ENG 106 Written Business Communication. Summer Session I 2015

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1 ENG 106 Written Business Communication Summer Session I 2015 CRNs 4798 and 6215 Harrisburg Area Community College, Internet Course Valerie A. Gray, Professor of English 213C Rose Lehrman Arts Building, Harrisburg Campus vagray@hacc.edu Inter-campus extension: Office Hours: By appointment Catalog Description Applies business communication principles in the writing of effective business documents such as memos, letters, resumes, brochures, and short reports. This course is primarily for business students. Enrollment Requirements: Completion of ENGL 101 and 003 or 007 (when required by the College Placement Test) with a grade of C or higher. Learning Outcomes Upon successful completion of the course the student will be able to: Compose the essential forms of business writing, such as memos letters, resumes, brochures, and short reports Use the appropriate business writing format and style Organize, compose, design, and present business information based on audience analysis, purpose, media, and usability Identify importance of ethical and legal considerations in designing and composing business documents Complete business documents collaboratively and recursively Give presentations of business information Conduct and document research using the APA documentation style ENGL 106 Syllabus Summer I 2015 Page 1

2 Course Description Effective communication skills are essential in the corporate world. From messages to oral and written reports, it is important to effectively communicate your message. This course provides writing skills and techniques to better communicate your ideas in business situations. You will learn how to write business information that informs, persuades, and builds goodwill; and you will write documents that are composed collaboratively. You will examine the various types of communication that are used in business; and will gain practical experience writing and evaluating these materials. Required Text Locker, Kitty. Business and Administrative Communication. McGraw-Hill: New York. eleventh edition A college-level dictionary. Recommended Text A grammar handbook. Required Software Requirements Save assignments with.doc,.docx, or.rft. Please follow this requirement to lessen frustration. You will need to upload free versions of QuickTime and Media Player to view podcasts. Go to for Quick Time and for Media Player. Overview of Assignments You will complete a variety of writing assignments throughout the semester that are designed to enhance your knowledge of business communication. Listed below is an overview of the assignments. You will practice grammar and style by writing and editing business documents. You will collaboratively write and present documents. You will practice writing skills and interpersonal communication by participating in group discussions; all to foster and share ideas. You will practice writing various styles of letters and memos such as bad news, good news, inquiry, and persuasive messages. You will design and write a web document to understand the importance of using technology in a business environment. You will complete assignments that highlight proper business writing techniques such as word choice, purpose statements, and parallel structure. ENGL 106 Syllabus Summer I 2015 Page 2

3 You will be a participant in the course. You are responsible for participating in all activities and on-line class discussions of course material. You are responsible for being an active participant in class. Components of participation include the quality of participation, the quantity of participating, and attention to and respect of the contribution of your classmates and instructor. Assignments are detailed in the Assignment Packet and due dates are outlined on the course calendar. The following chart outlines the number of points each assignment is worth. Assignment Assignment Points Exercises 50 Visual Rhetoric Brochure 50 Bad News 50 Business Research Proposal 300 Presentation of Proposal 50 Resume and Cover Letter 100 Quizzes (5@10 pts. Each) 50 Discussion Postings 50 Note: You cannot make up quizzes. Point Breakdown =A =B =C D Below 425=F Point Deductions A quarter to a half point will be deducted for mistakes in word choice, grammar, mechanics, style, and typos. Two points will be deducted for errors in format. An explanation, detailing errors, will appear on each assignment. Seeking a W grade In accordance with Academic Policy 667: W Grade - may be awarded to students who have withdrawn or have been withdrawn from a course after the refund period and through the last class day of the term/part of term. Awarding W Grades: 1. The Director of Student Records shall be responsible for carrying out the W grade procedures. ENGL 106 Syllabus Summer I 2015 Page 3

