HARTY READING

Report- generic term for a variety of documents that vary in form and purpose

Audiences for Reports- 

the layperson

the executive

the expert

the technician

the operator

Every communication situation involves 3 fundamental components: a writer, a message, and an audience

Writers are often preoccupied with their own problems and ignore their readers.

• Don't assume the person addressed is the audience
• Don't assume that the audience is familiar with the assignment
• Don't assume the audience has time to read the report

3 types of report audiences: horizontal, vertical, and external

horizontal audiences exist on each level

vertical audiences exist between levels

external audiences exist when any unit interacts with a separate organization

• Keep in mind that educational backgrounds can be entirely different.

Method for systematic audience analysis:

Prepare an egocentric organizational chart; it identifies specific individuals rather than complex organizational units, categorizes people in terms of their proximity to the report writer rather than in terms of their hierarchical relationship to the report writer

4 different degrees of distance: audiences outside the organization, audiences elsewhere in the organization, audiences in close proximity to your group, audiences in own group.

Characterizes the Individual Report Readers: analyze operational, objective, and personal characteristics. Operational (what will he need from your report), Objective (relevant background data about the person), Personal (age, name)

Classify audiences in terms of how they will use your report

Primary audiences: those who make decisions or act on the basis of the information a report contains

Secondary: who are affected by the decisions and actions

Immediate audiences: who route the report or transmit the information it contains

Every manager interviewed said he read the summary of the report, a bare majority said they read the introduction and background sections as well as conclusions, few said they read the body.

Pitfalls of Report Writing--

• Ignoring your audience- keep in mind who, why, and how
• writing to impress- nothing turns a reader off faster
• having more than one aim
• being inconsistent
• overqualifying
• not defining terms
• misintroducing
• dazzling with data
• not highlighting
• not rewriting

Harty readings, p115-167

• Many writers write in such a way that their benefit is mentioned, but not their readers. Letters should be reader-oriented, not writer-oriented. 
• To deliver bad news, use the Thanks, Sorry, Because, Sorry format. Begin with a positive statement, continue with the reasons for the bad news, present the bad news but state it in a positive fashion, end on a positive note, like an expression of appreciation.
• Memos should be short and understandable, but not brusque.
• We should write the way we talk. Use conversational phrases like later instead of "at a later date," or We'll let you know instead of "We shall advise you accordingly."
• In corporate communications, use bottom-line reporting. Its more efficient for people to spend less time reading, therefore less money wasted.
• To present a professional image, use active not passive voice. Active language is energetic and clear, while passive language weakens your writing and can confuse readers.
• Use plain English, people skip over e-mails that are hard to read
• Use pronouns correctly to avoid looking sloppy
• Make sure your writing is grammatically correct

Problem Statements

1. Clemson University students know that the university offers the study abroad option, but they do not know how to go about taking advantage of this option. The university encourages students to study abroad, citing it to be a good experience for young people. There is a large amount of seemingly perplexing information that students need to be familiar with in order to make an informed decision regarding studying abroad. I will inform them about all aspects of the study abroad process by writing a pamphlet explaining the program in an easy-to-understand format. The pamphlet attempt to answer the majority of the students' questions regarding studying abroad.

2. Many Clemson students would like the study abroad program to be easily accessible and easy to understand. Students are busy, and do not have a large bracket of time to spend learning about the study abroad program. Currently, the study abroad program is not entirely successful at informing students of the many study abroad options. In order to make it more likely for students to take advantage of the program, I will better the situation by condensing all the information students need to consider in an easy to understand, to the point pamphlet discussing all aspects of the study abroad program.

3. Clemson students considering studying abroad are facing a somewhat overwhelming process. The current brochures and webpage do not answer all of their questions regarding the program. Students do not have enough free time to research all aspects of the program, leaving them wondering about such items such as financial aid and fulfilling their major's requirements. This situation results in many students who would love to study abroad not attempting and considering the option. I will make the decision to study abroad easier to understand by writing an easy to read pamphlet condensing vital information and necessary elements in a format that will help students choose how to take advantage of this option.

proposal---rough draft

Executive summary: It seems as if everyone these days is encouraging students to study abroad, especially Clemson. Studying in an unfamiliar place has great benefits for a student. He or she gets to see the world and immerse himself in a new culture while continuing to study. Clemson University offers multiple options for a student to study abroad. Taking advantage of such opportunities can be confusing, however, considering the seemingly endless amount of information. I hope to make the process of considering a study abroad program to be a less daunting task. By making the information more accessible and less complex, I can help more students take advantage of Clemson's study abroad program. As  a student considering the study abroad option at Clemson, I personally have an investment in the success of my proposal.

Introduction: If a university goes to the trouble of formulating a program for its students to participate in, would it not want the students to take advantage of it? Clemson provides many opportunities in many different locations for students to learn in a new environment. Nearly every adult I have spoken with declares that he/she thinks all students should at least spend some amount of time overseas. Students also have voiced their opinion about how important spending a semester studying abroad can be. With the complexity and somewhat time-consuming task of planning to spend a semester abroad, many students feel as though they have neither the time nor energy to experience it. I have heard multiple complaints about the the difficulty in navigating the Study Abroad website, as well as unanswered questions regarding the whole process. By interviewing both employees of the study abroad office as well as students who have participated in the program, I will do my best to answer some of the issues perplexing prospective study abroad participants. By researching the various programs and brochures, I will also provide the information in a more easily understood format.

