Welcome to ENGL 3050

Practical Writing Summer II 2011

June 30 Agenda

Course Introductions and Overview

Intro to Practical Writing: Reader-Centered vs. Writer-Centered

Introduction to Information Design

Introduce Projects 1 and 2

Density Exercises

Course Introductions

About Dr. Perryman-Clark

Icebreaker

Find two classmates (buddy system)

Find out what brought them to this class

Find out at least one unusual fact about partner

Introduce one of your classmates to the class

Syllabus and Policies

Required Text: Technical Writing: A Reader-Centered Approach, 7th edition by Paul V. Anderson

$5.00 Fee Card

If you miss a deadline for a draft, a workshop, or a small-group conference, you will not receive the points assigned to that activity (usually 10-25 points for review-draft activities)

If you miss a deadline for final submission of a project, you will receive a reduction of points (equivalent to one full letter grade) for each 48 hours late.

Buddy System: Select 2 Classmates (from icebreaker)

Plagiarism

WMU Email

Intro to Practical Writing

We will write for “practical” purposes where writing situations have “real world” implications

Your classmates will become your colleagues and coworkers

We will compose texts that satisfy many different readers in a single communication (this will be hard!).

We will use distinctive types of communication

We will use graphics and visual designs to increase effectiveness.

We will collaborate.

We will devote critical attention to organizational conventions and cultures.

We will be sensitive to legal and ethical issues.

We will meet deadlines!

Reader-Centered Approach

You ALWAYS have to think about how the reader responds to your text. Why?

Because readers construct meaning

Readers interact, engage, and interpret

Constructed meaning is often based on readers’ frame of reference

Because readers’ responses are shaped by the rhetorical situation

Responses are contextual, meaning that they are dependent on many factors

A wide range of contextual factors affect how readers respond.

Because readers react moment by moment

readers respond at various points in a text (sentence-by-sentence, paragraph-by-paragraph, etc.)

their reaction to what you write in one part of the text can influence their reaction in other parts of the text.

Project 1: The Resume

Conventional print resume (not scanned version)

Memo to professor explaining how the documents exemplify

reader-centered principles, accompanied by copy of ad or

position notice

Your Reader-Centered Resume: How Employers Will Read It

Initial Screening: Employers receive tons, so first screening is often electronic.

Detailed examination of most promising application: forwarded to managers.

Preparation for interview: Persuasive resumes are invented for interviews.

Project 1 Reader Centered Resume: Guide to Success

Understand your key challenge. This challenge is to convey the education and experience you have that relates

to the opportunity you want.

Create Target resumes. Avoid a generic approach—one resume for all opportunities—and instead adapt and

revise your resume to target each specific opportunity.

Do Your Homework. Research the organization or institution to whom you are submitting a resume, and use that

knowledge to relate your education and experience to the organization.

Take an employer’s or reader’s perspective. When deciding what to include and how to describe it in your

resume, always think about the qualities an employer will hope to find in the successful applicant.

Lead with your strengths. Busy employers often “size up” a resume very quickly, so make it easy for readers to

see your most impressive credentials. Don’t bury the good stuff.

Be concise. Avoid paragraphs and often even full sentences. Your challenge is to prune your prose; you don’t

want to sacrifice clarity but you do want to eliminate unnecessary words.

Be willing to sacrifice information. Information about you may be relevant in your resume for one opportunity but not relevant for another. Study the opportunity description and eliminate items unimportant to the opportunity.

Addtn. Reader-Centered Tips

When defining your resume objectives, think about your readers in the act of reading.

To understand your readers, know who your employers are.

Create an accurate portrait of how employers will read your resume in ways that will persuade employers of your qualifications.

Present your resume and qualifications in a way that is accessible and readable for employers.

Reader-Centered vs. Writer Centered Resume Objectives

Writer Centered

Describes what you want, not what you would bring to the table

Position that will compensate me for my work and provide continuing growth opportunities

(e.gs. Seek a challenging position with opportunity for advancement; seek a position with a major firm that will result in increased responsibility).

Too Specific

Names a specific position in a specific organization rather than an objective (e.g. Seek an internship in video production with Jax Studios.)

Reader Centered

Emphasizes type of position or the general skills/experience applicant is able to contribute

(e.g.Seek an operations management position utilizing my staff supervision, departmental, and customer service management experience).

