I’ve decided to share an example of an online magazine article from the Harvard Business Review https://hbr.org/2021/08/how-to-work-with-someone-who-creates-unnecessary-conflict?ab=hero-main-text . What’s distinctive about this type of writing is that it offers advice and it’s written in the first person. So, although this piece is meant for anyone who works in or owns a business, and is published in a business magazine, the author makes it friendly and as though she were having a conversation with a colleague. She also breaks down her advice into chunks with explanatory headers. The author quotes experts, as well as the experiences of those in the workplace, and includes links to research and other relevant articles. I appreciate the conversational tone and, as I too plan on doing, the links to other articles. These links help to provide evidence to back up her statements without changing the flavor of the article into something more scholarly. This made me realize that what I’ve written for my project so far might need to be tweaked a little to sound more advisory and less explanatory. I also like how the author used several case studies to demonstrate the issue being discussed. I think I may lean on some examples of situations I’ve encountered as a union rep. as my own case studies. In the sample article, there are step-by-step instructions on how to tackle the stated problem. Later, the author offers best practices that are being used successfully by other companies. I probably won’t be able to offer step-by-step instructions, but I will be able to suggest what can help create the cultural change I want to see in organizations.
Tag: unit3
Discussion Questions Week of 8/16
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.
Discussion Questions Wk 8/16
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.
Writing in a conversational tone
This issue has popped up in a few of your posts/comments on the blog, so I wanted to follow up in a more visible way. Read on for some tips on how to produce a text in a conversational (as opposed to formal/academic) tone.
It’s not easy for many of us to write in a conversational tone–you’re not imagining that. In large measure, our writing style is the product of our education, and you’ve spent a lot of years being trained to write in a formal, academic style (and perhaps chastised when you produced something other than that). Furthermore, much of our writing lives have been defined by minimum word counts, which drive us to embellish our writing so we can inflate our word totals.
Conversational writing, therefore, means cutting against our habits and conducting ourselves in ways that are counter to our training. We need to develop new habits in order to do this effectively.
So, a few words of advice
- as you try to figure out what you want to say and how to say it, talk it out–open up a voice memo or other audio recording on your phone, and pretend that you’re talking to someone about your topic. Prompt yourself with something casual like “what I’m really trying to say is….” and see what you come up with. The recording ensures you won’t lose the nuggets you come to.
- freewrite–try not to edit as you compose, but rather let yourself keep writing for a set period of time (10-15 minutes is a good starting point). This helps you to maintain your chain of thought and to get more comfortable hearing your ‘voice’ on the subject. Once you’ve written, then read your text aloud. Look for the key ideas, then …..
- pull out the key ideas into a fresh file, and start building a text around them. This helps you to avoid feeling wedded to the first words you wrote, which are often just verbal treading-water as we try to get started on our thinking.
- when you’ve got something to work with, take your time revising, and do so with a particular focus on
- employing visual organization (section headings, lists where appropriate; brief, focused paragraphs)
- leading with the big idea (in each paragraph and in the text as a whole)
- using visual representations of information where appropriate (infographics, charts, graphs, etc.)–this allows readers to engage in the ways that are most comfortable for them
Note that the revising will take time and discipline. One of your tasks later this week will be working through a guided revision process. Check out the Review and Revision worksheet in the Unit 3 dropbox on Blackboard.
Discussion prompt week 8/16
https://www.forbes.com/sites/janicegassam/2018/10/16/how-to-increase-female-representation-in-the-stem-field – It could not embed the link for some reason, so I will attach pictures at the bottom. I apologize for the inconvenience.
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.
Unit 3 Draft
Creating this I intended for my main audience to be people working in an office or community where there are or could be people who are a part of the LGBTQ+ community. I feel, however, that everyone could benefit from reading and learning the information that I learned. I think that it will open most people’s eyes into seeing that they did not know as much as they thought they did, the same way it did to me. I would like people to take what I researched and apply it to their daily lives as they communicate with people whose backstories they do not know, or even do know.
Week of 8/16
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.
Overview for Week of 8/16
As we head into the final stretch of the course, your focus will be on developing your Unit 3 project. That will unfold through a few different steps. this week. Please read on for more about what you’ll be doing (and how, when, and why).
