WSU402 - Rich Bowers

WSU402 Afterthoughts

2008-12-06T20:43:00.000-08:00

Tis' the season for reflection and remembrance, for gifts and celebrations, counting our blessings, and giving helping hands. As we navigate our way through the holiday season, let us not forget what it has meant to us. No, I am not going to wax theological, but each of us has a reason to remember the season in their own unique way. Some of us generate the bulk of our annual sales at this time, ensuring a profitable year. Some of us center our activities around family and friends. For some of us, it signals the beginning of a season, like skiing or snowshoeing. For fisherman here in the Northwest, it is the beginning of Winter Steelheading. For others, it may only be the break between class terms. Whatever the season means to you, may this be your best one yet.

Happy holidays!

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Response to Traci's Blog Post

2008-11-28T14:32:00.000-08:00

Traci brings up some very valid points regarding public speaking, and how age can affect your confidence. I agree with what she said, but I think I would take it even a little farther, equating experience with comfort as well. If we present to groups often enough, the butterflies tend to shrink over time.

Another thing that can trump our fears and doubts is passion - if you feel strongly enough about an issue or subject, you can focus on your message, submerging your fear beneath the passion. I have on numerous occasions approached total strangers to support a local charitable event. I feel so strongly about the event, I am willing to do the uncomfortable to accomplish our goals. Politicians and activists are good examples where passion fuels the fire and strips away the caution.

One last method I have witnessed is pretending to be someone else. If, for example, you tried to present a speech as Lincoln would, you can focus on the delivery and mannerisms along with the message, giving yourself less time to worry and entertain doubts.

No matter what method or device you use, there are always times you will be nervous presenting to a group. If you are able to recognize and analyze your fear and its source, you can embrace it and use it to hone your presentation until you have nothing left to fear. I know, easier said than done. But what a feeling when you've done it for the first time!!

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What have I learned?

2008-11-27T11:25:00.000-08:00

I must admit, I entered this class last August with mixed emotions. I was confidant in my ability to communicate in various formats, but had no clue what the focus would be, how class would be conducted, grading methodologies, or the form versus content emphasis.

I learned early in the term that my normal writing "voice" was not correct for office communications. I needed to focus more on who would read it than how it sounded to me, and edit out my attempts at humor. This is not the first time I have learned these lessons, I have received extensive training writing audit reports for executive management and audit committees. Unfortunately, recent experience has been much less formal, with almost all writing consisting of e-mails in a technical department. I adapted my communications to the style and format I received, which tended to be highly informal, with many typographical and grammatical errors. I am glad I was forced to re-learn proper office communication etiquette and formats, it provides a good basis for effective communication, and will always be appropriate in an office environment.

I was also amazed with the number of writing genres covered, some of which were totally foreign to me. While I grew up with TV and Radio, I was unfamiliar with their processes and formats. The requirement to get the point across quickly and efficiently while retaining the audience's attention was a revelation. Same with some of the advertising discussions. Breaking down the advertising formats was very interesting and enlightening. I imagine having success breaking through the "clutter" is a significant milestone for a copywriter.

All-in-all, I have enjoyed this class and learned (and re-learned) many valuable lessons that will stand me in good stead for years to come.

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Response to Rhiannon's post on Chapters 9 & 10

2008-11-13T17:18:00.000-08:00

Rhiannan discussed the recurring theme in the chapter readings, even to the point of listing the main parts of the effective reader-centered communication. It was like deja-vu all over again (thanks, Yogi!) I too had noticed similar tendencies, and even went so far as to state in a former blog post that advertising seemed to me the perfected art of reader-centered communications. Still not a big fan of advertising, but you gotta admire the art form!

Chapter Readings (17 and 18)

2008-11-13T16:52:00.000-08:00

Somehow, I suspect the timing for chapter 17 was calculated to coincide with our group presentations. After all, what are the odds of reading about oral presentations the week we are scheduled to make oral presentations?

The concepts and guidelines presented in the chapter didn't go so far as to suggest "imagining the audience in their underwear", but did present logical and well-conceived ideas and arguments for various aspects of oral presentations, right down to a tutorial on PowerPoint.

Chapter 18 went right to the heart of technical communications, designing user-friendly web pages. Having recently completed a WSU course in beginning web design, I can corroborate many of the guidelines discussed in the chapter. When I designed my own web site, I went to particular lengths to design a good test questionaire, and carefully chose my opinion audience. I found out the hard way that compiling responses and interpreting results is a science unto itself!