4 2. No grade will be recorded for students who withdraw during the refund period. 3. A W grade will be granted by the instructor upon request of the student from the end of the refund period until the midpoint of the course as defined in the College calendar. The student must be attending class in a manner consistent with the instructor's attendance policy, has completed the required graded material, and has not been dishonest in completing the work in order to be eligible for the W grade. 4. From the midpoint of the course through the conclusion of the course, which is the last class period, the student will receive a grade of W or F, depending upon the instructor's assessment of the student's performance, which may take into account extenuating circumstances. 5. Students who receive the grade of W in more than 50% of their credit hours after having attempted more than 30 credit hours will not be allowed to attend classes at the College until they receive approval pursuant to Administrative Procedure 638. To receive a W you must contact me. It is at my discretion to assign a W. Note: You will not automatically receive a W due to being a nonparticipant. Important Dates to Remember To view the drop and refund dates, go to Deadlines.cfm. Awarding I Grades Before I will consider giving a student an incomplete, the student must have successfully completed 80% of the course work with an A or B average. Writing Evaluation Guidelines Grading/ Evaluation You are probably taking this course because it is required for your major, you want to improve your business communication skills, and you want to get a high grade. For you to improve your skills, you must read the assigned chapters, view podcasts, read lecture notes, write responses to discussion questions, and ask questions. You are required to use correct grammar, word choice, and punctuation when communicating via the bulletin board and . Most writing teachers agree that most writers make the same kinds of errors in their writing over and over. An excellent writer might have only a few characteristic errors, whereas a poor writer might have many. But the point is that if you can identify the problems in your writing and learn how to fix ENGL 106 Syllabus Summer I 2015 Page 4

5 them, your editing will improve significantly. For this reason, you should keep a log of all the editing errors in your graded projects and be sure to check for these editing errors when you revise your next paper before submitting it. My job as an instructor is to give you clear and informed commentary on your writing. I will not mark or comment on every problem in your writing because part of the learning process is for you to learn to identify and correct problems yourself. The following table, adapted from professional business scholar Mike Markel, describes in general terms what the five letter grades from A to F represent for written assignments in this course. Your grade on each assignment is meant to reflect my assessment of your mastery of the learning objectives of this course. Think of this course as a job and I am your supervisor. Grade, Meaning, and Bottom Line A An A assignment is excellent work. The audience analysis is insightful, the topic precise, the organization clear and logical. The document contains sufficient detail, the information is accurate, timely, clear, and comprehensive. The writing shows an exceptional grasp of language skills including good use of advance organizers, well-developed paragraphs, graceful and concise sentences, precise word choice. The design is clear, attractive, and professional. Your supervisor would be impressed and would pass the document along to his or her supervisors without revision. B A B assignment is good work. It might have almost all the virtues of the A document, but one or more of the elements is missing. Unprofessional design, ineffective paragraphing, awkward sentences, editing--any of these problems could account for the grade of B. Your supervisor would appreciate your work but would want to have the document revised and edited again before passing it along. C A C assignment is satisfactory work. In general, the assignment satisfies the requirements, but it is flawed. Usually, two, three, or more problems make it difficult to read or to understand or prevent it from fulfilling its purpose with the intended reader. Your supervisor would be somewhat disappointed with the document and would want it revised significantly before passing it along. In addition, the supervisor would begin to doubt your ability to complete similar assignments successfully. ENGL 106 Syllabus Summer I 2015 Page 5

6 D A D assignment is unsatisfactory. Although some aspects of the assignment might be well done, on the whole there are numerous or significant problems with its conception or execution. Your supervisor would have another employee re-do the document. In addition, your supervisor would question your basic competence and suitability for your position. Performance evaluations would reflect this doubt. F An F assignment is failing work. It is submitted after the deadline, it does not respond to the assignment, it is extremely difficult to read, or it is unprofessional in appearance or writing quality. Your supervisor has lost confidence in your ability to become an effective communicator. Performance evaluations would reflect the need to end employment. Smarthinking Writing Assistance Smarthinking is a free online tutoring program available to you directly from within D2L. Access Smarthinking within the course under My Resources dropdown menu section. Tutors are available to answer questions regarding the correct grammatical choice, word choice, or other composition questions. Class Schedule Assignment Due Date Week One Class Discussion: Post your student introduction May 26 Read/view all lecture notes under Start Here and Week One Read Chapters 1, 2, and Appendix A Read Chapters 3 and 4 May 28 Quiz one due: 3.6 You attitude and positive emphasis due Class discussion: Post response to 3.10 Analyzing Goodwill Ethics II in Chapter 3 May 29 Read Appendix B ENGL 106 Syllabus Summer I 2015 Page 6

