Assignments: Assignment 4: Positive Message (draft) DUE Job Package (first draft returned) w/...
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Transcript of Assignments: Assignment 4: Positive Message (draft) DUE Job Package (first draft returned) w/...
Today…
Assignments: Assignment 4: Positive Message (draft) DUE Job Package (first draft returned) w/ review
Blog Post: Give an example of an effective (or ineffective) piece of
business communication (written, verbal or otherwise) that you’ve encountered. Don’t just tell what it was, but describe what made it work (or not). Be specific.
New: Designing Documents Assignment 8: Designing Flyers & Forms Assignment 9: Individual Oral Presentation Assignment 10: Visual Impression Analysis
‘Self’ Analysis
Well written, articulate, introspective
Some thoughts… Paragraph breaks Proofread…
Myself vs. my self Apart vs. a part Altogether vs. all together Their vs. there vs. they’re
Resume: “Education”
Move to top Reverse chronological order Complete university name, college name(s)
(Don’t abbreviate), city, state Name your degree Years attended (regardless of degree or not) Expected graduation date Major, minor, GPA Awards? Dean’s List? Related Coursework w/ proper course titles
“Integrated Communication in Business”
Resume: “Experience”
Use action verbs: Delegated, Designed, Administered,
Produced, etc. Emphasize results (if possible)
“Increased sales by 13%, Cut costs by $5,000,” etc.
Emphasize Skills (NOT Tasks) “Provided customer service” vs. “Waited
on customers” “Reconciled cash in excess of $150,000
annually (balanced ±0.01% )” vs. “Ran a cash register”
Resume: Formatting
Make documents look professional and inviting Not sparse and thrown together Make it easy to read It’s a reflection on you
No “essays” – incomplete sentences in active voice
Begin with active verbs in the correct tense Directed, managed, coordinated, moved…
Resume: Formatting
Don’t claim “Attention to detail” unless you can prove it.
Don’t say “Excellent oral and written communication skills” unless yours ARE
Be perfect – proofread(!) Be specific – set yourself apart from the
rest Make your document look professional,
more than just a bulleted list Use headings Sweat the details
Cover Letter: Formatting
Format professionally Return address Use paragraphs (intro, body, conclusion) Correct sentence structure Match their requirements Attention-getting; emphasize strongest
skills Bullet points
Closing sentence Be perfect – proofread
trademarks, capitalization, punctuation, grammar
Cover Letter: Content
Be specific – tell them what you want Avoid passive language…
Use active voice Tell them something they DON’T
know… “I am writing this letter in response to…” “I am writing this letter because I am…” “I would like to be considered…”Vs. “Please consider my application…”
Cover Letter: Content
Don’t just say it… PROVE it... “I know I would be a great asset to your
company…” “I feel like I would be a very good……” “This would be my dream job…”
…PROVE that you’re qualified
Match your skills to their requirements Use their words; their description
Be positive Be confident
Designing DocumentsApp A (p. A1-17)
Why Design Matters
Saves time and money Reduces legal problems Builds goodwill Attractive pages look
friendly, aids readability Grouping ideas shows
structure
8-11
Design: Part of Writing
Think about design at each step As you plan, think about audience▪ Skilled or busy?▪ Read straight through or skip around?
As you write, use lists, headings. Use visuals to convey numerical data
clearly Get feedback from your audience As you revise, check the design
guidelines that follow 8-12
Design and Conventions
What are conventions? Vary widely by audience, geographic area,
industry, or department Change over time
Rarely use Courier typeface anymore Italicize magazine titles rather than underline
Violating is risky Presents incorrect interpretations Signals author is unreliable or
unknowledgeable
Rules of Document Design
Color Use the color wheel to create matching
color schemes Four or Fewer colors Emotion-Saturation
Dark, desaturated colors = serious and professional
Bright, desaturated colors = friendly and professional
Fully saturated colors to grab attention Know how people and cultures respond to
colors Treat white as a color, treat black as a
color
blackhttp://thevisualcommunicationguy.com/2014/10/23/the-50-most-important-rules-of-document-design-color-crayon-tip-method/
Rules of Document Design
Contrast Use contrasting colors for clarity
and visual interest. Size matters: most important thing
biggest and boldest Typefaces: use different font
families (headings vs. text) Highlighting: use bold, italics
sparingly (NOT ALL CAPS) Overlays: contrast the background
with the text significantly to avoid conflicts or visual noise.
