Reports and Other Longer Documents

If I had to rank the three readings by the authors' names from worst to best regarding how effectively each text practiced what it preached, it would be in this order: Mathes and Stevenson, Dodge, and Vinci. I preface this response by saying that each section contained invaluable information that did open my eyes to concepts for which I was not familiar. Yet, as a student of this field, I would be remiss if I did not comment on the effectiveness of these documents. Hence, I offer my observation for each.

Mathes and Stevenson's article thoroughly detailed the problems with audience analysis and offered solutions. The strengths of this article included identifying the false assumptions by listing them, classifying the audience groups, and using visuals to further explain these concepts. However, the visuals are confusing, they use foreign terminology to explain these concepts ("bloc"), some of the examples are convoluted, and the document as a whole is very wordy. Using figure 3 on page 177 as an example, the authors attempt to explain the importance of identifying individuals rather than organizations. Although I do understand how the chart is to function, I am distracted by what Tufte would describe as "chart junk", or the large ovals in the chart. I could not understand the purpose of the ovals and thought it would be too much of a task to meander through the dense text. So my experience as the user was not a very pleasant one in this instance.

Dodge's article addressed writing abstracts. Perhaps I ranked his article higher because this particular topic is of interest to me, but I believe it mainly had to do with my ease of comprehension with the text. One factor that made this article more pleasing was the "you factor". In other words, he made the article personal and addressed me directly. Secondly, the document was four and a half pages long in contrast to the last article's seven and a half. Granted, I understand that all articles cannot be condensed to four pages, but in this instance, it was harder to read the Mathes and Stevenson article because it was dry, impersonal, and long. Finally, the examples were appropriate and the "rules" used subheadings for quick reference.

Lastly, the Vinci article was impressive to me on several levels. For starters, the title informs me immediately that this text intends to address ten points. I subconsciously think to myself, "Ten points aren't so bad. I'll read it." Also, the headings of each of the ten pitfalls reflect back to the title. Even this detail helps eliminate the chances of pitfalls three (multiple aims) and four (inconsistency) from happening. The final reason I ranked this article high was because it spoke directly to the problems that I have within my own writing. While I am stronger in some areas, I have struggled with a few pitfalls such as having multiple aims, being inconsistent, and misintroducing.

Again, in no ways did I mean to say that the Mathes/Stevenson and Dodge articles were poorly written. Rather, I now read texts for more than just content. I credit my experience with the MAPC program and now hope that I can apply the same scrutiny to my own proposal and thesis.

Project Proposal

TO: Dr. Jan Holmevik
FROM: April Davis
DATE: September 24, 2008
RE: ENGL 690 Project Proposal

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Development of a prospectus letter, curriculum vitae (cv), and professional website portfolio will aid future MAPC graduate in applying to a doctoral degree program. Before submitting it, the student's thesis committee chair will assess and respond to the effectiveness and quality of the deliverables.

INTRODUCTION
Many college graduates aspiring to continue their education beyond the Master's degree level have a general idea about the caliber of students such programs accept, but have little or no understanding about what documentation to submit to a doctoral program and how to format it. As a candidate for admission to a doctoral program, I will create a prospectus letter, curriculum vitae, and professional website portfolio to submit for this very purpose.

While the content of this project will contain information specifically pertaining to me and my educational and career goals, the process itself is also beneficial to other students in that they can use the components from this project as useful guidelines for creating and compiling their own application portfolios. Moreover, prospective applicants may discover opportunities within these templates to add pertinent information to some areas in the portfolio that may not have been considered earlier.

It is important, however, to emphasize that this project is not regarded as the only correct way of arranging a packet for a doctoral program submission. Each student will have to research the specific conditions her desired program requests and decide what information is appropriate to meet those constraints. Learning this process will not only inform the student on the major components of a doctoral application, but he will understand that replicating the process is not the answer: he must assess the needs and decide accordingly how to address the situation.

CURRENT SITUATION
To date, the following items need to be produced in order to apply to a program:
· an application letter
· a curriculum vitae (cv)
· a professional website portfolio

Although I do have a functional, one-page resume, it is an abbreviated account of my education and work experience and will not suffice for this particular undertaking. I also have several documents that could be used as evidence of my intelligence and achievements, yet they are scattered among four to six digital memory storage devices and some bear little or no relevance to the type of program for which I hope to apply. I also am yet to write a letter to any schools and am not sure about what it needs to say. Given the materials I currently have and considering the exacting standards that many programs set, it is apparent that I am not yet prepared to apply to such a program.

