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Posts from 02/26/2018

The Final Three Major Projects

The Final Three Major Projects published on

This is the post for the week of February 26, 2018.

Notes for the Week

  • Since Spring Break begins at the end of the week, all of the Discussion posts for this week have been published on Monday. This change will allow you to get everything done early if you are leaving town. If you aren’t leaving, no worries! Just do things as you usually would, getting the work done as you can.
  • This week, we begin work on the last three major projects you will complete for the course. All of the remaining major projects in the course are connected. Here’s how:

    Genre Report Timeline

    The important detail here is that you have to decide on your plan for both the proposal and the genre analysis report this week.

Readings for the Week

Tasks for the Week

Complete the tasks and readings included in the Short Proposal Overview Module in Canvas:

  1. By 11:59PM on Monday, February 26, submit your 02/23 Labor Log in Canvas, if you are using the grace period.
  2. By 11:59PM on Monday, February 26, submit your project in the Analysis assignment in Canvas. If you are using the grace period, submit your project by 11:59PM on March 1.
  3. Leave a comment on the Discussion Posts if you like.
  4. By 11:59PM on Friday, March 2, write your 03/02 Labor Log in Canvas. The grace period for your log entry ends at 11:59 PM on Monday, March 12. Spring Break doesn’t count in the calculation, but if you put off writing, you may forget what you have done. Endeavor to submit your log on time.

 

Note: This image already has a text description, so a transcript is not needed.


 
Last updated on Thursday, March 1, 2018

#WeekendWatch: Reader-Friendly Proposals

#WeekendWatch: Reader-Friendly Proposals published on 5 Comments on #WeekendWatch: Reader-Friendly Proposals

Lynda.com Login Help

Lynda.com videos are free to Virginia Tech students with your VT.EDU login. Start at the VT.EDU login page to access these resources.

This week’s #WeekendWatch demonstrates how Reader-Friendly Design (4m40s) can improve a proposal, making it more likely that readers will consider the document fully.

The video shows a before and after version of a chunk of text from a proposal and walks through the changes that make the original document easier to read. The video shows why it’s important to pay attention to paragraphing, headings, and document structures like bullet lists for a reader-friendly design.

Watch the video for more information on strategies that you can apply in your short proposal.

Screenshot of the opening image from the Lynda.com video on Reader-Friendly Design in Proposals

 

Note: This video has closed captioning, so it does not need a transcript.


 
Last updated on Monday, March 12, 2018

#FridayFact: Proposal Readers Don’t Want Suspense

#FridayFact: Proposal Readers Don’t Want Suspense published on 12 Comments on #FridayFact: Proposal Readers Don’t Want Suspense

The Psycho House by Steve on Flickr, used under a CC-BY-SA 2.0 licenseIf you want a positive response to your proposal, be up front with the key information. Don’t keep your readers in suspense, waiting for the details.

The Harvard Business Review (HBR) article “Don’t Make Your Innovation Proposal into a Hitchcock Movie” explains that readers don’t like to wait for the details in a proposal. Suspense works well for movies like Hitchcock’s Psycho, author Scott Anthony argues, but proposal readers want the key information right way. Anthony explains, “You simply cannot leave them waiting and wondering about what you want to do and what you need.”

As is the case with all writing, audience awareness can make or break your proposal. Your document has to give readers what they want and need. “The One Unbreakable Rule in Business Writing,” according to Harvard Business Review’s Tucker Max, is that your document “has to be about the reader, not about you.” Read the article for three questions that will help you make sure you meet your reader’s expectations.

 

 

Photo credit: The Psycho House by Steve on Flickr, used under a CC-BY-SA 2.0 license


 
Last updated on Monday, March 12, 2018

#InfographicInspiration: Persuasion and Storytelling

#InfographicInspiration: Persuasion and Storytelling published on 13 Comments on #InfographicInspiration: Persuasion and Storytelling

If you think about it, you already know that storytelling is persuasive. Picture any commercial that you’ve seen that really caught your attention. Chances are high that it included some kind of a story. It might have included people telling a story as a testimonial for why the product or service is good, or it might depict a story that demonstrates why the product or service is good.

Storytelling can work well in professional writing too. When you work on a proposal for a client, you want to include details the demonstrate why your ideas are the best ones. This week’s #InfographicInspiration outlines why storytelling can be so persuasive for readers.

Storytelling: The Most Effective Way to Engage and Persuade People
Larger image available

 

Note: This infographic needs a text-based transcript. See the Optional Accessibility Transcript Activity for more details.


 
Last updated on Monday, March 12, 2018

#WednesdayWrite: Midterm Evaluation

#WednesdayWrite: Midterm Evaluation published on 41 Comments on #WednesdayWrite: Midterm Evaluation

Course Evaluation Day. Finally I Have My Revenge!Since it’s the middle of the term, I want to invite you to tell me how you feel about the course so far. Here are three ways to respond:

  • Add a comment that tells me how you feel about the course so far.
  • Reply to a comment someone else has made. It’s useful to know if a lot of you are interested in the same thing.
  • Send me an email or a private message in Canvas if you want to say something but don’t want to say it in public.

Possible Questions

I will share some questions you can answer if you like; however, you are free to comment in whatever way you like. Don’t feel limited by the questions.

  • What do you love about the course?
  • What do you hate about the course?
  • How can I help you learn better?
  • What can you do to do better in the course?
  • What is most helpful to you about the course?
  • Is there anything you wish the course would cover? What?
  • “Stop, Start, Continue”:
    • What do you want to stop in the course?
    • What would you like to start?
    • What would you like to continue?

Please Be Honest

I will not use your comments against you, nor will your comments help you. Just be honest, and give me some details to support what you say. Here’s an example:

Not Very Helpful
This class sucks! [This response doesn’ let me know what I need to do to improve.]

Helpful
This class sucks because I prefer multiple choice quizzes to writing projects.

Naturally, I cannot make every change you might like. I can’t eliminate writing projects, for example, since this is a writing course. I will take your suggestions seriously and make changes that the majority of people want if possible however.

 


 
Last updated on Monday, March 12, 2018

#TuesdayTutorial: Proposal Overview

#TuesdayTutorial: Proposal Overview published on 8 Comments on #TuesdayTutorial: Proposal Overview

Lynda.com Login Help

Lynda.com videos are free to Virginia Tech students with your VT.EDU login. Start at the VT.EDU login page to access these resources.

The Discussion posts this week provide more information about proposals. Some of the information, like today’s tutorial, include information that expands beyond the basic details you need to write your short proposal for this class. Since you are likely to write more than one kind of proposal once you enter the workforce, the thorough details in this video are sure to come in handy

This week’s #Tuesday Tutorial, the Lynda.com video Overview of Business Proposals (5m25s), introduces the four different types of proposals and goes on to discuss common proposal characteristics such as document structure, the necessary length, and audience needs.

As you watch the video, consider how the information relates to the short proposal that you will write. Since you will write about different kind of writing and for different reasons, how can you apply the information the video shares? If you have experience writing proposals in the workplace or elsewhere, how does your experience match the information in the video?

Screenshot of the opening screen of the Lynda.com video Overview of Business Proposals
Screenshot of the opening screen of the Lynda.com video Overview of Business Proposals

 

Note: This video has closed captioning, so it does not need a transcript.


 
Last updated on Monday, March 12, 2018

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