching themselves.

Potential users might be interested in learning how to play the guitar but unsure of exactly how to begin the process. The wealth of knowledge that is available about playing guitar and music in general can be overwhelming and even discouraging, so interested learners need someone to condense the relevant information into an easy-to-use, informative medium that establishes the basics before introducing more difficult topics. Many people would feel apprehensive about struggling to learn a new skill in front of others, yet they still need the guidance of a more experienced player to help them understand the fundamentals of guitar. This project will provide the audience with a personal guide that explains the relevant information in a clear manner and effectively demonstrates the techniques that will lead to becoming a successful guitarist. The tutorial will allow the audience to easily and comfortably become familiar with the basic skills of playing guitar in a user-friendly format that removes the discomfort of putting their inexperience on display for a personal instructor. Once users have mastered the skills introduced in this guide, their knowledge of basic music tablature and terms will allow them to continue to teach themselves beyond the scope of this project and their mastery of the essential skills will give them confidence to learn more from a personal teacher.

The format for this self-teaching guitar manual will be a logical progression of information and teaching. It will start with establishing the basic helpful information that users will need to understand, including the parts of a guitar, basic vocabulary, where you actually place your fingers to fret a string, and how notes are laid out on the neck of the guitar. This section will consist of clearly written text, labeled pictures, and diagrams that help the user visualize the concepts. The introductory information will also address maintenance of the instrument, including how to string a guitar and how to tune it. Most importantly, this section will introduce users to guitar tablature. Tabs are the written sheet music for guitar that are necessary for presenting where the fingers are placed on the guitar to play chords and individual notes. A tab is the easiest and most effective visual representation of how to play the notes and chords that make up songs, and learners must be able to read this simple diagram to learn how to play. Once users are familiar with these techniques, they are ready to begin learning the main issue of chords.

The text will briefly explain what a chord is, and diagrams of each basic chord will be provided with instructions for exactly where each finger goes. General major, minor, and power chord shapes will be introduced so that the user can learn the shape and then move it up and down the neck to form different bar chords. As users learn the few individual chords that are used to play almost every song, they will be introduced to popular chord progressions and will be shown how to transition between chords easily and fluidly. Tips about which fingers to keep in the same position between chords will be introduced so that the easiest and most efficient playing techniques will be learned.

Once users learn the basic chords, they can begin to play some songs and will find that almost all songs are simply three or four chords repeated in different orders. Examples of simple songs and their tabs will be provided, and practicing these will give the user experience in chord transitions and satisfaction that they are actually playing songs at this point. Next, songs with individual note-picking mixed in with chords will be introduced and the techniques for picking and strumming will be explained. At this point, the user will be able to attempt to learn simple renditions of almost any popular song if they are provided with the song’s tablature.

The next level of difficulty will be learning to play by finger picking, a fun technique that allows users to play more difficult songs with intricate picking patterns. Diagrams of which strings are covered by which fingers will be presented, and after completing this section the users will be very competent and confident guitarists ready to tackle any song. Finally, the user will be introduced to musical scales on guitar, or series of notes that are used in soloing. The guide will only give an introduction to the most popular solo scales and encourage users to learn more about this complex subject from more advanced resources.

As I am essentially a self-taught guitarist, I know what it feels like to be a beginner and I will do my best to address the problems that I came across in learning to play guitar. I have been playing for a few years now and have enough experience to teach the basics to a beginner and at least point them in the right direction for learning the more difficult subjects. To enhance the quality and credibility of the guide I will include tips from guitar experts and respected sources of information who can give a broader perspective for learning how to play the guitar.

I plan to work on the guide in a fairly straightforward manner, completing the lessons in the order that they will appear in the guide and starting with the most basic elements. An introduction to the parts of a guitar, the basic vocabulary and maintenance techniques will be complete by the end of September. Chord lessons and basic transitions should be complete by the first two weeks of October, and the textual pieces for learning songs should be complete by mid-October. Work on multimedia possibly in the form of videos and the presentation medium will begin in mid-October, and the entire project should be complete by early November.

