Writing Completely By Stephen Sherburne

Whether you are describing something, explaining a process, and or defining something, make sure you write completely. Explaining your idea completely through illustrations, a step by step process, examples, and definitions that help get your idea out clearly, accurately and completely as possible. For example if you were to describe a process you may use illustrations and descriptions in order to get your point across. Some steps that will help insure you that you are writing completely would be first identify your subject and the purpose for writing the subject, second provide necessary context and description for the subject and the last thing to keep in mind is to catch your audiences attention. When writing its always important to make sure its clear who your intended audience is aimed toward, the subject you are writing on, descriptions are clear, your point comes across clearly, make sure your audience knows what they should take away from this and what you want your audience to do after they are done reading.

How To Write Correctly By Meg Bostick

In order to write correctly, many things must be taken into consideration including aspects such as grammar, punctuation, style, and choice of words.

Grammar is important in writing correctly because it is the relation of words, which form a sentence. There are four divisions of grammar:

Ø Orthography- The formation of letters to words.
Ø Etymology- How a word came to be; its derivation.
Ø Syntax- The arrangement of words in sentences.
Ø Prosody- The way of speaking and reading a sentence.

Important parts of grammar are:
§ Letters
§ Syllables and words
§ Parts of speech:
Article Verb Mood Preposition
Adjective Noun Conjugation Interjection
Conjunction Pronoun Adverb

Without grammar, we would not be able to write!

Punctuation is used to mark connections between words and phrases within a sentence. There are different reasons for each punctuation mark including:

Ø Comma- Used for slight separation between words and phrases.
Ø Semicolon- Separates parts of a compound sentence.
Ø Period- Completes a sentence.
Ø Question mark- Used at the end of an interrogative sentence.
Ø Dash- Used to break a run on passage.
Ø Parenthesis- Separates expressions in a sentence, and is very seldom used.
Ø Quotation marks- Used when borrowing phrases, words, etc.
Ø Apostrophe- Omits letters in a word(s).

Style is the writer’s thoughts and ideas portrayed in his/her writing. Parts of style include:

Ø Diction- Choice of words.
Ø Purity- Words used at the present time.
Ø Propriety- Proper use of words.
Ø Simplicity- The use of simple words that are easy to understand. (Quite simple! =) )
Ø Unity- Part of style which keeps all parts connected.
Ø Harmony- Gives fluency to a sentence, and makes everything flow


· Choice of words is important in a writer’s piece, because it brings the publication together and determines whether or not the piece of writing flows. Using the correct choice of words also makes for writing that the reader will understand and therefore enjoy reading.


When correctly using these four aspects in writing, a writer can ensure that they are effectively writing. However, it is important to take into consideration all the rules that come along with each aspect, especially punctuation!

Preparing a Resume/Cover Letter By Jonathen Peck

A resume is a summary of your main skills and qualifications when looking for a job. It is not very long, running only about a page, but it is most likely the first impression you will have on the employer and it will be the deciding factor on if you are contacted for the position. A resume must be well organized, carefully designed, formatted properly, free of errors, and easy to read for the employer. There are many guideline on how to put together a very good resume.

A second part used while putting together this document is a cover letter. A cover letter is a general introduction attached to another document such as a resume. It is basically a way to introduce yourself and show your interests in the position.

Cover Letters

There are three types of cover letters:

• The application letter which responds to a known job opening
• The prospecting letter which inquires about possible positions
• The networking letter which requests information and assistance in your job search

Also a cover letter is no more than one page and divided into four different sections.

1. Header-sender's address and other information, the recipient's contact information, and the date sent after either the sender's or the recipient's address.
2. Introduction-It states the specific position desired and catches the employers attention
3. Body-The body highlights or amplifies on material in the resume or job application
4. Closing-A closing sums up the letter, and indicates the next step the applicant expects to take.

The Resume

There are key guidelines when starting your resume to follow:

• First find an organization that fits your strengths and fits your goals
• Determine a layout that is professional and uncluttered
• Be consistent throughout your resume
• Proofread to make sure there are no errors and the information is accurate

Overall a resume is a list of your qualifications and skills to help you preform the position they organization is hiring for. You will need to reflect on many different categories of information while completing your resume. There are many ways to organize your resume but here is a general overview in order.

1. Heading
2. Job Objective
3. Qualifications Summary
4. Education
5. Employment Experience
6. Related skills and Abilities
7. Honors and Activities
8. References

Writing effective resumes and cover letters is not very hard. They just take time and propper formatting to make you stand out of the other thousand resumes companies get. A helpful site I found that helps prepare your in writing a resume can be found at http://jobsearch.about.com/od/resumes/a/aa040801a.htm. Not putting the time and effort into your resume can fail to get you the interview. Follow all these tips and guidelines in preparing a resume to get the position you want!