7 Assignment: Exercises due Week Two June 1 Read/view Week Two lecture notes; read Chapter 5 Identify company or nonprofit for visual rhetoric brochure Complete quiz two revision due Read Chapter 6; conduct interview(s) and draft brochure June 2 ENGL 106 Syllabus Summer I 2015 Page 7

8 Assignment Draft brochure Read Chapter 9 Due Date June 3 Assignment: Visual Rhetoric Brochure due June 6 Read/view Week Three lecture notes Week Three June 8 Read Chapter 7; Class Discussion: Post response to intercultural video due Read Chapter 8; June 9 Class discussion 8.2 Brainstorming Ways to Resolve Conflicts, Chapter 8 in textbook due Read Chapter 10 June 10 Assignment: Bad news due June 13 Week Four Read/view Week Four lecture notes June 15 Choose topic and conduct research for business proposal Read Chapter 11 June 16 Post response to discussion question: What s in a Name? Read Chapters 15 and 17 Draft proposal Quiz three: Identifying fallacies June 17 Draft proposal Read Chapter 16 and Appendix C Read/view Week Five lecture notes Draft proposal Week Five June 22 ENGL 106 Syllabus Summer I 2015 Page 8

9 Draft proposal June 23 Quiz four: Proposal and report writing due Assignment: Business Research Proposal due June 25 Assignment: Presentation of Proposal due Read Chapters 12, 13, and 14 June 25 Week Six Read/view Week Six lecture notes June 29 Class Discussion: Post response to June 30 Interviewing video Assignment: Resume and Cover Letter July 1 Quiz five: Passive to Active Voice July 2 ENGL 106 Syllabus Summer I 2015 Page 9

10 Note: I reserve the right to modify the class schedule. You may also refer to the course calendar for due dates. Late Assignments Business communication is detailed-oriented and deadline driven. Use effective time management to ensure that you produce quality business documents that are not completed in haste. Assignments will be turned in at the beginning of class. It is imperative that you adhere to the due dates on the course calendar. Fifteen points will be deducted for each calendar day the assignment is late. Therefore, an assignment that is one day late has a start value of a C-. Note: Missing an assignment will impact your overall point accumulation; therefore, a missed assignment will negatively impact your final grade. Discussions Maintain professionalism when communicating in class. No profanity No degrading language that is sexual, racial, or religious in nature Respect instructor and classmates When communicating with me via Do not use abbreviations Use correct spelling and punctuation Participation and Attendance Inactivity in the course will result in a failing grade. Refer to the Class Participation Rubric for participation criteria. In accordance with Academic Policy 661: Determination of what constitutes an excused versus an unexcused absence shall be made by the instructor. I may drop a student from a class with the concurrence of the division/campus administrator when nonparticipation exceeds 15% of the total class hours that will take place throughout the semester and when the excessive nonparticipation preclude the possibility of the student attaining the stated learning outcomes for the course. Plagiarism ENGL 106 Syllabus Summer I 2015 Page 10

11 Plagiarism is the use of ideas or writing from someone else as your own. If you use the ideas or writing of someone else, you must give full credit to the source(s). When quoting, cite the source of the information. Provide the author, title, date, publisher, and page number. The College s Academic Dishonesty policy (AP594) outlines plagiarism as: An intentional act of deception in which a student seeks to claim credit for the work or effort of another person, or uses unauthorized material or fabricated information in any academic work. It includes, but is not limited to: A. Cheating giving or receiving answers on assigned material, using materials or aids forbidden by the instructor, alteration of academic records, unauthorized possession of examinations, or the falsification of admissions, registration or other related college materials, or any other intentional use or attempted use of unauthorized materials, information, or study aid. B. Plagiarism the offering of someone else s work, words, or idea as one s own or using material from another source without acknowledgement. C. Interference interfering without permission with the work of another student either by obtaining, changing or destroying the work of another student. D. Buying or selling of term papers, homework, examinations, laboratory assignments, computer programs, etc. E. Falsifying of one s own or another s records. F. Knowingly assisting someone who engages in A-E above. Plagiarism is a serious academic offense that will result in an F on the paper, course, and/or expulsion from the college. Students in Need of Accommodations: Students with disabilities who are in need of accommodations should contact the campus disability coordinator listed below. Coordinators for each campus ENGL 106 Syllabus Summer I 2015 Page 11