Learning a new instrument can be a daunting task, but with the helpful organization of this beginner’s guide to guitar anyone can become experienced with the basic skills. Users will discover the wide variety of musical possibilities that can be reached using the guitar and will learn a lifelong hobby that will bring them enjoyment and a sense of accomplishment. The personal, user-friendly nature of this tutorial will allow the audience to learn guitar fundamentals comfortably in their own homes and at their own pace from someone who was once in their situation, avoiding the potential discomfort of struggling to learn in front of others and allowing the users to feel self-trained at a fun skill.

Business and Technical Correspondence, Harty p. 115-167

-traditionally letters were to people outside the company and memos were to people within the company

-the ease with which an email is sent can cause some to become sloppy with their email etiquette

-letters can determine how the public views a company, should highlight the reader’s interests, not the writers

highlight the benefits of the reader

use of personal pronouns is good

avoid a negative tone, say ‘no’ nicely and encouragingly

best way to deliver bad news is actually in person

indirect and direct methods to saying ‘no’, both are courteous

memos are used to :
inform people of a problem or situation
assess responsibility and action for it
establish a file record of decisions and policies

memos can skip background info, formalities

memos should be clear, concise, direct, and easy to read

memo format- to and from line, subject, distribution, text, paragraphs, line spacing, underlines and capitals, numbers of pages, figures and table

Email- use active, concise, specific language plain language to communicate clearly and accurately

write with correct grammar, use gender neutral language, and use correct punctuation
active language is good

avoid colloquialisms and inflated language

Use short, simple, focused sentences

it is never wrong to use a comma after an introductory clause

dashes tend to highlight information, while parentheses tend to minimize it or play it down

Two hyphens can be used to make a dash

problem statements

1. many people are interested in learning to play guitar and might be familiar with some learning resources, such as taking lessons from a personal instructor. However, these people may not realize the disadvantages of starting out with personal instruction; lessons cost money and involve meeting with an instructor at a specific time that may not be convenient for the student. In addition to this, many people will find that they are somewhat uncomfortable learning a complex skill in front of someone else, and may struggle with meeting the expectations of a teacher. Therefore, the most ideal medium for learning the basic skills of guitar would provide users with clear, relevant information that they can enjoy at any time they wish in the comfort of their own homes.
2. Many people are interested in learning to play an instrument, and guitar is one the the most popular forms of musical self-expression available. Due to the overwhelming amount of information available, however, a potential student might be interested in finding a personal instructor to guide them through this process. while a personal instructor might be very helpful in the learning process, many people do not realize the drawbacks of personal instruction. Lessons will cost money and involve arranging their learning schedule around a teacher’s availability; in addition to this, many people will feel uncomfortable trying to learn a difficult skill in front of someone else and trying to keep up with their instructor’s expectations of progress. Therefore, these potential guitar students would benefit from a personal resource that has all the benefits of personal instruction without the problems of cost and schedule flexibility as well as the added fear of social embarrassment. This self-teaching guide will provide users with detailed instruction that they can enjoy in the comfort of their own home, anytime, and without an unwanted audience.

Proposal Rough Draft

The idea of learning how to play guitar may seem appealing to many different people regardless of their depth of knowledge about music. This instrument is widely popular in many different types of music and can be played both individually and in cooperation with other musicians. Learning any new skill can be a fulfilling accomplishment, but the guitar provides a unique sense of satisfaction for anyone who enjoys music. The ability to produce and perform music is rewarding experience that will last a lifetime and will appeal to people of all ages and interests, and the guitar itself is the most popular and accessible form of musical self-expression.

The guitar is self-contained and requires little other than the instrument itself to be able to produce music. While the piano and drums are also popular instruments to take up, the guitar is more portable and can be played in a variety of environments and living spaces; in addition to this, it encompasses a much larger breadth of musical styles than other instruments and holds the most potential for individual expression. A person interested in taking up guitar can easily find a beginner’s model for a relatively cheap price, and the durability of the instrument makes a used guitar a good starting point. Finally, the guitar allows a musical newcomer to forget their fear of music theory and confusing sheet music because guitarists have developed a simplified format of sheet music unique to the guitar called tablature. This notation actually represents how to place your hands on the guitar rather than forcing the user to interpret this from the musical notes, and as a result greatly simplifies the learning process.