Response to Joey Barza's post on The "Persuaders"

2008-11-08T19:57:00.000-08:00

Joey makes some cogent points in his post, but after reading the assigned chapters, I am inclined to expand the "persuasive" influence bubble to all our creative writing efforts. Just as in advertising, we must first get their attention (cutting through the clutter, opening statement, etc.). Then we have to support our argument clearly and concisely, and finally, have an effective "tag line" (closing statement). Additionally, the format must be carefully constructed to attract the correct demographic (reader-centered).

All in all, it appears that advertising may encapsulate all of the elements of effective communications. Taken to the extreme, this theory would suggest that if we could run a successful ad campaign, we could write anything!

Can we get a Boo-ya for Madison Avenue?!?

Chapter Readings (2, 9 & 10)

2008-11-08T19:41:00.000-08:00

My first impression of these chapters was that of someone that could not make up their mind. First it tells us to write a resume one way, unless this or that, then write it another way. Same with beginning or closing statements. Chapter 10 even goes so far as to state omitting closing statements is entirely correct at times, after first stating how important they can be. It all reminded me of the famous movie line "If this is Tuesday, it must be Belgium" After giving it time to sink in, and reflecting on the book's paramount axiom, I realized it all hearkens back to one of the first lessons of the term - know your audience, and craft your writing accordingly. In that light, it all makes sense, regardless of how it appears when taken out of context.

Response to Sokphan's post

2008-10-31T23:19:00.000-07:00

Reading through Sokphan's post on the chapter readings reminded me of a recent practical application. I allowed each of our group members to review the first draft of my written contribution for the group project, of which I was overly proud. The 4th and final reviewer pointed out that my article was not the correct format, it was more a human interest piece or an anecdotal entertainment piece, not a feature article. They were correct of course, but my enthusiasm with the piece itself had clouded my judgement causing me to lose reader-centric focus. Don't get me wrong, I still like the story, it just wasn't the right story for this purpose. If my reviewer had not maintained their editing focus, including reviewing the story in comparison to the article's purpose, it would probably have been included in our final product, potentially jeopardizing the project grade for the entire team.

Thoughts on the assigned Reading - Chapters 14 and 15

2008-10-31T22:53:00.000-07:00

While reading chapter 14, I was reminded of a former supervisor who would have dramatically improved his editing skills by simply reading chapter 14. I will never forget submitting a draft for his review five times before he approved it, and the final form was almost an exact word for word replica of the first draft. His style was to focus on form over function to the extreme one time, then purpose exclusive of form or function, then he might focus on mechanics, and then finally looking at the overall goal. This was a very frustrating, time consuming, and counter-productive process. If he developed a reader-centric focus instead of his ego-centric focus, everybody would have benefited. I'm glad we've had the opportunity to study this methodology and process before we become like that supervisor.

In chapter 15, I am sharply reminded of a technology course completed in a prior term. We developed web pages and we were required to conduct user surveys of our sites. Many of the same processes and techniques described in the chapter were useful in determining how users perceived our sites. There are many other examples where these testing techniques are effective. I have participated in at least two more that immediately come to mind - product research testing and mock juries. Both were controlled environments with specific test procedures and rules. I find it more than a little interesting that good planning, processes and procedures can translate well to almost any enterprise.

Response to Peter

2008-10-23T20:33:00.000-07:00

I was amused at Peter's description and his reaction to Jesse Day's presentation - I had experienced some of those thoughts myself. I hesitated to comment, primarily because I've also been in front of an unfamiliar group trying to explain what I do in a cohesive manner, and failing miserably! It does not matter how well you know your topic, or how many times you practice your presentation, it is still far easier to trip over your tongue than to give a presentation with you are satisfied.

Regarding Jesse's discussion of the morning meeting, I thought it was very odd that virtually all of the local stations ran the same stories - did they all attend the same meeting? Learn from the same teachers? I've often wondered why news shows seemed to be clones of each other, and I guess I'll continue to wonder.

Journalism in the Age of Blog

2008-10-23T19:50:00.000-07:00

After reading the assigned articles, I felt somewhat depressed - the allure of the unknown had been exposed to the naked light of day and blogs were not so foreign and strange after all. As a neo-blogger, I have made efforts to incorporate cohesion, grammar and spell-check as prerequisites before posting my blog. It seems I had it wrong. According to the articles, it appears that bloggers want to be the anti-journalists. Whereas journalists are concerned with truth and content, bloggers were represented as language rebels writing on their own terms, even creating their own terms.

