The Employment and Discrimination Law Blog on Thompson Reuters is a good model for the genre I will be writing in for my AI in HR advocacy blog. The most recent blog post, “Managing cases of Long COVID: The Next Unknown,” is written in a peer-to-peer style that is conversational, easy to read, and similar to the tone I will aim for when I produce my text. I will try to put a little bit more energy into my writing because my goal is not only to share information about AI in HR but also to inspire people to join me in spreading awareness. The co-authors embed links to supporting material, which is how I plan to incorporate some of my research. I especially like that they end with a section of practical things readers can do to get involved, and I like how they use bullets and bold text to draw attention to the action items.
Some things that might have made this post more engaging for me would be a call out of an important quote or statistic, or possibly a relevant graphic such as an image of the cover of one of the reports they reference. Another thing this blog is missing is a way to build a community of advocates, which will be an important part of my blog. However, the sample blog does involve contributing writers, which is one of the ways I would grow content over time. And finally, this example doesn’t have any site navigation, so I will do some work on the structure of my site, creating a navigation and tags so readers with different interests (employees, employers, etc.) will be able to find content that is relevant.
Initially I wanted to try and find a way that I could attach a word document to the kahoot that I create just so that when a professor goes to present this kahoot to the class, they would be able to further explain the correct answer. This was so the audience (college students) would not only be given the correct answer but they would also have an explanation for it. As I played around with Kahoot I found out that there is a way to integrate slides into the actual game as it is being presented. The image above is an example of a kahoot that was created to teach students about the cardiovascular system. After the actual question is asked and the correct answer is show, the following slide will explain the answer deeper and allow for the students to copy. This is the method I want to use because I think it will be very easy for the students to pay attention and also take notes from the slides in the game. I like the way this kahoot is set up and plan to follow this but I want to include a bit more information in the slides portion if I can. I also plan on possibly creating scenarios and then using it as a true or false question. This way I can explain why the question is true/false.
Common sense seems to dictate that a fair and equal society will have all parts of society represented in the workplace, but that is not the case in reality. In Gundemir’s article focusing on ethnic and racial diversity, it is argued that the increase of ethnic minorities in places of leadership in the workplace not only indicates a progressive change in modern corporations, but in terms of the economic aspect, their inclusion is linked to a growth in creativity, an increase in quality decision making, as well as enhancing the company’s performance.
I used the template of “Common sense seems to dictate” to indicate the “they say” portion, since the article used several sources to back the author’s views and that only compounded the views on diversity in the workplace that we have today in society. I believe that it will be very easy to transition to the “I Say” portion after using this template.
Response #2
The readings from Gundemir et al and Austin/Pisano really do play a part in providing more evidence in my belief that there needs to be an emphasis on innovation as well as the prioritization of the diversity of ability within corporations. My reasoning for this belief is based on commercial competition, and if the leadership of major corporations are unwilling to even experiment with the idea of hiring neurodiverse individuals with extraordinary gifts because of a traditional sense of conformation, rival companies will exploit that and pursue this reformed approach, which will lead to their companies outpacing the conservative mindset of the former company. These articles, and more specifically the article by Gundemir et al, are similar to the “Why Diversity Matters” reading from the previous week, and I believe that articles with more examples of success with employment diversity will help a lot. Personally, I think that my experience studying in Syracuse allowed me to understand the value of diversity within the workspace, especially since my program included students from countries from Asia to the Americas.
As a part of one of her many contributions to Forbes Magazine, Janice Gassam Asare, a strategic provider for diversity, equity, and inclusion, published “How to Increase Female Representation in The STEM Field”. In this piece, Asare does a brilliant job at luring the reader into wanting to understand more about a select number of barriers that women face when pursuing careers in STEM. Her magazine article provided a unique structure that made her piece so successful. Her title begins by stating the intent of the writing, which is to provide insight into how to increase female representation. In other words, provide the reader a solution to the problem. After the title, the author gives her reasoning as to why she wrote the article at that current time. I thought this was useful because instead of just going straight into the problem and then presenting the solution, Asare stated that October 11 was the International Day of the Girl. She then went into the meaning of the day, a day to recognize all of the obstacles that young girls encounter. Asare then points out to the reader that the STEM industry, instead of breaking down barriers, has numerous barriers that make it difficult for women. Women have to exceed expectations to have a chance to enter the field. Asare makes her writing stand out because she seamlessly provides statistics, to where it does not seem like she is trying to force anything. I think this is a sign of a great writer because, as we all know from experience, it is sometimes difficult to blend thoughts with statistics or evidence.