While the guitar has some attributes that make it easier to learn than other instruments, it can still be intimidating for someone who has no experience. Learning from a personal teacher is the probably the easiest way to quickly master the guitar, but this brings about some problematic issues. Looking inexperienced and clumsy in front of others can be uncomfortable for some people, and finding an instructor means scheduling time to meet them and possibly having to pay for lessons. Therefore in order to learn the basic fundamentals of guitar, a more effective learning tool might be a personal guide that people can use on their own time at their own pace and in the comfort of their own home, free of the anxiety that comes with struggling to learn in front of others. A clear, concise guide that covers the essentials of guitar in a self-teaching format will allow users to gain knowledge along with the satisfaction of teaching themselves.

Potential users might be interested in learning how to play the guitar but unsure of exactly how to begin the process. The wealth of knowledge that is available about playing guitar and music in general can be overwhelming and even discouraging, so interested learners need someone to condense the relevant information into an easy-to-use, informative medium that establishes the basics before introducing more difficult topics. Many people would feel apprehensive about struggling to learn a new skill in front of others, yet they still need the guidance of a more experienced player to help them understand the fundamentals of guitar. This project will provide the audience with a personal guide that explains the relevant information in a clear manner and effectively demonstrates the techniques that will lead to becoming a successful guitarist. The tutorial will allow the audience to easily and comfortably become familiar with the basic skills of playing guitar in a user-friendly format that removes the discomfort of putting their inexperience on display for a personal instructor. Once users have mastered the skills introduced in this guide, their knowledge of basic music tablature and terms will allow them to continue to teach themselves beyond the scope of this project and their mastery of the essential skills will give them confidence to learn more from a personal teacher.

The format for this self-teaching guitar manual will be a logical progression of information and teaching. It will start with establishing the basic helpful information that users will need to understand, including the parts of a guitar, basic vocabulary, where you actually place your fingers to fret a string, and how notes are laid out on the neck of the guitar. This section will consist of clearly written text, labeled pictures, and diagrams that help the user visualize the concepts. The introductory information will also address maintenance of the instrument, including how to string a guitar and how to tune it. Most importantly, this section will introduce users to guitar tablature. Tabs are the written sheet music for guitar that are necessary for presenting where the fingers are placed on the guitar to play chords and individual notes. A tab is the easiest and most effective visual representation of how to play the notes and chords that make up songs, and learners must be able to read this simple diagram to learn how to play. Once users are familiar with these techniques, they are ready to begin learning the main issue of chords.

The text will briefly explain what a chord is, and diagrams of each basic chord will be provided with instructions for exactly where each finger goes. General major, minor, and power chord shapes will be introduced so that the user can learn the shape and then move it up and down the neck to form different bar chords. As users learn the few individual chords that are used to play almost every song, they will be introduced to popular chord progressions and will be shown how to transition between chords easily and fluidly. Tips about which fingers to keep in the same position between chords will be introduced so that the easiest and most efficient playing techniques will be learned.

Once users learn the basic chords, they can begin to play some songs and will find that almost all songs are simply three or four chords repeated in different orders. Examples of simple songs and their tabs will be provided, and practicing these will give the user practice in chord transitions and satisfaction that they are actually playing songs at this point. Next, songs with individual note-picking mixed in with chords will be introduced and the techniques for picking and strumming will be explained. At this point, the user will be able to attempt to learn simple renditions of almost any popular song if they are provided with the song’s tablature.

The next level of difficulty will be learning to play by finger picking, a fun technique that allows users to play more difficult songs with intricate picking patterns. Diagrams of which strings are covered by which fingers will be presented, and after completing this section the users will be very competent and confident guitarists ready to tackle any song. Finally, the user will be introduced to musical scales on guitar, or series of notes that are used in soloing. The guide will only give an introduction to the most popular solo scales and encourage users to learn more about this complex subject from more advanced resources.