I wonder if a journalist could become a power-blogger? Could they suspend their training and restraint to enter the writer's mud-wrestling pit?

Then on the other hand, is it possible for a blogger to become a successful (read published and/or employed) journalist? Could the rough cut stone become the polished gem?

Points to consider, eh?

News Blog Response

2008-10-16T19:22:00.000-07:00

Seems I couldn't pick out one particular blog this week, so many of them shared some or all of my feelings. For example, many of the blogs spoke of avoiding the news because of all the negativity (or as more eloquently labeled by Rhiannon). Other blogs noted other sources, as when Melisa referenced the Internet as her preferred source. I personally like visiting SeattleTimes.com, where the stories are bullet points with links I can choose to access and read, or simply ignore. Joey mentioned using the subscription services (for which he pays "good money") as another alternative. I would agree, to a point - it seems that now cable and other premium subscription services are also beginning to accept advertising. It could also be noted many of the subscription service news people yearn to join the mainstream media and thus pattern their styles to that end, with subscription news style trending towards mainstream news formats. Several blogs noted the weather as a primary reason for watching the news, and Vic even hit on one of my pet peeves with the news media, advertising. I honestly believe we would be much better informed if the news media, in whatever format you may prefer, did not need to rely on advertising for support. I often wonder how many stories were quashed, or toned down, to prevent offending a sponsor.

Television News

2008-10-16T18:43:00.000-07:00

I have long refrained from watching television news, primarily because so much of it falls into a few categories:

Crime and Punishment
Politics
Natural disasters
Local sports
Local weather

Charles "Tremendous" Jones, a noted motivational speaker, once said that there are only two areas of the newspaper he regularly reads - sports and the comics. As he noted, sports talks of overcoming adversity and triumphing over long odds, about successes and accomplishments. He further went on to say that comics add humor to our lives. His choice to avoid the remainder of the paper was to limit his negativity input. With TV and Radio, we don't have the same options. If we turn them off, how would we know when to turn them back on for the news we wanted?

Now don't get me wrong, I have no objections to learning what is happening around me. I just object to the news media spoon-feeding me sound bites designed to keep me coming back, and coincidentally, making their advertisers happy.

There are some exceptions, of course, news shows with regular human interest features or other feel-good pieces. I just wish they were the norm, not the exception.

Response to Peter's Response to Melisa

2008-10-09T20:33:00.000-07:00

I enjoy reading Peter's blogs because they are so unpredictable! In this instance, peter included a cartoon strip to emphasize one of his main points - the customer isn't always right, but they usually win in the end. It reminded me of a former associate, whose favorite comment on the subject was "The customer is always right, as long as they agree with me!"

Peter's use of humor is very effective, letting the message insinuate itself into our sub-conscience as we enjoy a chuckle or two.

Since I am a more logic-driven person, I generally try to reason things out. I could come up with several arguments in favor of acceding to the customer, but in the end, Peter's technique is much more effective. Nice work Peter, my hat is off to you!

Freelance Writing

2008-10-09T20:12:00.000-07:00

I have mixed emotions about freelance writing. On one hand, you have the freedom to write the way you want, pleasing only yourself. On the other hand, you are constrained by commercial interests - will you be able to sell what you write? It appears to me that you have a balancing act to perform if you want to be a successful and happy freelance writer.

If I am persuaded to freelance, I foresee a disciplined approach beginning with commercially viable copy transitioning over time to contain more voice and individual personality. Once you have gained a modicum of success and reputation, publications should be more willing to allow your personality to show in your work.

The big fly in the ointment would be persuading me to freelance in the first place!

Response to the Sara Ross post on Chapter 8

2008-10-03T20:21:00.000-07:00

Just like Melisa Dawson, I too appreciated Sara's tip about reading your writing aloud before finalizing. I cannot tell you how many times I have eliminated careless mistakes and typographical errors with this simple yet powerful little technique. There is no telling how much better my first few memos could have been if I had taken the time to read them aloud.

Another trick I learned was to set the writing aside and revisit it later. The human mind can do very strange things, including read what you meant to say despite what you actually committed to paper. Re-reading your draft at a later time helps eliminate the "phantom reading" because your original thoughts are not as fresh and you can focus on what you actually wrote. This has saved my bacon more times than I like to admit - I guess I should start doing it again if I want a decent grade, eh?