One of the possible reasons why some doctoral program applicants do not get into their desired programs is because they equate this application process with that of an undergraduate or graduate level study. Some students may even consider that earning a Master’s degree is all the qualification an applicant needs to qualify for the next academic level and refuse to spend enough time developing a portfolio packet. Other potential applicants may want to apply, but may feel intimidated and overwhelmed by what they believe is expected of them and abandon their goals of attending because of fear.

At the doctoral level, many program dignitaries expect the candidates to introduce and “sell” themselves to the officials. Some people may consider this process unreasonable and humiliating, but it is actually a unique case of how audience analysis functions. Even though graduate programs rely on people to apply and come to the schools so that the professors can teach, the students are ultimately the main beneficiaries of attending the college as they are gaining knowledge and honing their skills to make themselves more marketable professionals.

Another integral aspect of audience analysis that applicants must consider is that even though it is important to distinguish oneself from the applicant pool, they must operate within the program’s set limitations. Doctoral programs are usually small, typically admitting fewer students than would a Master’s degree program. Hence, students should not submit materials that simply appear to be “impressive” and do not serve any importance other than the fact the students’ may have received high marks on them. This misconception may prove more harmful than helpful. Instead, they need to adhere to the specifications established by the academic community of professors while also successfully distinguishing themselves from other students.

PROJECT PLAN
Reaching my goal is not as simple as merely creating a website, writing a letter, and typing an employment history statement. On the contrary, the actual process for getting there is much more intricate. Granted, if a student already knows which school he is interested in, he may be able to bypass some of the underlying work and begin the process of preparing the materials. However, some college graduates, especially those who are busily trying to finish their current program, may not be as fortunate and would benefit from other solutions. Therefore, I will create a preliminary checklist of tasks for such students to complete before they begin working on the application packet. The main elements of this checklist appear in bulleted format below:

· Set aside time over the course of a week to look for programs of interest
· Narrow the choices to the three top schools listing the attributes of each
· Decide on applying to a program or programs
· Create a sensible, numbered schedule detailing what the admission particulars are when they are due
· Prioritize time to begin working on the submission materials

Now the fun part begins: actually doing the work. As a place to start, it is advisable to work on either the application letter or curriculum vitae first because these documents will determine what information is to be highlighted on the website portfolio. Although each of the three components of the application packet (letter, cv, and website portfolio) serve specific purposes, each one should be constructed based on the following guidelines: audience, format, and content.

In his article, The Basics of a Cover Letter, managing editor Steven Graber states, “Before reading a word of your cover letter, a potential employer has already made an assessment of your organizational skills and attention to detail simply by observing its appearance” (306). With regard to content, Graber suggests personalizing the letter and “mapping it out”. Both of these suggestions will address the audience analysis, formatting, and content factors.

Following this same format, I will structure my curriculum vitae around a Dr. Jan Holmevik’s personal copy, the specifications of the program, and credible sources from the Internet. The following is a preliminary list of the curriculum vitae contents:
· candidate's objectives and/or goals
· educational background
· previous work experience
· notable qualifications
· pertinent information specified by the program and Dr. Holmevik

Likewise, the website portfolio will address audience, format, content, but will showcase evidence of the letter and curriculum vitae. Specifically, the major components of the professional website are
· a bibliography about the applicant
· an overview of education history and relevant employment experience
· scholarly documents and projects completed
· particulars mentioned from the prospective doctoral program

Although this document can serve as a resource for other students, the document itself will not be without its flaws and will require numerous revisions. In addition to referring to the doctoral program prerequisites, the success of this project depends on constructive criticism by classroom peers and advice from the first client/audience: Dr. Holmevik.

The following computer applications and website will be used to create each component of the application submission:
· Microsoft Word: curriculum vitae and application letter
· InDesign: curriculum vitae
· ePortfolio website(http://www.clemson.edu/ugs/eportfolio): web portfolio

QUALIFICATIONS
Composing an application letter, curriculum vitae, and professional website portfolio now will enable me to submit these required materials to a doctoral program before the general deadline date early next year. Completing this task as a class assignment will provide me with helpful feedback during the process and reduce the chance of submitting an insufficient document.
In addition to this project being a major class assignment, it will also help me to make my dreams of earning a Ph. D a reality. Beginning this process has further convinced me that even the greatest challenges are attainable with necessary planning.

PROJECT SCHEDULE
Tentatively, the project itinerary will look like the following:
· September 16 - Proposal outline due
· September 25 - Proposal due
· October 1 – Create checklist
· October 16 - First deliverable draft completed
· October 30 - Second deliverable draft completed
· November 13 - Technology preview due
· December 4 - Project presentation

BIBLIOGRAPHY AND WORKS CITED
Graber, Steven. “The Basics of a Cover Letter”. Strategies for Business and Technical
Writing. Ed. Kevin J. Harty. New York: Pearson Longman, 2008. 306-320.
Holmevik, Jan R. Personal curriculum vitae.