http://thevisualcommunicationguy.com/2014/10/23/the-50-most-important-rules-of-document-design-color-crayon-tip-method/
Rules of Document Design
Arrangement Give purpose; show relationships - avoid
arbitrary placement or “floating” objects Alignment: everything on a page should
be aligned to something else. Avoid center-alignment
Proximity: Avoid randomizing Stability: Arrange objects to show
stability Flat and horizontal = stable and calm. Vertical arrangement can appear more active. Tilted objects can appear in motion.
Position strategically. Space implies time. Tilted objects imply instability.
http://thevisualcommunicationguy.com/2014/10/23/the-50-most-important-rules-of-document-design-color-crayon-tip-method/
Rules of Document Design
Organization Five ways
1. by location/space, 2. by alphabet, 3. by time/chronology, 4. by category5. by hierarchy
(most important vs least important) Make text scannable Rule of Thirds Bleeds: move edges of objects off the page
http://thevisualcommunicationguy.com/2014/10/23/the-50-most-important-rules-of-document-design-color-crayon-tip-method/
Rules of Document Design
Negative Space 1 + 1=3: be aware of the
shapes created between objects
Empty Noise: white space (negative space) increases readability “What’s left unsaid, says it all.”
Avoid thin or awkward margins
http://thevisualcommunicationguy.com/2014/10/23/the-50-most-important-rules-of-document-design-color-crayon-tip-method/
Rules of Document Design
Typography Two Fonts Max Know your font families Fonts have personality
Apply appropriate font Avoid default and overused fonts.
Be sure your font is legible For names, use only very legible fonts.
Readability Increase readability by increasing line spacing,
using legible fonts, shortening line length, and using contrast
http://thevisualcommunicationguy.com/2014/10/23/the-50-most-important-rules-of-document-design-color-crayon-tip-method/
Rules of Document Design
Photography Picture Superiority
Will remember up to 60% more Resolution
NOT pixilated or distorted Face-ism Ratio
Increase face: personality, intellect.
Increase body: health, vitality Direction
Faces look toward the inside Match Photographic
Styleshttp://thevisualcommunicationguy.com/2014/10/23/the-50-most-important-rules-of-document-design-color-crayon-tip-method/
Page Design Guidelines
Use these eight guidelines to create visually attractive documents.1. Use white space 2. Use headings 3. Limit words in all capital letters4. Use no more than two fonts per
document5. Justify margins selectively6. Put key items at top left or bottom
right7. Use a grid for graphic unity8. Use highlighting, decorative devices,
and color in moderation8-21
Using Graphics Effectively and Ethically
A graphic should . . . Contribute to overall meaning Reinforce and supplement written or
spoken words Communicate ideas that cannot be
conveyed effectively in written form Have a simple, effective design that is
easy to understand Depict information honestly
Using Graphics in Text
Introduce graphic, show it, then interpret and analyze
When possible, position graphic immediately following text introducing it
Avoid only restating what graphic shows; instead, interpret based on audience interest
Semantically Resonant Color Choices
What is the color of money? Of love? Of the ocean?
In the United States, most people would say… money is green, love is red and the ocean is blue.
Stuff to do…
Read: Ch 14: Developing Oral Presentations (p. 452-476)
Assignment 8: Designing Flyers & Forms Final DUE August 10 (no draft)
Assignment 9: Individual Oral Presentation In Class August 3 & 5
Assignment 10: Visual Impression Analysis Final DUE August 12 (no draft)
Blog post: Describe how you feel about writing (of any sort). Is it difficult for you? How so? Or does it come easy? Do you enjoy it? Dislike it? What’s your favorite type of writing? (fiction, journaling, nonfiction, etc.) Least favorite? Why?