W231 Professional Writing Skills Retrospective Memo
DATE: 15 February 2022
TO: Debbie Oesch-Minor
FROM: Tony Prabhu-Hensley
SUBJECT: Improving My Diplomatic Skills in Writing and Coping With Setbacks
Over the first few weeks of W231, I have been exposed to a wealth of new information on business writing, including concepts such as You-Attitude and the importance of bulleted lists and positive emphasis, which I have since incorporated into both my personal and professional writing.
During this time period, I have also had to adapt to external difficulties with coursework- none of the community clients to whom I reached out responded, making it difficult to gauge when to email the next client, and how long to wait before proceeding under the assumption that I would be on my own.
The New Basics: How Locker’s Theory of Writing Revolutionized My Communication
Kitty Locker has presented me with a new set of principles that I had never encountered before. Some of the most crucial to showing me the underlying structure of business were:
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You-Attitude
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Positive Emphasis
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Bulleted Lists
You-Attitude is a vital concept that applies to every part of written communication, as evidenced by the fact that Locker calls it “a communication style that looks at things from the audience’s point of view” (Locker, 2019, p. 59 (Emphasis mine)).
Beyond advising Positive Emphasis, Locker showed me non-intuitive applications of it. Unintended negativity was one such idea. Locker showed that many seemingly innocuous words can have negative connotations and “some words are not negative in themselves but become negative in context” (Locker, 2019, p. 65). Her advice made me much more aware of the implications of every word, and I know when I want to leave those implications intact. For example, I do not need to say that Locker’s principles have made my writing “even better”. The fact is that they have improved my writing, which was formerly bad.
Bulleted Lists were a deceptively simple technique. A straightforward form of arrangement, they make information easier to take in and place emphasis on the contents.
While it is less overarching, the advice to get to the point quickly proved to be a defining aspect of my written correspondences, especially the negative message. I learned that “with some bad news… straightforward negatives build credibility” (Locker, 2019, p. 62), so I avoided using a buffer before bad news and I put the most important information in the subject line.
404 Response Not Found: How I Faced a Dearth of Communication
The central focus of Writing Project 1 was the journey of contacting 1-3 community clients and pitching the cause of one organization to the class. I had difficulty with this- none of the community partners I contacted gave me a response, and I lost time waiting for someone to answer, since I didn’t want to waste time on a visual only to have my last contact respond.
External delays often leave me on the fence about whether to wait or proceed, leading to difficulties in finishing work before the deadline. In the future, I intend to proceed within two days if I receive no response. Additionally, I will make further efforts to make use of the Aristotelian concept of kairos (making the right argument at the right time) by ensuring that I stress both the ease and the urgency of responding, as well as the fact that I am contacting the recipient for a school project (which has at least some outside credibility) rather than simply on my own impulse.
My Writing Process: 99% Cursive, 1% Cursing
For most writing, I begin with paper and pen. The process of writing by hand, which involves forming each individual letter, has been shown to improve writing quality. In some cases, however, I already know what I am going to write. Then I skip straight to typing. I also type whenever I want a high degree of flexibility and ability to manipulate and experiment with my writing as I work with it, rather than sitting down and working my way through two or three paragraphs before coming back to revise.
I have a dual policy for sound as well. Whenever possible, I listen to my favorite band Sonata Arctica while working. It helps me to stay motivated and maintain the positive outlook I need to persevere through my work. Harder assignments that require me to sit down and think hard, however, merit complete silence.
In general, I plan my writing in silence and on paper before spinning the full draft on a laptop with metal as my moral support.
Helping Others to Help Ourselves: How Peer Review Affected My Writing
While exchanging peer review over our persuasive message, I was not only helped by examining Emily’s work for errors. Her exemplary demonstration of clarity, You-Attitude, and detailed headings showed me an example of writing done well. Her very first paragraph had You-Attitude embedded in every sentence:
“...You have done so much for me as well as the rest of these kids, and it shows. Because of all the opportunities you have given me, I would like to extend one out to you. If you say yes, you will have the chance to pick a topic and work with a team of IUPUI students to analyze a challenge In His Light Players is facing.” (Emily Skluzacek, Topic: CA4A--DUE 1/25 prior to class/ Writing Project 1 Persuasive Correspondence COMPLETE DRAFT (instructure.com))
I had her writing in mind when I revised the following sentence from my goodwill message:
“Congratulations! I made my pitch to the class today, and Rusty Quill has been elected as one of the finalists who will receive a recommendation report.”
Here is the corrected version:
“Congratulations! You have been elected as one of the finalists who will receive a recommendation report.”
The original sentence lacked You-Attitude. This was a grave mistake- I consider You-Attitude the singular most crucial component of good business writing outlined by Locker. Everything else- clarity, bulleted lists, getting to the point with bad news- has its origin in You-Attitude.