Business and Technical Correspondence

Audience analysis is an essential part of a professional communicator's job. As shown in the examples on page 122, a professional communicator must balance purpose with personality or risk audience misinterpretation and dissatisfaction. The first example on page 122 is efficient, but insults the reader; hence, it is not effective. The writer's "matter-of-fact" tone not only informs the recipient of the rejection, but makes her feel as if she is beneath the company and that the company doesn't really "look forward to doing business" with her.

Reader-based writing is centered on diplomacy, not neutrality. Neutral writing attempts to communicate in an impersonal way, but only contradicts itself: to write neutrally is to write to no one. Instead, David Lewis suggests writing the way you talk. My only concern with this notion is that some people speak incorrectly and could do more damage to document comprehension than good. Even in an attempt to encourage their readers' understanding, the writers of this book compromise proper grammar, such as ending sentences with prepositions (example on page 125).

On another note, I still feel very awkward using personal pronouns in my writing. Throughout my schooling, I was trained to only use them for personal narratives or letters and not research papers and other documents. Moreover, I still worry about my writing being too "flowery" and not getting straight to the point. Yet, as Fielden and Dulek note, in order to write effectively, it is my responsibility to teach myself how to avoid "circuitous" writing. As long as I remember to focus my writing on the intended audience, accomplishing my writing goals are possible.

Three additional points:
1. What do the letters "CYA" on page 143 represent?
2. Did you notice that "comma" is misspelled on page 161?
3. Are the examples on page 164 the same, or did I stare at them too long?

Problem Statement Structures

Executive Summary:
Development of a prospectus letter, curriculum vitae, and professional website portfolio will aid future MAPC graduate in applying to a doctoral degree program. The student's thesis committee chair will assess and respond to the effectiveness and quality of the deliverable.

1. Introduction:
Many college graduates aspiring to continue their education beyond the Master's degree level have a general idea about the caliber of students such programs accept, but have little or no understanding about what documentation to submit to a doctoral program and how to format it. As a candidate for admission to a doctoral program, I will create a prospectus letter, curriculum vitae, and professional website portfolio to submit for this very purpose.

2. Introduction:
Many college graduates would like to be accepted into a doctoral degree program that cultivates a high level of thinking, fulfills their expectations, and provides a foundation for a career. In actuality, the real situation college graduates are facing doesn’t fulfill any of the aforementioned. As a candidate for admission to a doctoral program, I will create a prospectus letter, curriculum vitae, and professional website portfolio to submit for this very purpose.

3. Introduction:
Many college graduates aspiring to continue their education beyond the Master's degree level have little or no understanding about what documentation to submit to a doctoral program and how to format it. Lacking this information prevents prospective students from knowing how to construct formal documents, address academic professionals, and ultimately, being admitted into the desired program. As a candidate for admission to a doctoral program, I will create a prospectus letter, curriculum vitae, and professional website portfolio to submit for this very purpose.

Project Proposal Outline

Executive Summary
Development of a prospectus letter, curriculum vitae, and professional website portfolio will aid future MAPC graduate in applying to a doctoral degree program. The student's thesis committee chair will assess and respond to the effectiveness and quality of the deliverable.

Introduction
Many college graduates aspiring to continue their education beyond the Master's degree level have a general idea about the caliber of students such programs accept, but have little or no understanding about what documentation to submit to a doctoral program and how to format it. As a candidate for admission to a doctoral program, I will create a prospectus letter, curriculum vitae, and professional website portfolio to submit for this very purpose.

Current Situation
To date, April Davis has neither a professional website portfolio nor an application letter for admittance to a doctoral degree program. She has a functional resume and several digital memory instruments containing her work samples, but these components solely will not suffice for this particular undertaking.

Project Plan
The application letter will consist of the candidate's objective, goals, educational background, qualifications, and other pertinent elements as specified by thesis committee chair, Dr. Jan Holmevik. The major components of the professional website will be a bibliography about the applicant, scholarly documents and projects completed, and a current, suitable resume detailing her educational history and relevant employment experience. Structural and formatting advice from Dr. Holmevik will be used to compose and arrange the deliverable.

Qualifications
Composing an application letter and professional website portfolio will enable the student to submit the required materials to a doctoral program before the general deadline date early next year. Completing this task as a class assignment will provide the student applicant with helpful feedback during the process and reduce the chance of submitting an insufficient document.