Sources

http://jobsearch.about.com/od/resumes/a/aa040801a.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cover_letter
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Resume
Writing That Works(Oliu, Brusaw, Alred) p539-555

The Use of Graphics and Imaging software in Professional Writing by Adam Glick

In professional writing, one uses many different forms of images to express their ideas or thoughts.   In most cases, a graphic will be used when words alone cannot explain the writers point. Some examples would be a graph, drawing, photograph, chart or maps.  All of these graphics allow the reader to comprehend data quickly, making their decisions faster as well. The fact that readers make faster decisions may help your document look more persuasive. 

However, not every aspect of writing can use the same type of graphic.

• To show objects and spatial relationships, one would use a drawing or a photograph.
  

• To show geographic information, one would use a map.
  

• To show numerical information, one would use a bar, line, picture, or pie graph.
  

• To show steps in a process or relationships in a system, one would use a flowchart or schematic.
  

• To show relationships in Hierarchy, one would use organization charts.
  

• To show supplement or replace words, one would use symbols or icons.
  

Tips for using graphics:

• Keep your graphics simple
• Use the least amount of words as possible
• Make sure the graphic has explanation close by

Imaging Software

There is a lot of different software on the market that allows the writer to edit their photos or designs in hopes of getting their message across more clearly.  Also, if a writer cannot find an image that best represents the message they are trying to get across, they can start from scratch and make their own.  The possibilities with imaging software are only limited to the writers imagination.

An example of such software would be photoshop.

Tips for Writing a Policy Manual by Heather Zappacosta

An Employee Policy Manual is a vital management tool which communicates rules and expectations to employees. A good Employee Policy Manual would address issues of employment, health and safety in the workplace as well as employee theft. Although the contents of the Employee Policy Manual will vary from business to business, all should contain the following main sections:

1. Employee Code. Outline basic elements such as working hours, vacation time, salary and benefits, overtime, orientation procedures, and performance evaluations. Also, include coverage of customer handling and other issues that arise during the normal course of the workday. Include job descriptions in this section as well.

2. Employee Misconduct.Include description of how employee misconduct will be addressed, including issues such as tardiness, persistent lateness, or employee theft.

3. Sexual Misconduct. Even small and startup businesses are advised to include a policy item outlining behaviors that are not acceptable within the workplace. Primarily designed to protect women in the workplace, these policies also advance strong guidelines to mitigate the occurrence of sexual misconduct in the work environment.

4. Heath & Safety Guidelines.When employees share in the responsibility for health and safety issues, the entire business benefits. Guidelines must comply with applicable local, provincial and federal legislation.

5. Internet Policy. Include mention of appropriate Internet and email usage. Be sure to specify that employees may not use company email or other Internet components to conduct illegal activities, or to access or distribute pornography or copyrighted materials, such as the popular MP3 music files. Should you ever find yourself in court defending your business because an employee has used your email system to send threatening or harassing emails, an Internet Policy will be to your benefit.

Many other important issues can be addressed in the manual as well. By having an Employee Policy Manual, employers are being proactive. It is important to do this so that when something negative does happen, the employer will already know how to deal with it. It is also good because employees will know exactly what is expected of them, and they will know what is considered unacceptable in their particular office. Employees should be required to read the manual.

Works Cited

Campbell, June. "Tips for Writing an Employee Policy Manual." Business Writing by Nightcats

Multimedia Productions. http://www.nightcats.com/samples/manual.html.

How to be Persuasive by Justo Almodovar

There are many ways to be persuasive in not only your writing but also in the way you communicate with others. Commercials, just like the Mean Joe Green Coke commercial shown here use different elements to make sure that they are persuasive. The website write101.com stated three important elements in being persuasive.

1. Win the Trust of Your Audience

This is first step because you want to make sure that the audience knows that you can be trusted. To make it easier for them to trust you make sure you know something about them such as how old they are or even what interests them. A perfect example of this is the Coke commercial shown above that first aired during the Super Bowl and starred one of the biggest stars in the NFL in that era.

2. Appeal to the Audience’s Emotions

Write101.com made the great point that people respond to their emotional appeals more than their intellectual appeals and the commercial above is famous for exactly that. You have to give Coca Cola credit with this commercial because who would not get a little emotional about a cute little kid not only seeing if Joe Green was okay but giving him his bottle of Coca Cola. Then to top it off they have one of the meanest football players to ever play the game drop his tough man persona to give the little kid his jersey.

3. Rationalize

This is the final step of the three step process that write101.com says to use to be persuasive. This is the step when you give people good reasons to believe what you are trying to tell them. In my opinion, the Coca Cola Company did a great job with this stage because a long with Mean Joe drinking the Coke they have the song saying that Coke will make you feel good and make smile while at the same time having Mean Joe giving the cute kid his jersey while smiling.

Sources

http://www.write101.com/persuasive.htm
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xffOCZYX6F8