Review of Chapters 8 and 19, Technical Communications

2008-10-03T19:16:00.000-07:00

Chapter 8
This chapter seemed on the surface to be somewhat paradoxical - write with a reader-centered voice, but use your own voice. It was not until I got deeper into the chapter that I was able to reconcile the two perspectives. On the one hand, you need to write so the reader can receive your message without being unduly influenced by your writing "voice". At the same time, you create your own "voice" within the framework of knowing your audience and the intent of your writing. The reference to Linus Pauling and his ability to write technical papers while retaining a distinctive style provided a strong example of matching "voice" with a reader-centered approach.

The remainder of the chapter went into some nuts and bolts for constructing sentences that support effective reader-centered writing.

Chapter 19
At first, Chapter 19 felt like a digression from writing, resembling instead a primer on project management. It was when I realized that virtually every writing assignment can benefit from the principals and guidelines of good project management that I understo0od why it was included in the book. To write effectively, particularly for client projects (the focus of the chapter), the writer must stay on task and on time. Good project management practices can help accomplish that.

Response to Traci Johnson's Rhetoric Post

2008-09-25T19:47:00.000-07:00

It seems Traci and I were on the same page, we both used the same political add as a basis for some or all of our rhetoric post. I must admit however that Traci did a much better job of describing the forms of rhetoric and citing examples from the ad. Good job, Traci!

Technical Communication Review, Chapters 6 & 7

2008-09-25T18:46:00.000-07:00

This week's chapter readings remind me of the oft-used phrase "Timing is everything". I must admit that I wondered about the assigned chapter sequence, but the topics this week were precisely on target for our projects - the ABC's of research.

Chapter 6

Chapter 6 reminded us about the correct research focus, the reader.

How or why the reader use the research.
What format would benefit them the most?

It went on to discuss numerous guidelines for reader-centered research, including:

Research objectives - what are you looking for?
Develop a research plan to get the most from your research
Always be alert to additional research sources
Make sure your research data is relevant, accurate, appropriate & credible
Evaluate results as they occur - this will help maintain the research focus
Document carefully, including taking accurate notes. Results mean nothing if you cannot accurately reproduce or interpret them
Always follow ethical guidelines - give credit where credit is due, and seek permission where appropriate

Chapter 7

Chapter 7 goes into some of the nuts and bolts of research methodologies:

Brainstorming - a rapid disgorge of as many ideas related to a topic as one can produce. This can be as an individual or group. NOTE: Write down the ideas - producing them does no good if you cannot reproduce them!
Freewriting - the same as brainstorming except that you write down complete ideas
Schematics - use flowcharts, diagrams, matrices, or other pictorial displays to organize the research ideas, topics, or processes
Internet search engines and directories Caution: know your source - not all internet sources are created equal! You can narrow your search parameters with advanced search features utilizing Boolean operators
Libraries - both brick & mortar and on-line
Interviews

The bottom line is, which research methodologies will best suit your topic and generate the most usable and relevant information for your readers

Rhetoric - What it means to me

2008-09-18T20:19:00.000-07:00

Rhetoric is a vital and valuable tool, albeit some consider it a necessary evil. Rhetoric is the use of words to convince, cajole or otherwise influence an intended audience to adopt a point of view or perform some action. Rhetoric can elicit emotions (pathos), appeal to logic (logos), relate first-person experiences or qualities (Ethos), or use any combination of these three rhetoric styles.

To be effective, rhetoric must convey a particular message clearly, succinctly, and completely, without additional “clutter”. Of particular current interest are political ads. These ads rely significantly on emotion (Pathos) to convince voters of either the goodness of one party (or candidate) or to cast the opponent in a negative light. One ad currently portrays a candidate as opposing more stringent sentences on a particular class of criminals, thereby instigating fear in the target audience. What the ads don’t do is support their message with too many facts – that would diminish the emotional message and thereby reduce the effectiveness of the ad.

Without rhetoric, commerce would grind to a halt and mankind would essentially be thrown back to the stone ages. Without the ability to convey ideas, there can be no developing a consensus, and without a consensus, groups cannot act in concert. Commerce and society rely on likeminded people banding together and cooperating. While non-verbal interpersonal communication can function on a small scale, it cannot support the infrastructure of today’s modern society.

Therefore, while we may not always like the ways rhetoric is used, it is vital to our survival.

