Valerie.arnold.portfolio

Valerie Arnold Portfolio

ENC3250.793F13 Fall 2013 ENC3250.793F13 Fall 2013

Self Assessment

Exercise #1

Exercise #2

Examples of work to show outcome progress

Audience tone or voice example

Audience tone or voice example cont.

Purpose example

Conventions example

Self Assessment• Audience/Voice and Tone: This semester I have learned the importance of understanding ones audience as well

as staying aware of my voice and tone when trying to convey a message. I know the difference between formal and informal word choice and how these words effect how an audience perceives the author/message. The importance when being formal to avoid slang or buzzwords and when being informal to still have an undertone of business-like feel; also I have achieved skills that have taught me how to write differently to address different audiences. These skills allow me to relate and convey whatever the message maybe in an effective

• Purpose: I have learned throughout college composition classes how to adjust my writing elements to fit the purpose; I have gained the ability to adjust my writing to be concise throughout all types of writing, whether a memo which is to be brief or if it is a research paper/report. This semester of continuous peer reviews and sentence analysis have helped me perfect the skill of clearly addressing the purpose/main idea of ones message so that the audience knows exactly what the point is of ones writing.

• Conventions: Coming into this semester I had no idea what conventions were or how important they are. I have developed skills to recognize the diverse view points in business setting. Our book touched on several different bias I have never taken into consideration. I am now able to generalize my writing and avoid words that can be taken wrongly by the audience. I have learned to recognize bias and how to avoid bias as I write.

Outcomes I have improved on

Exercise 1

1. Read "Building an Employment Portfolio" in Prologue and write a paragraph or two describing what you would add to an employment portfolio, how you would design it and how it could help you in your job search.

To be completely honest I do not believe any type of information should be added to the already vast amount of proof that showcase ones skills set. An employment portfolio is used to show the prospect employer the skills you posses and the experiences you have had to refine these skills. Somewhat of a resume with all prior job experience, including school history i.e years attending specific institutes and the degrees, awards or accomplishments achieved at institute. But when creating an e-portfolio you begin to expand this by including samples of work you have created in the workplace as well as leisurely artwork or creations. Also you might add ones blog, podcast or social media assuming it is relevant to the job one is applying to. I do not think anything should truly be added to the portfolio because it gives such an extensive background on the author, but one thing I might add is any volunteer work. I would keep the design basic and clean, neutral colors with simple lines and bolding to keep away from distracting the reader and to convey professionalism. I think that an portfolio whether paper or online is a great way to represent oneself fully, the author can see your creativity, drive, prior works and even see real-life videos if included. The portfolio adds to the interviewing experience giving you a touch of professionalism while showing the employer again how dedicated you are.

Exercise 2 1. What similarities do you see between visuals and nonverbal communication? Explain your answer. Visual and nonverbal communication are similar in that they often carry connotative or symbolic meaning. They are rooted deeply in cultural understanding, both require knowledge to effectively and clearly showcase the purpose

2. After studying the designs of corporate websites, Penn State University professor S. Shyam Sundar discovered quite an interesting phenomenon: The more interactive and engaging a website is, the more likely visitors are to “buy into whatever is being advocated” on the site. In other words, if two websites have identical content, the site with greater interactivity and more “bells and whistles” would be more persuasive. 18 Is it ethical to increase the persuasive power of a website simply by making it more interactive? Why or why not? Yes, because you are not skewing informationor misleading the audience. The increase of persuasive power would be solely in making the sites links and visuals more interactive, whether have animation, videos or transition effects.

3. You’re writing a report for the director of human resources on implementing team-based management throughout your company. You want to emphasize that since the new approaches were