Body: After visiting the study abroad fair, I found myself to be more than a little overwhelmed. There are so many available programs and different locations, deciding where and when to go is a difficult question to answer. My fellow students have complained of how the study abroad office is not very helpful, and that their website is hard to navigate. Many students have questions as to how a semester abroad would affect their major, as well as if their financial aid will carry over to studying abroad. There are various scholarships available to those who wish to study abroad, but how to go about getting them is confusing. I have several friends who have participated in the study abroad program, and I am considering the program myself, making me a credible source for making this proposal. I plan on interviewing both students who have participated in the program, as well as those considering it in order to get a good idea of the types of questions students have.  I also plan on talking to the employees of Clemson who specialize in the study abroad program. Talking with academic advisors is also key as to answer questions of how majors will be affected. After researching some of the programs and getting questions answered by reliable sources, I plan on condensing this information in an easy to access format, such as a pamphlet or a webpage.

Conclusion: If Clemson wants students to participate in its Study abroad program, there needs to be better ways to access information, as well as having the said information easier to understand. Through my investigation, I hope to make the study abroad program something within every student's reach if they wish to take the opportunity to experience something new in an entirely different environment.

Nature of Ethics Reading

• We study ethics so that we are able to answer questions regarding why we decide do certain things a certain way; without a clear understanding of why we acted the way we did, it would be difficult to persuade someone else to act in the same way we did, and we would not be able to justify our action.
• ethics can refer to the value system that anyone might hold
• Ethics involves making a choice among options in real situations
• Ethics has both individual and social components; it should be discussed with others, but ultimately comes down to one's own responsibility
• Ethics is neither entirely absolute or entirely relative-depending on situation
• We must look at various theories and consider them, we should not automatically accept or reject certain views
• Different actions are appropriate in different situations; no choice will be correct for every instance

Values: the intentions or ends that guide an action

Absolute: definite, inflexible, applies to all situations in the same way

Relative: changes according to circumstances

Rhetoric: using reasoned arguments based on socially accepted values and presenting them to inform or persuade to accomplish something

Socrates: considered ethics to be more important than life itself; considered ethics also to be an absolute matter

Aristotle: considered ethics to be the same as virtue

Sophists: there are no absolutes; communication shapes minds and values and decisions---relativist view

Hegel: Values derive from society, not absolutes

Recent philosophers believe that language use itself entails ethical values

Writing Proposal

The study abroad program is a popular topic at Clemson. Inboxes become full with different options offered for the student who wishes to study in a foreign environment. Though the university encourages students to study abroad as part of their college experience, lack of easily accessible resources as well as difficult to understand information and requirements poses a challenging task for students considering this program. The study abroad fair provides a good deal of brochures, but the atmosphere is slightly hectic and the fair takes place during the day when students are either in or hurrying to class. Many complaints have been made as to the helpfulness of the study abroad office, as well as difficulty navigating the website. As a student considering the study abroad option at Clemson, I am representative of the typical young person to whom the study abroad program caters too. Details are very vague, and leave myself as well as other with multiple unanswered questions regarding the program. My plan is to research all aspects of the program, and to condense them into an easy-to-understand format that students would be eager to read. By perusing the website and reading brochures and pamphlets, I can garner information put out their by the study abroad office and hopefully organize it into a more brief form. I also want to discuss with students who have already studied abroad their opinions about the various programs, such as the pros and cons of a particular location or time to visit. I plan to interview someone from the Clemson study abroad program in an effort to learn exactly what they believe students should know, such as how taking such time to travel will affect completing a student's major's requirements, as well as financial questions: is financial aid applicable and what scholarships are offered? After researching all aspects of the program, I plan on formulating and updated brochure and/or a webpage with easy to follow links for answers to questions. 

Reading Talking Points

• "In another kind of academic talk the author may display his learning to conceal a lack of ideas." I've definitely done this before, like in the case of writing a paper you are totally not prepared for; people can probably see right through.
• "mistakenly assume their goal is to impress rather than inform the readers" a lot of newspapers are like this, and people are often deterred from even bothering with trying to understand it
• "confuse simplicity with simple-mindedness" people think if they use small words they will sound less educated, so they try to use bigger words to sound smarter

PAFEO brainstorming

Study Abroad Programs at Clemson

P- to provide students with a concise, total guide to the study abroad programs offered at Clemson, easy to understand and easy to reference

A- Clemson students, Clemson students' parents, prospective students who are looking for a school with a good international study program

F- Short, easy to understand paragraphs, basic points, possible bullet lists

E- Cite managers of study abroad program, previously created documents, people in authority positions who basically run program, tuition numbers, comparison to study at Clemson, testimonials of students who have participated in such programs

O- organize by main topics, like available places, majors, cost, times offered, perhaps a brochure type document or a pamphlet 

Considerations:

-how it will affect potential majors

-summertime, internships

- scholarships/funding

-study abroad fair, what needs extra information

-possible client-study abroad office

Class List

Possible projects

Resume- learning how to make a useful resume would be a good how to idea, considering that all students will be needing to make one at some point in the near future; show how to make a resume that stands out from competitors; what to include, what not to include; language that makes person seem more appealing on paper

Legal Documents- legal briefs, wills, contracts; entering the workforce, especially considering a career in law, knowing how to construct legal documents would prove highly useful; perhaps discuss with a local lawyer as to whether they would like assistance or could offer instruction on how to create legal documents; what goes into constructing a will; talk to relatives in legal profession about what types of instances they need to write technical documents

Study Abroad- a research document on the different types of study abroad programs offered at Clemson; costs, time frame, destination place, Clemson-affiliated university or independent, different programs; discuss with Study Abroad department if they need help constructing a student-friendly brochure