Project Schedule
September 16 - Proposal outline due
September 25 - Proposal due
October 16 - First deliverable draft completed
October 30 - Second deliverable draft completed
November 13 - Technology preview due
December 4 - Project presentation

Myers and Selzer Analysis

Generally speaking, both articles focus on the importance of audience analysis, diction, and tone in proposal writing. Selzer's article details engineer Kenneth Nelson's composing process (planning, arranging, writing, and revising) while the Myers text shows the specific changes the two biologists, Bloch and Crews, made in their documents.

One major differences between the two articles was the revision process. Nelson's writing process is linear because he essentially moves from one writing step to another in a one-directional method. Specifically, any changes made are few in number and minor in detail because of this process. Nelson admits to writing with his audience in mind, but seems to combine the revising phase with the planning and outlining. It is quite possible that in some of his writing, he could possibly use the outline almost verbatim for the final draft. Yet, as revealed in the Myers text, even seemingly unassuming words and word combinations carry alternate meanings and can drastically alter a document's voice or tone.

The two scientists' writing processes were obviously recursive. Not only did their peers evaluate these proposals, but they had to scrutinize every aspect of their writing if they intended on getting the leaders to even read their documents, receiving funding for the research, and/or earning a respectable place within the scientific community.

On the other hand, the engineers were both faced with other composition challenges. Dr. Bloch had an interesting research topic and a successful laboratory, but was unknown amongst his peers in the scientific community. This factor directly impacted the design and format of his proposal in one major way: he was a newcomer to the community and his writing had to reflect a humble, yet confident tone so that the community leaders would even entertain reading his proposal. Too much bold, assertive language would have made him appear arrogant and dispectful towards any work that had preceeded his research. Yet, he couldn't sound too humble or the leaders would have simply ignored his proposal altogether. One way he achieved this goal was by backing off some of his claims.

Crews' name was known throughout the scientific community, but his proposal was at risk for not receiving any funding. Unlike Bloch, Crews had the advantage of being better known by the leaders and had the liberty of using stronger, more assertive language at his discretion. As Myers points out, Crews had to make his research interesting enough to catch the reader's attention because he needed financial backing. Hence, it was much more acceptable for him to make stronger claims because of the ethos he had already established and the urgency of needing the money.

Part 2: Problems with Language

While incredibly long to read, this section on language was interesting and informative. Prior to this selection, I understood that people from different parts of the world communicate and interact in many ways. However, this reading emphasized the importance of the N.A.K. (needs, audience, knowledge) acronym.

On page 61, William Zinsser listed four articles of faith when writing a document: clarity, simplicity, brevity, and humanity. These articles can be applied to writing and communication with people from other cultures. Zinsser added that the best practice a person can employ is writing as oneself (67). Specifically, writers should be careful to balance relaying a message while also avoiding redundant, mechanical-sounding prose.

The Stuart Chase segment entitled "Gobbledygook" was another one of my favorites from this reading. Chase identified academic, bureaucratic, and legal talk as some that is riddled with goobledygook. Lofty academic talk, or "pedageese", is one of my biggest pet peeves of all time. Although it is acceptable to speak this way among a group of peers, I often question why it is needed at all. I have even questioned some pedageese offenders about this matter. They have often responded that they will rarely get the opportunity to speak in that manner once they have graduated from the Professional Communication program. Frankly, I consider this type of self-gratifying talk unnecessary. Goobledygook communication makes some people happy; however, mere mortals such as myself consider it no more clearer or distinguishable than either of the two examples on page 56.

Finally, Gwyneth Olofsson's article on international communication included a number of points of which I had never heard. Specifically, I never realized how differently silence is interpreted across cultures. Moreover, until reading this section, I could not think of a good reason as to why the MAPC program specifies a foreign language requirement. Thanks to Olofsson's detailed, persuasive explanation, I now have an answer to my question.

PAFEO description

Two of my better prospects for this project have not yielded any fruitful results. These were the opportunities with Nestle and with another company in Atlanta. Although I am still looking for another option, I do have one smaller project.

Purpose: To compose a set of directions for the Greater Brookville Church usher board ministry.

Audience: The usher board, any prospective members, and the church pastor.

Format: A manual stating the goals, objectives, mission, and other details associated with being a church usher. The document will be simple to understand because some of the members are in grade school.

Evidence: Current ushers will be asked to detail pertinent information regarding their experience. Other parishioners will be asked for their assessment of how well they perceive current ushering practices. Any outdated documentation will be reviewed to note what practices have remained and which are obsolete.

Organization: The information in the document will be organized according to the order of importance and will feature a problem-analysis solution section to provide quick access to specific questions.