Answer Questions 1-5 "Apply Your Knowledge" Page 3653. continued - implemented six months ago, absentee-ism and turnover have been sharply reduced in all but two departments. How do you visually present your data in the most favorable light while maintaining honest communica-tion? Explain. To provide the correct graph (possibly a line or bar graph) that would show all departments, their absenteeism and turn over data this will give the company a visual of the increase and decrease in the departments. Adding context to explain the visual to audience as well as give greater detail in the data findings.4. In addition to telling readers why an illustration is impor-tant, why else should you refer to it in the text of your docu-ment? Referring to a illustration in the text is to give the reader context, and meaning to the visual. It connects the visual to the message and purpose of the writing; also it is used to help audience correctly interpret and understand the visual and its relevancy to purpose. 5. When you read a graph, how can you be sure that the visual impression you are receiving is an accurate reflection of reality? Explain. The graph would need to be representative of the narrative you are reading and if it conflicts with it, then it should be questioned. The context of said narrative needs to be supportive and explanatory enough to clearly give the visual relevance and proof.The graph would need to be representative of the narrative you are reading and if it conflicts with it, then it should be questioned. The context of said narrative needs to be supportive and explanatory enough to clearly give the visual relevance and proof.The graph would need to be representative of the narrative you are reading and if it conflicts with it, then it should be questioned. The context of said narrative needs to be supportive and explanatory enough to clearly give the visual relevance and proof.

Audience/Voice or ToneOur first assignment, BestBabyGear.com is an example of how I was able to take the classes learning points and adjust my writing to fit my audience as well as focus on my tone/voice to not seem arrogant more informative and credible. I also included our assignment assessing audience needs and our resumes we created this semester.

Final Draft BestBabyGear.com

In peer reviews I got the continuous feedback that I came across arrogant, cocky, full of oneself and over confident. I was worried about establishing credibility and went over board here I took out a sentence or to to tone down my overconfidence but left some of the vital points that supported the email and its purpose of persuading the product company into working with BestBabyGear.com. Below is my final draft:

After careful consideration, BestBabyGear would like to add your Inglesia baby strollers and high chairs to our group of high-quality baby products that are sold online at BestBabyGear.com. Taking pride in the fact that every product featured on the site are to be top-drawer success, selling at least one hundred units per specific model a year. Inglesia baby strollers and high chairs is the top quality kind of product that would do great at BestBabyGear.com and hope you allow our online retailer to sell your products.

Audience/Voice or Tone cont.

(E)

who is the audience?

Potential employer

audience general attitude towards subject?

positive/interested

what does audience need to know?

Who I am, my skills, my contact information, why I am interested in the position and why I think I am good for the job.

(F)


Accounting Managers


Positive and helpful


The specifics of the services offered by the firm to help with complying with government regulations, as well as prices for services.

(C)who is the audience?

Management


indifferent


why merging the four regions would benefit the company

(D)


neighborhood familys/those need chimney cleaned


possitive if the need the service


How much the service cost, as well as service number and what all the chimney service includes.

In this assignment we had to read expcerts from the book and determine audience attitude and the purpose. This assignment helped me prepare my writings by be able to determine my exact audience how to approach to receive a positive feedback and establish my purpose.

(A )who is the audience?

Dealer is the manufacturers audience


probably negative seeing that manufacturer is contacting them on a negative note.


legal collection date and how long they have to pay back

(B) who is the audience?

General public but focus on photographers


positive


what features the camera has, and the price


ProfileIntelligent young lady with a strong work ethic, ability to learn quickly and a drive to succeed. My objective is to obtain a position where I can utilize my current skill set, and expand it, while I gain experience in the business world during my continued academic career.

Experience

Cashier, CVS Pharmacy, Valrico, Fl June 2013 - CurrentDuties of cashier includes, providing the best customer service possible. Greeting the customer, as well as helping find products, and checking them out. Other duties cashier holds are stocking, facing, cleaning front of store, tagging sales and collect coupons correctly.

Work Order Processor, AJA Property Preservation, Valrico, Fl January 2013 - August 2013Duties of processor includes, uploading and digital filing all properties documents on company computer memory. Updating all completed work order with completed work as well as submitting photo evidence of completed work. Processor is used as a filter to catch all missed bids/completed works and to create a final draft that is then reviewed and submitted by operations.

Warehouse Associate, Bisk Education, Tampa, Fl December

2012 - April 2013Warehouse is a full operating bookstore that prints cds and study guides pairs them with the universities course material lists and ship out orders based on students request.

Warehouse associates are trained to kit, which is a process of wrapping study guides and cds together for certificate courses, also they are trained to pick student orders, QC meter and pack the educational materials. Associate is trained in Great Plains, Fedex Vship, and Windows Excel.