12 are listed here: -Us.cfm EEOC POLICY 005: It is the policy of Harrisburg Area Community College, in full accordance with the law, not to discriminate in employment, student admissions, and student services on the basis of race, color, religion, age, political affiliation or belief, gender, national origin, ancestry, disability, place of birth, General Education Development Certification (GED), marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, veteran status, genetic history/information, or any legally protected classification. HACC recognizes its responsibility to promote the principles of equal opportunity for employment, student admissions, and student services taking active steps to recruit minorities and women. The Pennsylvania Human Relations Act ( PHRAct ) prohibits discrimination against prospective and current students because of race, color, sex, religious creed, ancestry, national origin, handicap or disability, record of a handicap or disability, perceived handicap or disability, relationship or association with an individual with a handicap or disability, use of a guide or support animal, and/or handling or training of support or guide animals. The Pennsylvania Fair Educational Opportunities Act ( PFEOAct ) prohibits discrimination against prospective and current students because of race, religion, color, ancestry, national origin, sex, handicap or disability, record of a handicap or disability, perceived handicap or disability, and a relationship or association with an individual with a handicap or disability. Information about these laws may be obtained by visiting the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission website at HACC Lebanon Campus and Virtual Learning Contact Deborah Bybee Coordinator, Disability Services 104R 735 Cumberland Street Lebanon, PA Phone: dabybee@hacc.edu

13 Assignment Packet English 106 Written Business Communication Summer I 2015 Professor Valerie A. Gray Note: I reserve the right to change the parameters of any assignment.

14 Assignment: Exercises This assignment requires you to demonstrate your knowledge of composing a business documents that reflect correctness, reader benefits, you attitude, and positive emphasis. These techniques are necessary to reflect a message that is audience-centered. Assignment Format Present your answers in a memo to me. Be sure to type the entire sentence, incorporating your changes. You will be graded on format, as well. Write headings that describe each exercise. As with all memos, write a brief introduction that explains the purpose of the memo. Assignment Hints The exercises are tricky. Be sure to read and view the lecture notes for weeks one and two. Assignment Objectives: To display critical thinking, reading, and writing skills Use active voice, parallelism, and agreement effectively in messages Recognize common writing errors Revise messages to eliminate fillers, repetitious words, and redundancies Revise messages to include precise verbs, concrete nouns, and vivid adjectives Here are the exercises for this assignment. The exercises appear in Business and Administrative Communication. B refers to Appendix B, which is located in the back of the textbook. B.4 Creating Agreement B.5 Correcting Case Errors B.7 Creating Parallel Structure B-8 Correcting Sentence Errors B. 14 Choosing The Right Word III Present your answers in a memo to me. Be sure to type the entire sentence, incorporating your changes. Write headings (titles for each section) that describe each exercise. As with all memos, write a brief introduction that explains the purpose of the memo. You will be graded on format, as well. Here is an example. Include letterhead. You may use HACC letterhead located in the course style guide. To: Professor Valerie A. Gray From: (Type your name) (Type or write your initials) Date: (Type completion date) Subject: (Type a detailed subject line) Begin the memo with a two to three sentence introduction. (Include headings throughout the memo bold each heading.)