Make sure you take the time to review comments from me and from your classmates on the blog, as well as the feedback you received from me on your research portfolio, project proposal, and project plan. I’m looking forward to seeing how these projects take shape in the coming days.
As you’re doing that work, some things to keep in mind about genre. As we’ve been discussing (see below), genre is not simply a template, but rather a response to the demands of the subject matter/author’s purpose and the needs of the audience. (This might sound familiar–this is how Graff and Birkenstein talk about their They Say/I Say templates, as starting points for organic work, rather than as static cookie-cutter patterns. Those TSIS techniques may come in quite handy as you are working to orchestrate a complex conversation among you and your sources!)
For that reason, it’s essential that you head into this drafting work with a very clear picture of your audience and a clearly articulated objective. You have free license here to invent the parameters of your rhetorical situation, and in fact you’ll need to provide a brief statement of that situation with your draft. Tell us who you’re writing for (as precisely as possible), and explain the circumstances under which that audience will receive your text (i.e. browsing through social media, sitting at a professional conference, visiting their company’s Human Resources Department or their university’s Career Services Office, etc.).
As you see from the rubric for this project (below), your project will be evaluated based upon both content and approach–how well you work with your sources to develop and communicate your ideas AND how effectively you convey that material to your given audience within the situation you have constructed. Make sure you consult the criteria listed in the rubric as you are drafting and revising.
| Content | |
| Has clear research focus/question | /2 |
| Provides appropriately detailed examination of research focus/question | /2 |
| Provides background/examples appropriate for target readers | /2 |
| Includes discussion of/implications for workplace culture(s) | /2 |
| Utilizes and appropriately references source materials | /2 |
| Subtotal | /10 |
| Presentation of information | |
| Clear visual organization of ideas/information—constructed for easy comprehension by readers in the situation you have outlined | /1 |
| Makes effective use of visuals (graphics, images, pull-quotes, white space/background, other) to enhance reader understanding and interest | /1 |
| Text is not marred by proofreading errors | /1 |
| Language is clear, engaging, and audience-appropriate | /2 |
| Subtotal | /5 |
| TOTAL: | /15 |
Your draft (with brief accompanying statement explaining the rhetorical situation for your text) is due by the end of the day on Thursday, 8/19. Please post this to the blog. You’ll each read and respond to at least two of your classmates’ drafts by the end of the day on Sunday, and will begin revising your drafts based upon their feedback, even as you are waiting for additional feedback from me.
If you would like to talk with me about your draft-in-progress or any of your other work in the course, please email me directly, and we can communicate that way or set up a time to talk by phone.
So here are this week’s tasks:
Reading
- genre samples on Blackboard–check out the Genre Samples folder in the Unit 3 readings folder to see some of the various forms that researched writing can take
- sample(s) you locate on your own of the type of text you’d like to develop–thinking about your target audience and your intended purpose, look for texts that seek to reach a similar objective
Writing
- draft of your Unit 3 research project (post to blog as link or attachment by Thursday, 8/19)
- revision worksheet–considering and reconsidering your own draft as you await feedback from me and from your classmates (due by Sunday, 8/22)
- discussion work as outlined in the post below:
Discussion prompts for Week of 8/16
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).
Project Proposal-Caitlin
My project will focus on the stigma behind men’s mental health and the stereotypes that deter men from reaching out for help. The reason I want to research this issue is because throughout this class, I have mainly focused on how sexism affects women because it is something I can relate to, but I want to research men’s mental health and show that it is also very important too and a topic that needs to be talked about more. This issue is commonly ignored due to stereotypes such as men don’t cry, need to ask for help, or show emotions is incredibly harmful and untrue. It creates a more toxic scenario in which the person struggling refuses to ask for help resulting in the problems festering and getting worse. There is a reason why almost two-thirds of all suicides are by men. This is the first time throughout this class that I am looking into this problem so I currently do not have any sources, but I am sure that the Syracuse Library Database has many promising articles, and I plan on looking for informative TEDtalks that go further in depth on men’s mental health because I am sure some exist. Through this research, I want to show people that they are not alone in their struggles and that there is no shame in asking for help. No one deserves to struggle alone. I think my intended audience would be men in their late teens and early twenties who might not have had the courage to ask for help and still believe that there is something wrong with needing help.