Technical Communication, Chapters 4, 5, 16 and 23

2008-09-18T19:35:00.000-07:00

Chapters 4 and 5 appeared to be extensions of Chapter 3, with some the practical advantages of knowing your audience. Chapter 4 gives valuable insight into how knowing your audience assists in planning your communication so it has the greatest utility for your specific audience. Chapter 5 gives various strategies for maximizing the effectiveness of your communication for given audiences.

Chapter 16 begins the discussions into group dynamics for writing projects, listing three basic group structures:

Tiered - a single person is designated as a leader (or manager) who can assign tasks and make decisions
Flat - every team member is equal and can actively participate in decisions and tasks
Hybrid - Where a nominal leader actively engages group members, sometimes acting as a facilitator

The major discussion points centered around how to make the group dynamics as effective as possible enlisting numerous tools, such as storyboards, outlines, timelines, etc.

Chapter 23 dealt with writing effective instructions. Here again, knowing the audience played a central role in how to write the instructions. Considerations included the expected expertise, geographic and cultural variances, and how the audience is expected to use the instructions. The chapter addressed these issues woven in a discussion of the “superstructure” (organizational format), detailing methodologies and options in the:

· Introduction
· Description of Equipment
· List of Materials Needed
· Directions
· Troubleshooting

Response to Robert Clemans Post on Ch. 3

2008-09-12T19:13:00.000-07:00

Bravo! Something a little different, yet still on point.

The majority of blogs on Chapter 3 seemed to parrot the chapter, regurgitating what we have all already read. Some were so long, I couldn’t finish them! Not Robert! He encapsulated the importance of the information in a real life scenario, capturing the essence of why we should know the who, what & why's of our writing. Great job!!

Technical Communications - Chapter 3

2008-09-12T17:37:00.000-07:00

As in every successful endeavor, you must KNOW YOUR AUDIENCE!. This has been true for virtually every profession from snake-oil salesmen, con artists, stand-up comedians, and even to titans of industry. Imagine a stand-up comic presenting their R-rated material at a birthday party for a 7-year old child, or a whaling firm executive discussing the merits of different processing techniques to a Greenpeace convention. I suspect those could be uncomfortable moments.

The writing profession is no different - you must know to whom you are writing, why you are writing to them, why they are reading what you are writing, and how you want them to receive your communication. Chapter 3 in the textbook covers this requirement in exhaustive detail with numerous examples and detailed rationale.

Writing - UGH!!

2008-09-04T19:11:00.000-07:00

Writing in all of its various forms can be such a chore! However, it does have its points. If done well with thought, planning, and research, it can have many beneficial effects:

Alleviating additional or excess work and/or effort
Facilitating commerce
Persuading individuals, groups, or organizations
Influencing opinions, both public and private
Educating and instructing

If done rashly, poorly, without forethought or sufficient research, writing can have exactly the opposite impact by:

Creating unnecessary work
Disrupting effective commerce
Dissuading individuals, groups, or organizations from adopting your point of view
Negatively influencing opinions
Confuse and disenfranchise the readers

While I may not enjoy writing, I recognize its value and look forward to the impact this class (English 402) will have in improving my future professional correspondence.

Technical Communication Chapters 1, 20 and 22

2008-09-04T18:46:00.000-07:00

Having read the assigned chapters in the textbook, I am struck by a couple of paradoxical observations.

First, in Ch. 1, the author stresses the difference between writing for educational purposes and business writing. They have almost diametrically opposed purposes, with educational writing tending to be highly verbose with expansive discourses on sometimes obscure topics. Business writing, on the other hand, tends to be concise and to the point. The result was an educational format discourse describing why we will learn to write in just the opposite manner. The juxtaposition struck me as odd and a little amusing.

Secondly, the author stressed the need for clarity in technical and/or professional writing, while at the same time presenting the reader with somewhat confusing examples. Take the three examples of business letters shown on page 531 in the textbook. The three examples represent the first and subsequent pages as well as the envelope. It would have been far less confusing for the three examples to have been from the same letter, instead of three different letters. I also noted on page 533 that the last bullet points dealing with special memo-writing considerations dealt with a comparison between writing memos and letters. There was no clear delineation between when discussing letters and when discussing memos. If I were to read that point out of context, it would have been very confusing.

The criticisms aside, the information in the textbook appeared to take a no nonsense common sense approach to professional communications, despite its unintended amusing dichotomies.