As I am essentially a self-taught guitarist, I know what it feels like to be a beginner and I will do my best to address the problems that I came across in learning to play guitar. I have been playing for a few years now and have enough experience to teach the basics to a beginner and at least point them in the right direction for learning the more difficult subjects. To enhance the quality and credibility of the guide I will include tips from guitar experts and respected sources of information.

I plan to work on the guide in a fairly straightforward manner, completing the lessons in the order that they will appear in the guide and starting with the most basic elements. An introduction to the parts of a guitar, the basic vocabulary and maintenance techniques will be complete by the end of September. Chord lessons and basic transitions should be complete by the first two weeks of October, and the textual pieces for learning songs should be complete by mid-October. Work on multimedia possibly in the form of videos and the presentation medium will begin in mid-October, and the entire project should be complete by early November.

Learning a new instrument can be a daunting task, but with the helpful organization of this beginner’s guide to guitar anyone can become experienced with the basic skills. Users will discover the wide variety of musical possibilities that can be reached using the guitar and will learn a lifelong hobby that will bring them enjoyment and a sense of accomplishment. The personal, user-friendly nature of this tutorial will allow the audience to learn guitar fundamentals comfortably in their own homes and at their own pace from someone who was once in their situation, avoiding the potential discomfort of struggling to learn in front of others and allowing the users to feel self-trained at a fun skill.

Ethics, p 1-38

-ethics involves making judgments about values

-ethical responsibilities involved in technical communication- faithfully relay information between transmitter and receiver

-in order to operate ethically you need to understand all of your responsibilities as a communicator

-deliberations must be open to different voices to truly be ethical decisions

-ethics is time-consuming, both individual and social

Values- intentions or ends that guide an action

Rhetoric- use of reasoned arguments based on socially accepted values in order to persuade

Persuasion- willing,, informed collective agreement of a critically thinking audience

What we learn from past ethical judgments essentially is how complex they can be

Plato- absolutist, do what pleases god and what your soul wants you to do

Socrates- do the right thing regardless of the consequences, social involvement

Aristotle- more practical, less metaphysical than Plato

Sophists- there are no absolutes, communication is very important

Social constructionism- all knowledge is only a construct deriving from its social context

Gorgias- powerful persuader, Encomium of Helen

-Sophists believed rhetoric is simply a skill, can be used to support the unethical or lesser argument

Hegel- supported Sophists’ arguments

Perelman- language is our values, we express them through rhetoric

Burke- values are worked out socially and rhetorically rather than received from on high

Weaver- critical of science and technology in our culture, antisophist

Foucault- language use of the privileged class perpetuates itself while it discounts anything different

Habermas- public discussion about values, goals, and policy amounts to a valid sort of knowledge

Project Proposal

Exec Summary- 100 words, like an abstract

Introduction- address thesis/problem statement, reveal upfront what the conclusion/solution is

Body- 1) current situation- credibility, broader context
2) project plan- methodology
3) qualifications
4) budget- timeline/schedule for deliverables, reassuring client you will come through

Conclusion- revisits main problem, summarizes methods, highlights benefits


PROJECT PROPOSAL

Body: The current situation for the audience interested in my project involves an interest in learning to play guitar but a lack of knowledge about the basic fundamentals. A potential learner might be apprehensive about looking like he or she doesn't know anything, and this tool will be helpful as it is a useful self-teaching tool. The structure of the project will consist of written tutorials and visual aides that establish the very basics first and then build upon each previous lesson. As I am basically self-taught and I have been playing for a few years, I am familiar with the steps necessary to learning and I know how it is to feel clueless or overwhelmed. I plan to first write lessons for the parts of the guitar and the basic techniques of fretting and strumming soon and will build upon that with each subsequent lesson.