15 Assignment: Visual Rhetoric Brochure (Two pages, front and back) Single space within a paragraph, double space between 11 point Times Roman for body text In addition to the information included here, you may follow Assignment 6.10 in the textbook This assignment is your opportunity to apply your understanding of the theory and technique discussed in class. You will compose and design a brochure for a department, company, or nonprofit that currently does not have a brochure. Note: You cannot use Penn State s Thon. You are responsible for composing new and vibrant text. You cannot download information from the Internet and paraphrase it. You must conduct primary research (interviews and observations) to compose the text of the brochure. You are responsible for: writing copy choosing visuals (photographs and/or charts; no cartoonish clipart) designing the package and overall layout ensuring originality Brochures are used for several reasons: generate sales promote business or agency goals enhance corporate image educate readers Note that the brochure must have a central theme. A customer reading a brochure can result in business for a company. Your brochure should be one page (at least 11 x 8 ½, known as landscape page setting) and twosided, each side having three columns. The text should be 11 point; headings can be 14 point. Be consistent with the font style that you use. Each panel must contain information; avoid using a panel as a tear-away for the reader s response. Each panel must contain information and not large empty gaps, known as white space. Brochures are often organized to highlight a central theme, question, or problem. They explain the various parts of that theme or solutions to that problem. By thinking of your brochure as telling a story or solving a problem, you will organize it better for readers. Organization Here are some tips for organizing the brochure: Conduct an audience analysis so that you include the appropriate information Identify the exact subject of and reason for your brochure Develop a cover that informs your intended reader of the topic and assures them that reading your brochure is in their best interest; the cover should be attention getting Write a title that identifies the topic and focuses on reader benefits Break the message into sections

16 Introduce each subtopic, if applicable, by a heading Use language that is practical and direct Keep explanations short, simple, and sensible Use visuals effectively and ethically Use a clean and effective design--use white space within reason; do not clutter information Identify the exact subject of and reason for your brochure--be concrete. Develop a cover that informs your readers of that topic and assures them that reading your brochure is in their best interest. Write a title that identifies the topic and focuses on reader needs and desires. Brochure Checklist After writing the brochure, use this checklist to ensure that you have met the following objectives: Organized around key idea, question, or problem Divided subject of brochure clearly into subtopics with distinct, helpful headings Created effective cover with information and catchy title Stressed audience s needs and benefits Wrote in appropriate language and tone for targeted audience Included right amount of detail If you paraphrase, summary, or quote, be sure to cite your sources. Objective for Assignment After completing the assignment you will be able to: primary source information as a guide to compose your own text res function as a business document You may use the brochure feature in Publisher, or you may use Word and set the page to landscape format.

17 Assignment: Negative Message Assignment Vetoing an Employee Benefit Exercise in Chapter 10, Business and Administrative Communication This assignment presents the employee benefit of unlimited vacation days. Many companies have unlimited vacation day policies to retain workers. Articles discussing this topic appear in the course files. Read each article to understand the benefit to help you synthesize and compose . Note: You cannot use text strings from the articles; doing so is plagiarism and will result in an F on the assignment. You will submit this assignment via the assignment dropbox; however, format the message as an e- mail. There are two organizational patterns for negative news messages. Determine whether the direct or indirect plan for delivering bad news is appropriate for this message by: Understanding the best ways to build/maintain goodwill with customers Gaining acceptance for the negative news Maintaining a good image for your organization Demonstrating correct grammar, mechanics, and style Hint: From a business standpoint, the indirect plan is used to lessen psychological reactness.