After providing some background information on the problem, Asare provides the problems to the subject at hand. She writes them out in a list, where each issue is in bold for the reader to easily notice if they are skimming. I think that this is unique and a great way to get the reader’s attention. Personally, if I am reading an article for fun and there are no bold headers or anything to grab my attention, I get lost and find it difficult to concentrate. Bold headings always seem to draw me back into the article, so I appreciate the author’s use of bold letters in this case. Along with the problem sections, solutions are provided in the same location. Often, writers split problems and solutions into two sections, so I thought this was unique.
What stands out to me most about reading this article is purely the format and the writing style that Asare uses. She uses more of an assertive tone with the reader but still manages to convey her message. It is not conversational as many other magazines are, as they often refer to the readers and themselves as we or us, rather, she addresses the issue as this issue. I thought that was interesting just because usually, writers try to ask: how can we fix this?
Overall, I liked the format of this article. I believe that Asare played to her strengths and focused on things that she was passionate about herself. She was confident about the subject most likely due to her experience with the issue at hand, being a strategic provider for diversity, equity, and inclusion. Her tone helped illustrate this, as it was confident and efficiently conveyed the message. There are things that we can control to help women break into STEM-related careers. Her use of bold letters also stood out to me. Also, being the short article that it was, only a page or page and a half in length, it conveyed the message well and helped illustrate that you do not have to overcrowd your paper with statistics to be successful at giving your point.
There were some things that I found might help create my article, others not so much. Although I found it interesting that she posed problems and solutions in the same paragraph, I did not like this format. I would rather keep the two separate, as I believe that is a cleaner, more easily understood format.
I did, however, like how she posed a solution in her title. I think that I will use that for my project. I also appreciated how she used bold letters for each of her sections that were on a new subject/solution, so I plan on using bold headings for my project as well. Her use of lists made it simple to scan through, so I plan on using a list for the reasons why the underrepresentation of women in STEM exists. I think this will make it easier for the reader and for me to plan through my writing.
Summary of article: Tone- Assertive, trying to illustrate point. Length- Short, around a page. Graphics- One image of women in suits before writing in article begins. Style & Syntax- More descriptive about the issue at hand and solution than anything. Somewhat short, easily read sentences due to length and word choice (simple wording, no big words). Level of detail- Does not really dive into the subject deep, just gives the reader a glance into the subject. Formality- Not as formal as a scholarly article, but not conversational. It stands somewhere in the middle, but shifting more towards conversational/informal in my opinion.
I look forward to using this article to create my writing piece, as I feel I learned a lot from just analyzing this short article.
This type of writing gets to the point quickly compared to a book or an article. It categorizes the information in ways that allow the reader to navigate the piece easily and understand information is trying to be passed on to them in a timely manner. The sample gets the information across clearly by sectioning off the piece. It has statistics, bullets, and bold and italicized text which when someone is scanning the memo or doing a quick read they can quickly go to the most important points of the piece. All of the things that make the sample work well are the things that I like about it and why I want to do a memo for my project. It contains features that make it a quick read but is still able to get its point across.
There are a few things about this particular memo that I plan to do differently when creating mine. I would like mine to be shorter and less wordy and I would like to make it more fun and colorful. I do not necessarily think that these things make or break a memo, but I do think that they could make it easier and even more fun to read. I am planning to take what I liked and disliked from this example of a memo and use it to either incorporate or stay clear of when crafting my own version of a memo.
In this week’s discussion, you’ll focus on identifying one or more usable models for your own writing, recognizing that we can learn from and build on how others present their ideas. Much like we’ve been working with the templates in TSIS, such models can provide us with jumping-off points that will allow us to develop our own thinking.