Host, Bonefish Grill Brandon, Fl October 2011 - April 2012Responsible for keeping front of the house in order, Hostess job consist of four sub parts: 1) The greeter - opens the door for guest as well as calculate the wait time when experiencing one, 2) The coordinator (head host) keeps track of the floor plan that evening, where the servers are assigned, which tables are open, which ones have checks down. The coordinator also is the opener they set up the dining room,check reservations, and plans seating for large parties. 3) The seater - answers phones, takes to-go order, seats guest, helps buss tables, set up for parties, menu counts and etc. 4)To-go - mainly stays in the kitchen organizing incoming to-go orders as well as taking care of guest that come in.

Line server/cashier, Qdoba Mexican Grill Brandon, Fl March, 2011 - October 2011Responsible for preparation of food, utilizing a variety of industrial appliances. Greet customers, obtain food orders and fulfill as directed. Responsible for accurate calculation of all items ordered and collection of payment. While serving as cashier, responsibilities include: maintenance of lobby area, insuring satisfaction of customer experience and proper balancing of cash drawer.

Server/waitress, Tampa Pitcher Show Tampa, Fl January, 2010 - November 2011Responsible for preparation of small house salads and dips located in waitress station. Greet customers, obtain food and drink order before movie previews begin. Serve food within first 20 minutes of the movie showing. Responsible to periodically check on customers (refill drinks, dessert orders, etc.), also bussing tables throughout the film. 30 minutes before movie ends waitresses responsible for running checks and collect payments, when the movie is over stand on floor and say goodbye to customers, run through your section for a final buss and clean.

Volunteer, Baylife Church Brandon, Fl June 2010.Underwent training prior to departure of mission trip that include multiple training sessions outlining my responsibilities as a member of the mission group. The mission trip consisted of a two week journey to the Dominican Republic. My responsibilities on that trip consisted of maintaing a clean and orderly living environment for all members of the mission group. During my stay in Monte Plata daily trips to Casa de Monte Plata Orphanage were required in oder to construct the entire foundation as well as the cement block walls for additional living space. In addition to the construction of the additional living space I was directly responsible for maintaining a clean living environment in which there was no clean running water nor was there air conditioning. Due to my diligence as well as my ability to delegate responsibilities to the team we were able to avoid any illnesses on our trip where as all prior trips experienced a multitude of stomach viruses.


EducationBloomingdale Senior High School, Valrico, Florida — High School Diploma, 2011University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida — Undergraduate, Fall 2011, Spring 2012, Summer 2012, Fall 2012, Summer 2013, Fall 2013

Skills I have committed traits that have allowed me to work on the yearbook staff of Bloomingdale HighSchool as the senior art director for three years; as well as being involved in WBUL which is the t.v. production class offered my high school. I was an active member of WBUL and was a part of the morning show production as well as several music videos featured on our Youtube account http://www.youtube.com/user/WBULTV. I also completed training for the extensive certification for Adobe Creative Suite such as Photoshop, Indesign, Excel and Microsoft office, which allow me to be familiar with office duties and routines. Working with the yearbook and t.v. production class I have worked in situations that require multi-tasking and professionalism.

ReferralsDebrah Phillips 408 3893946Ravi Seepersad 813 5058152Jill Lee 727 6925174Roy Garcia 813 951 2867

Resume continued

Purpose

(1)"As an organization, the North American Personal Motorsports Marketing Association has committed ourselves to helping our members—a diverse group comprising of dealers of motorcycles, all-terrain vehicles, Snowmobiles, and personal watercraft—achieve their business objectives. Consequently, our organization, which usually goes under the initials NAPMMA, has the following aims, goals, and objectives. Firstly, we endeavor to aid or assist our members in reaching their business objectives. Second, NAPMMA communicates (“lobbying” in slang terms) with local, state, and national governmental agencies and leaders on issues of importance to our members. And lastly, we educate the motorsports public, that being current motorsports vehicle owners, and prospective owners of said vehicles, on the safe and enjoyable operation of they’re vehicles."

My review: The message is semi-clear but could definitely be more defined by identifying what the writer wants the audience to think or do after receiving the message ( this concept comes from page 109 under checklist A). This would take away from the fluff in the message and create a more clear idea of exactly what the writer means, right now is seems to be just an explanation of what this organization is but what does this organization want the audience to do? The writer should break down the run on sentences into simple sentences as well as an active voice, bias free-language and more transitions to allow the message to flow easier. Lastly I would say the readability is lacking, the sentences seem to run on, rambling, which causes the messages main point to be lost in translation.