18 Business Proposal Proposals Assignment 17.5 Proposing a Change in the textbook. Note: You are making the following modifications. You are going to write a proposal to the true CEO or manager of a real company. The company must be real; the situation must be real; and the ways in which you propose to solve the problem must be realistic. The goal of a proposal is to persuade readers to accept a course of action as an acceptable way to solve a problem. The proposal is an informative and persuasive document. Therefore, you must incorporate the theory presented in the lecture notes for these topics. You may choose one of the following business topics to get you started: Improving Customer Service Improving Sales and Profits Recommending a different business venture for an existing company To begin the brainstorming process, you may use your employer. Is there a problem that needs solving? What are the best ways to solve the problem? If you do not want to choose your employer, read the articles in Business Weekly. Access the magazine in the course via Start Here, Websites, Business Week Online. Here are the questions that the proposal must answer and the discussion points to provide support for solving the problem: What is the problem (to be addressed by the proposal) and its background (how did it come to be)? Why does the problem need to be solved? What is the solution; what are the alternatives solutions? What benefits will come from the solution? How feasible is the solution? Which approaches to the solution will be viewed favorably and unfavorable? What are the weaknesses in the plan? What do the experts in the field say? (Annotated bibliography)* What is the scope in this project? What support does the writer offer? Project an ethical tone throughout the proposal by: Including all necessary information Being truthful Testing to ensure accuracy Designing to make all information visible and easy to find

19 Note: Your proposal must be at least four single-spaced pages from the introduction to the conclusion. Refer to the outline of sections and documents required. Read this information carefully. Report Requirements The following elements are required parts of the research proposal. These elements count as additional pages to the report. Cover. The report s title and its author s name, date, and its reader s name must appear on the front cover of the report. Descriptive headings. Headings must appear in the text exactly as they are listed in your table of contents. Do not entitle headings "Collected Data," "Body," "Discussion," "Text," or any other such general title. Instead, expand heading to at least four words. Illustrations. All charts, graphs, figures, and illustrations must be prepared using software. A citation must be provided for each copied figure. Illustrations must be located with the text they illustrate, not at the end of the report (if the illustration is important in explaining the text). Each illustration must be discussed in the proposal. Note: Illustrations do not factor into the page count. Annotated bibliography. References. A list of references is a requirement of the proposal. It appears after the last page of your report (the page after the conclusion), providing a complete description of all the sources useful in your research and discussion. Sources must be arranged in alphabetical order by the last name of the author. If no author is listed, entries are arranged by the first important word in the title. * Annotated Bibliography in APA format An annotated bibliography is a list of sources that were used or will be used in a report. Each citation is followed by a brief (approximately 50 words) descriptive and evaluative paragraph, the annotation. The purpose of the annotation is to inform the reader of the relevance, accuracy, and quality of the sources cited. You are including an annotated bibliography to support the need for funding the special project that you have chosen and to support the proposal, in general. The following example uses the APA format for the journal citation: Voeltz, L.M. (1980). Children's attitudes toward handicapped peers. American Journal of Mental Deficiency, 84, As services for severely handicapped children become increasingly available within neighborhood public schools, children's attitudes toward handicapped peers in integrated settings warrant attention. Factor analysis of attitude survey responses of 2,392 children revealed four factors underlying attitudes toward handicapped peers: social-contact willingness, deviance consequation, and two actual contact dimensions. Upper elementary-age children, girls, and children in schools with most contact with severely handicapped peers expressed the most accepting attitudes. Results of this study suggest the modifiability of children's attitudes and the need to develop interventions to facilitate social acceptance of individual differences in integrated school settings.

20 You need at least two scholarly sources for the bibliography. Each source must be accessed via the HACC Library databases. HACC Librarian Elisa Weigard will be embedded in the course to assist you with finding sources. The purpose for providing the annotated bibliography is to assist the reader in understand that a problem exist and that your solution is viable. Therefore, you want to find sources that are related and relevant to your topic. When you write the annotation connection it to the topic and the needs of the company; put the annotation in context for the reader. Primary research is not necessary; however, you may find it valuable to interview someone that is knowledgeable about the subject. Primary research is data collected by the writer. Because you are collecting the data yourself, you have more control over the accuracy, completeness, objectivity, and relevance of primary data for your topic. This data includes: Surveys Interviews Observation Experimentation Of course, the proposal must reflect your own writing and thinking. There probably will not be a need of in-text citations. However, should you need to use them, keep the following rules in mind. Note: If you use someone else s ideas, concepts, words, you must include a References page. When deciding what information should be documented using in-text parenthetical citations, you may ask the question, What needs to be documented? Here are the guidelines for determining the answer. Information that comes from secondary sources that is not common knowledge or easily verifiable. Facts, concepts, ideas that belong to the author of the secondary source If you have in-text citations, you must have a Reference page in addition to the annotated bibliography. NOTE: Excluding in-text citations OR the References page when you have incorporated the words, ideas, and/or concepts of someone will result in an F on this assignment.