Problems With Language Notes

2 guiding principles - write in a clear, simple, straightforward manner and write in a style with which you would be comfortable speaking

jargon- technical language unique to a profession; can become pretentious

gobbledygook- gibberish that supposedly sounds good but is unnecessary or overly complicated

legalese- overreliance on legal terminology

Chase- gobbledygook does not necessarily have bad intentions, just not simple enough
-sometimes big language is necessary, but it must be explained well for the public
- writing in the active voice helps minimize gobbledygook

Zinsser- write so that the reader can picture an actual person performing the actions

- humanity and personality is key, don’t use pompous language

Siegel- Plain English- intended audience should be able to understand the document

- simplifying writing can also be used to mislead, and following the simple laws too rigorously can defeat the purpose

Mathewson- lawyers don’t have to write like novelists, just write clearly

-use plural pronouns and replace pronouns with articles to help avoid sexist language

Olofsson- your audience may have a different communication style based on their background or nationality

- different cultures have different norms in conversation, especially regarding questions, silences and body language

Who let the blogs out?

http://clemsontechwriting.blogspot.com
http://sharkey314.blogspot.com
http://myenglish314.blogspot.com
http://brennan314.blogspot.com
http://techwriting314ryan.blogspot.com
http://english314annadimitri.blogspot.com
http://technicalwriting314.blogspot.com
http://minermementoes.blogspot.com
http://myENGLH314.blogspot.com
http://brittaj.blogspot.com

PAFEO Analysis

I'm not sure exactly what I'm doing for my project yet, but this is a PAFEO analysis for an introductory guide to playing guitar.

Project Idea PAFEO Analysis

Purpose: The purpose for this project would be to introduce the basics of guitar at a beginner’s level. There would be an emphasis on learning the parts of the guitar and techniques such as restringing and tuning the guitar as well as an overview of the most common chords and chord progressions. The basic skills of fretting and finger picking would be discussed and an explanation of how to read tablature would be included.

Audience: The target audience would be anyone interested in learning the fundamentals of guitar. The reader would not need any prior experience as the project would be written at a beginner’s level.

Format: This guide would be written out with explicit detail and would include pictures, figures for tablature and scales, and diagrams that would provide visuals for finger placement for chords and finger picking.

Evidence: Helpful tips and techniques from experts in the field would be included and cited, and basic helpful practices that are common knowledge for guitar players would be introduced to the reader to facilitate quick learning.

Organization: This guide could be organized so that it introduces the most basic skills first and leads into more complicated practices and music theory once the basics have been established. Anatomy of the guitar would be introduced first, along with stringing and tuning, followed by basic chord structures; then chord progressions, scales, and whole songs would be presented.

Brainstorming Session

Brainstorming Session 8/28/08

1) College Late Night Cookbook- limited ingredients; technical aspects--> table of contents, intro, technical book format
2) Gameday Traditions in Clemson- insiders guide to being a fan, website directed to visitors and fans, pictures, ritualistic lists, from sunrise til sundown
3) Business Plan- annual report, contact small company volunteer some of their reports
4) Medical Procedures- type of writing they do in their everyday work, interview a physician, differences in fellowships and residency programs within the Medical profession, coswt analysis
5) Profession Guide- from an undergraduate perspective, how to jump through the correct "hoops" to get into graduate school or obtain a particular job out of college, road map of sorts, make a film or website
6) Technical Research Documents- medical journals, analysis, taxes, will, investment documents
7) Non-Profit Organization- what needs they may have, link up, some sort of survey report whether their information is being correctly communicated to their audience
8) "How to" document- any genre, sports, outdoor activities, depending on your interests, rules of Golf, how to read music, how to learn guitar, how to computer software, how to fly fish, incorporate a video, how to apply to Medical school and undergraduate programs, how to create a gaming comp., how to backpack through Europe, how to build an investment portfolio, good places to hike in and around Clemson, start off your finances after college, where and why to invest
9) Evaluations of Different Schools Admission Materials- from a student's perspectives
10) Legal Documentation- how to, process behind, talk to Lawyers
11) Resume Building- video resume, more than just a word document, taking advantage of media technology, broaden your appeal
12) Off Campus Housing Advertising- pros and cons, market analysis
13) Rate My Professor- more in depth, what professors to take in order to improve the students' learning
14) Medical Research- genetics
15) Evaluation of Medical Product Reviews-
16) Guide to Studying Abroad- different steps, etc. to making it work financially, academically and socially, create a website