I’ve given you a few pieces to get you started. You’ll find a folder of sample texts from different genres in the Unit 3 folder of Assigned Readings on Blackboard. Look through these to take in some of the many possibilities for what research-based writing can look like, and then browse around the web for some more examples.
Locate a text that looks/works kind of like what you envision for your own project–something in that same genre (i.e. a magazine article, a memo from an HR department, a PowerPoint delivered to a professional audience, etc.). It doesn’t have to be on the same or even a related topic–you’re just looking for an example of a genre (or type of writing) that you’re going to be writing in.
For your post
Once you’ve located an example, please share it with us by linking it to your post, and then talk about what you think of this text as an example of that genre–what are some of the unique or distinctive features of this type of writing? how well does this particular sample work? what do you like about it? are there ways in which you think it is less than successful? what lessons will you take from this to use in crafting your own project? (Bear in mind that we can learn both lessons in the positive–I really like how they did this, and I’m going to try to do something similar–and lessons in the negative–I don’t think they did a good job with X, so I want to make sure to do better).
Your post should be >150 words and must include an embedded link to or a picture of the sample you’re discussing. Please categorize your post as “Discussions/Homework,” and tag it with “weekof8/16,” “genre,” “unit 3,” and [your name]. Posts are due by Wednesday.
Then, for your response work this week
Please read through 2 classmates’ drafts (which will be up by the end of the day on Thursday). In order to ensure that everybody gets feedback, please go to the list of posts on the blog dashboard. Click “All Posts,” find the post with your draft, and then read the 2 immediately below that. In your comments (>100 words each), please highlight what you think is working well, what you’d like more explanation of, any questions that you have about the content, and any suggestions you have about how best to reach the audience this person is targeting. Your feedback is due by the end of the day Sunday, 8/22 (note this is an extension from the original due date).
The article How To Create a Culture Manifesto for Your Organization by Mollie West talks about various different companies that all take time to think about their culture manifesto and develop it as a team. Each company that explained their methods in creating these manifestos all went about it in different ways, and yet reached many of the same conclusions. West took these incredibly different organizations and accentuated the similarities between all of their approaches to manufacture these. Her article was separates by paragraphs, each concentrating on a company and their culture manifesto, specifically the way it came about and its main focuses. After speaking about the various ways they came about within these organizations, the article wrapped up by informing the reader of a beneficial way to compose one’s own culture manifesto, as the supervisor of a company. Through this last section of the article, it became clear to me that the intended audience are the managers/supervisors in charge of large groups of people, because men and women in charge should clarify the companies’ beliefs and expectations in terms of its workers.
After concentrating the past two units on women’s mental health in reference to sexism in two different professions, I think that I am going to focus more on men’s mental health and the ways in which it is ignored due to toxic expectations for males. For my previous research, I wanted to delve deeper into topics that might affect me in the future as a female, but for this unit I wanted to switch things up. I have witnessed some of my brothers and my male friends struggle with various different mental health issues and have seen the aftermath of them strictly internalizing their problems without reaching out for help because of the belief that men don’t need any help. These stereotypes are very harmful because the ideas that boys should never cry or show emotion gives the notion that these potential answers are not viable for men. I think this research would mainly benefit men who might need a sign to ask for help and to realize that they are not alone in their struggles, so to do this, the information would be most beneficial on a platform where everyone would see it, such as popular social media sites. Many people my age find much of their news on their phone on sites such as Instagram, Snapchat, etc. Therefore, if research and reputable advice was posted there, the intended audience would have a high chance of seeing it and hopefully listen.
1.“Individual Change Won’t Create Gender Equality in Organizations” By Alison Wynn is a blog post on the University of Minnesota’s Gender Policy Report page. The purpose of this article is to examin the need for equity in the workplace with a focus on gender. The format of the post clearly outlines key topics of Wynn’s claim through the use of headings. Wynn uses a numbered list in order to map out the “Steps Toward Organizational Change and uses hyperlinks throughout her writing in order to keep the reader engaged and clarify any unknown references. Another interesting strategy that wynn used was the direct quotation of the key pisces from surrounding paragraphs. By making these quotations in a larger font and different color, Wynn uses visuals to stress important aspects rather than rephrasing or adding unnecessary information. I believe that Wynn’s style of writing and meshed well with the form of media she was producing as well as the audience she was trying to reach. Most of the people who would seek out blog posts as a source of information would be more receptive to short engaging writing rather than long winded an impersonal texts. Because of this, Wynn is able to reach her target audience and spread awareness about the need for equity as well as the step needed to achieve it.