21 Grading Criteria I will use the following criteria to grade your proposal. Content and Rhetoric: 40% 150 pts. Do parenthetical citations appear in the text to document quotations, paraphrases, copied diagrams, and specific information as needed? Does the proposal address the subject as defined in the problem statement? Is the information presented on a consistent level? Does the proposal consistently meet the needs and knowledge level of the audience? Are all parts of the discussion developed fully? Are all necessary terms defined? Are all questions answered? Is the annotated bibliography current and/or authoritative? Is the text padded? Is there any discussion unnecessary to the topic's development? Is all information cited responsibly and in APA format (annotated bibliography and Reference if necessary to include)? Organization: 20% 50 pts. Is each section organized around an opening statement or topic sentence? Are paragraphs logical and orderly? (No paragraph may run longer than two-thirds of a page). Are the parts of the discussion arranged in a logical sequence? Are diagrams and figures placed to support the text? Are they introduced in the text? Do descriptive headings accurately describe the contents of the sections they introduce? Style: 20% 50 pts. Is the report clear and readable throughout? Is the writing repetitious in wording and sentence structure? Does the author use a variety of sentence lengths and structures for coherence? Does the author rely too heavily on passive voice? Is the writing wordy? Do errors appear?

22 Is word choice accurate and concrete? Format and Mechanics: 20% 50 pts. Is the proposal formatted accurately (the correct document type for the audience)? Is the report free from errors in spelling, punctuation, grammar, and proofing? Are the report's pages numbered correctly and consistently? Is APA documentation used correctly in the report's parenthetical citations and in the annotated bibliography?

23 Assignment: On-line Power Point Presentation of Proposal with Narration You will present your recommendation report topic in an organized, ten-slide minimum narrated presentation. Your presentation must have at least two visual aids (pictures, charts, etc.) embedded in PowerPoint, Prezi, or any software system that is easily accessible to you. Include in-text citations and a References page, as needed. Depending on your computer, you may need a sound card and external microphone in order to record your voice in PowerPoint. The easiest and best option for you may be Screencast-o-matic. It is a free presentation and screen capture software. If you do not have PowerPoint, you can design slides in Word and narrate and capture each screen. The time limit for Screencast-o-matic is ten minutes. To download, click on The audience for a presentation differs from readers of the recommendation report. Therefore, conduct an audience analysis to determine which portions of the report you need to present. You will include the recommendations. Other discussion points will be determined by your analysis. Objectives Develop relevant and effective attention getters for an on-line presentation Identify techniques for gaining audience rapport, including effective imagery, providing verbal sign posts, sending appropriate nonverbal messages Design and use electronic presentation materials Understand the major elements in organizing the content of a presentation, including the introduction, body, and conclusion Understand how to compose a presentation for an on-line audience

24 Assignment: Resume and Cover Letter Assignment Review job postings in newspapers, on the Internet, etc. Look for a position for which, realistically, you have the qualifications. Complete a resume and cover letter (letter of application) for the position. Note: Your resume must be specific for the position; do not use a "stock" resume. You can choose a skills or chronological resume, whichever is appropriate for you. Use the best format to highlight your qualifications. Use the same design elements, such as borders and letterhead, on both documents for a unifying effect. Design both documents instead of using templates. Attach a copy of the job listing to your assignment. Note: Save the resume and cover letter as one document, one file. Objectives for Assignment After completing the assignment you will be able to: Compose a resume and letter that are targeted to a specific, advertised position Demonstrate correct grammar, style, and mechanics Prepare for employment by identifying your interest, evaluating your assets, choosing a career path, and studying traditional electronic job search techniques Understand the difference between skills and a chronological resume. Organize and write your qualification persuasively. Understand the importance of writing an attention-getting opening for the cover letter.