Reader Centered

Combines objective with qualifications followed by bulleted list

Intro to Informational Design

Short informative headings Lists Bullets Italics Variety of heading sizes Different typefaces for headings than for textWhite space to separate sectionsAmple margins (3/4” to 1”)Visual balance

Sample Resumes : Reader or Writer-Centered?

Example 1

Example 2

Prewriting: Brainstorming Your Design

Spend some time looking at sample resumes on the web

Determine if they are reader or writer-centered

Select a resume that you like

Determine the features that make this resume desirable

Set forth a plan for applying these features to your resume.

Start composing!

Check-in, Report, Share

Share the samples you found

Explain how they’re reader-centered

Walk us through your plan to implement these features into your design.

Reader-Centered Resume Examples

http://www.distinctiveweb.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/sample-career-change-resume.jpg

http://marcfrechette.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/marc_frechette_resume.pdf

Design Recap

• Typography.  Are you taking advantage of typography to create contrast?  Do you use a sans serif font for your headings? Don't go font happy

though. Usually no more than two fonts types are recommended for good design in a resume.  You can always adjust size and contrast to differentiate levels in your resume.  Also, you do not have to stick with 12 point font size simply because that is what you usually do for manuscripts.  A 10 or 11 point font is still pretty readable.

• Spacing. Are you using spacing to accentuate groupings?  Remember to use more space to separate major segments than you use to separate

elements within a segment. In other words, don't just push the space bar and have the same amount of spacing throughout your resume.

• Contrast. Are you using one level of headings to set off major segments but then forgetting about the importance of contrast within segments? 

Remember to help readers locate and identify information within segments. Hierarchy matters.

• Page layout. Are you going to a second page, when you fill only a third or so of that page? If so, go back and look at page one and ways you can

economize (font size, two columns, etc.).

Reference Sheet.  Did you remember to create a reference sheet with full identification and contact information for each reference?

Hanging Indent. Are you remembering to use clean, clear points of alignment in your document? A hanging indent is one way to employ alignment

effectively. (This slide uses a hanging intent)

Reader vs. Writer-Centered Communication Examples

Student Email: Appropriate Rhetorical Strategies

Density Chunking on consent forms

Curriculum Vitae: rules of hierarchy and design

Project 2: The Interview

Write request memo request to a professional in your field.

Then plan and conduct interview.

Write 3-4 page report of major findings.

Elements of Interview Report

Introductory Segment: orients reader

Background Segment(s): provides reader with background info so that reader can understand

Major findings segment: Reflect on all data and write major findings; group related sub-findings under major findings

Sub-findings category: begin with general summary of findings and then provide supporting evidence from interview data

Text Hierarchy Levels: Create hierarchy levels that guide readers through your report, and use at least two-level headings, one for major segments and another to break down info within segs.

Concluding segment: create a sense of closure in the document.

Density Exercises1.Use chunking and grouping to break up the density of text.

2.Use spacing. To visually emphasize groupings of text, Use more space between major chunks than space within the chunk. This spacing strategy will tell the reader instantly what text belongs together.

3.Create hierarchy by grouping text chunks together. Your aim with hierarchy is to show how some chunks are subsets of a topic. Headings are a good way to show hierarchy.

4.Create contrast with typography. Sans serif for headings and serif for body text is one way to achieve this contrast. (Such contrast aids in what to look at, provides resting place for the eye, and allows multiple entry and exit points)

• Avoid underlining as major contrast tool. Let typeface do the work.

Density Tips, cont.1.Avoid capitals for non-display text (spot only). When text is set

in all capital letters, reading speed is slowed about 13-20 percent. 2.Avoid italics for non-display text (spot only). When italic type is

used for continuous prose, reading speed can be substantially reduced.

3.Use bolding for emphasis, but be frugal and systematic with bolded elements. Over bolding defeats the purpose of directing the reader’s attention to select information

4. Align groups and chunks of text for a clean, sharp left margin. Hanging and aligned indentation are important in lists and grouped paragraphs.

5. Make judicious use of white space. Text with generous amounts of blank space may attract and hold the reader’s attention longer than text with little blank space.

Density Example

Chunking texts

Spacing texts

Using fonts/Typography

Next Time

Finish Density Exercises

Decide Interview Subject and One Back-Up Subject

Bring to class an example of one reader-centered and one writer-centered form of communication

Read Anderson Chapter 1

Bring $5.00 Copy Cards to class