2.The topic of LGBTQIA+ equity in the workplace encapsulates a wide variety of both modern day and historical issues, Because of this I am going to create a one-pager that narrates the history and affects of inequity for queer indiviuals within corporate AMerica. I also plan on listing some helpful resources for members of the LGBTQIA+ community as well as articles for anyone who wants to become an ally. At my internship, one-pagers are extremely useful in conveying relevant information through brief bullet points and images. I plan on using some of the skills I have gained to create one about a Queer individuals in the workplace and spread some much needed awareness on the topic. If I feel as if there is more information than can fit on the one-pager, I will likely expand my project into an infographic so that I dont skip over any key details while keeping visual and concise elements of a one-pager.
In “How To Create a Culture Manifesto for Your Organization (And Why It’s a Good Idea)”, written by Mollie West, a workplace strategy for nonprofits, social enterprise, and benefit corps is outlined. West encourages her readers to implement a “humanifesto” that is composed of the organizations internal core cultural values. She provides examples of 3 companies (Method Products, Etsy, and Warby Parker) that have used this tactic and explained their outcomes. She also lays out the steps for readers to craft their own.
West tells the reader why companies should incorporate a “humanifesto” and the potential benefits of implementing it … foster innovation & collaboration, attract talent, etc.
Comparing and contrasting.
West compares and contrasts how companies approach a “humanifesto” differently.
Defining
West defines what a “humanifesto” is.
Explaining a process
West outlines how readers can implement this technique into their own organization.
Target your audience
West clearly states who this piece is intended for.
2. I was hoping to shift my lens towards the experience of women in the workplace. I have not figured out whether my focus will be on harassment/sexual assault and/or pay gap inequality and/or unfair health quality that does not support female needs like contraceptive and abortion access. Depending on the subtopic, the intended audience will change. However, I think I will ultimately present a media form intended for company executives on ways they can support women given the challenges they endure. I like posters and infographics; however, a PowerPoint presentation might serve as a more persuasive/appropriate method. I need to spend some time doing research on this area before I have a clearer idea of the path I want to take. I probably will start my search with google.
Author Mollie West helps companies to create good organizational culture. In her article “How to Create a Culture Manifesto for Your Organization (And Why It’s a Good Idea), Stanford Social Innovation Review, she examines the manifestos of three companies. West gets into examples right at the start. There is a section for each company with a header naming the company and what they sell. She provides a synopsis of each company’s manifesto, what spurred them into creating it and who wrote it. She provides links to the companies’ websites and includes photos from each workplace. Last, she provides an update on what each company is doing currently. Finally, after focusing on what she most likely believes are outstanding models of company manifestos, West proceeds to educate readers on how they too can create a statement of their organization’s core cultural values. It is understood, based on the publication her article appears in and the companies she chose to highlight, that the audience she is attempting to reach are social change leaders in business. Most leaders don’t have a lot of spare time, so when they read an article, it’s because the title was catchy (perhaps it mentions a problem that needs solving). The content is straight to the point, easily digestible, visually appealing, not too long and offers solutions. I believe Ms. West was adept at including all of those elements in her article and will surely reach and inform her intended audience.
Response #2
I am strongly considering writing my area of research as an online business magazine article in order to reach leaders of organizations. Part of my decision-making process stems from the material I want to convey. Because equity and inclusion for Black people might be considered an important and hot topic in this moment for some, it might also be a divisive or scary one for others. I think (depending on the chosen title) I might reach more people in a magazine that isn’t threatening but also lends its authority to the subject simply by publishing it. An online magazine article isn’t stuffy like a scholarly article, it contains casual or informal language and often tells a story with text broken up into sections with headers. There are images and links to data or more scholarly articles for those so inclined to explore them. As I stated in my first response, leaders don’t have a lot of free time, so an article that is visually appealing, easy to absorb, offers a solution to a problem and is a relatively quick read will be appealing to my intended audience.