Motorsports assignment is the perfect example of how I took the skills I learned concerning the purpose and how to effectively and clearly convey my message. I have included all 3 parts of this assignment (1) my review of the books excerpt as wells as (2)my rough draft and (3)final draft of the message to showcase the progress I made during this assignment.

(2) Being one of the top rated companies in American, North American Personal Motorsports Marketing Association (NAPMMA), we have committed ourselves to serving and providing the best service for our members. NAPMMA works with our members through every step to ensure they reach their business goals, as well as communicates with the government on our member behalf to ensure this issues of importance are being heard. Lastly we focus on motorsports safety education, which is not only offered to our members but to the public also. We do our part so our members can enjoy theirs.

(3) In peer review I was given pretty good feedback; one thing my peers thought I should change up to make my message flow easier with a clearer idea was to reword my first sentence and to break down the second sentence. Below is my final draft.

As one of the top rated companies in American, North American Personal Motorsports Marketing Association (NAPMMA), we have committed ourselves to providing high quality customer service as well as the lastest motorsports education for our members. At NAPMMA, we work with our members through every step to ensure they reach their business goals. We also communicate with the government on our members behalf to ensure that issues of importance are being heard. Lastly we focus on motorsports safety education, which is not only offered to our members but to the public as well. NAPMMA is your one stop shop for your business; We do our part so our members can enjoy theirs.

ConventionsI have included two assignment I believe show my improvement in recognizing bias and avoiding it.

1.Describe how to create effective email messages for business communication?

Start with the subject line, it should be something to capture the audiences attention something informative and compelling. In the meet of ones email never type in caps, avoid sending long complex messages, adjust level of formality to the message and the audience, when responding either paraphrase the request or include enough of the original message to remind the reader what you’re replying to. Also when requesting information make it clear what you are asking for, why it is important and the deadline. Lastly remember a message can be forwarded and saved forever.

2. Describe how to create effective Instant Messages (IM's) and Text Messages for business communication? Plan the IM, treat each message as a conversation whatever your main point of the message is think about it and writ it in the most effective, clear way possible. While IMing avoid acronyms to maintain a business tone.

3. Explain how to adapt the three-step writing process to blogging for business communication.

Audience - Define your audience, larger the better. Purpose- Business blog has to have a business-related purpose that is important or sparks interest in your previously defined audience.The purpose has to spark a discussion or interest that can carry a blog for weeks, months or even years; rather than a new subject everyday or week. Once you have the purpose it is time to create posts that will feed off the big idea but create a new one with a new opinion. Scope- Is almost like your 5 year plan for the blog, you want to define the scope of your blog but the definition needs to be broad, broad enough to allow your readers to start new discussions that could be carried on over years. The scope is what will help you build an audience.

Original: Well, to the profound surprise of absolutely nobody, we are not going to be able to meet the June 1 commitment to ship 100 operating table to southeast Surgical supply. (For those of you who have been living in a cave for the past six month, we have been fighting to get our hands on enuf high-grade chromium steel to meet our production schedule). Sure enough, we got news, this morning, that we will only get enough for 30 tables. Yes, we look like fools for not following through on promises we made to the customer, but no, this didn't have to happen. Six month's ago, purchasing warned us about shrinking supplies and suggested we buy as much as we need for 12 months. We naturally tried to follow their advice, but (as per usual) the super smart folks in accounting shot us down and trotted out the policy of never buying more than 3 months of materials in advance. Of course, it'll be our team, not them , who takes the flak when everybody starts asking why revenues are down next quarter! Maybe someday this company will "wake up and smell the coffee" and realize we need to have some financial flexibility in order to compete.

Revised: Dear team, We cannot address our customers as we did in the email above. The language used is not only slang but the tone and voice of the message is set through the hostility of the words. Giving the entire email a bothered, unapologetic tone in which our customers will find unprofessional as well as bitter, foolish and incompetent. The slang words can be taken wrongly and can cause the audience to believe we are bias in someway. To avoid these issues, I recommend staying broad or vague but concise, clear and to the point addressing that we do not have the supplies needed to produce promised outcomes and how apologetic we are as a company.

Valerie Arnold Portfolio

ENC3250.793F13 Fall 2013 ENC3250.793F13 Fall 2013

Valerie.arnold.portfolio

Education

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