ThreadsPostsLast Post Communicating a Problem Contains unread postsMust post fir

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Communicating a Problem
Contains unread postsMust post first.
Your response to this discussion is due by this week Friday before midnight Eastern Standard Time (EST).
You are also asked to respond to at least one other student in the class on his or her response.
Your response to your fellow student is due by this week Sunday before midnight Eastern Standard Time (EST).
Please note that you will not be able to see other students’ responses to this discussion topic until you post your response.
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WRTG 394 students,
This discussion topic is designed to help you consider a problem in your workplace or community and to design strategies in communicating about it.  This discussion topic might help you approach your final research-based report in WRTG 394.
First, please access and read through the following articles about communication inhibitors.
Dr. K. Usha Rani, “Communication Barriers”
Lumen Learning, “Communication Barriers”
These items are available as eReserves in our class in LEO. You can access the articles by taking the following steps:
• click Content
• select Class Resources
• select eReserves
• select the icon for eReserves in the middle of your page.
• in the list of items that appears, locate the articles and download them
Then, respond to this discussion topic by completing the following tasks:
Please think of an example of a problem with communication in your workplace or your community.  Then answer the following five questions with regard to that problem.  Post your answers to this discussion topic. 
What is the specific problem with communication?
Does the problem represent an example of one of the barriers that the articles that Dr. Rani and Lumen Learning identify?  If so, which one(s)?
What are some possible communication strategies in notifying someone about the problem?
What is the best course of action for you to take in solving the problem?
What is the best way for you to communicate this problem to the relevant individuals?
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An example of how to respond to this discussion topic is the following:
1. What is the specific problem with communication?
I am on a committee at work.  There are five members of the committee.  However, three of the members telework two days a week, and, as a result, we can never meet face-to-face.  Our meetings are not very productive because some of us are in the room during the meeting while some of us are on the phone during the meeting.  
2. Does the problem represent an example of one of the barriers that the articles by Dr. Rani and Lumen Learning identify?  If so, which one(s)?
Yes.  This is an example of a channel barrier.  The medium chosen for our type of communication — online meeting software — is not suitable or appropriate for our context.
3. What are some possible communication strategies in notifying someone about the problem?
I could email my supervisor, who formed the committee.
4. What is the best course of action for you to take in solving the problem?
Our committee was formed for a specific duration of time.  We have two months remaining for our committee. 
I think we should arrange for everyone to be in the office on the same day each week for this two months.  We could hold our committee meetings on that day of the week. This arrangement would solve the problem in that we would all be physically in the room for the meeting.
5. What is the best way for you to communicate this problem to the relevant individuals?
A series of messages would be preferred in this case.  They would be the following:
I could send an email message to my supervisor.  In that email message, I would note the following:
how many times we have met
what types of communication problems have occurred during our meetings that have caused the meetings to be less than productive
I could then outline a plan for having everyone in the office one day during the week so that we could hold our meetings on that day.
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Examining WRTG 394 Writing Assignment Instructions
Must post first.
Your response to this discussion is due by this week Friday before midnight Eastern Standard Time (EST).
You are also asked to respond to at least one other student in the class on his or her response.
Your response to your fellow student is due by this week Sunday before midnight Eastern Standard Time (EST).
Please note that you will not be able to see other students’ responses to this discussion topic until you post your response.
_____________
This discussion topic is designed to give you the opportunity to peruse the assignment instructions for all the research related writing assignments in WRTG 394. 
This task will allow you to begin thinking about and planning for your WRTG 394 research writing assignments, the Synthesis Literature Review, the Research Proposal Memo, and the Research-Based Report. 
NOTE: This is a discussion topic designed to help you begin thinking about the three research-related writing assignments in WRTG 394. Completing this discussion topic does not complete any of the assignments discussed in this topic. This simply helps you become familiar with your assignments so that you can plan for the rest of your WRTG 394 course.
In the Content area of the 394 classroom under the heading Sample Papers, open each of the following sets of writing assignment instructions:
sample synthesis literature review (WA #2)
sample research proposal memo (WA #3)
sample research-based report (WA#4)
Note that the student used the same topic for all three of these assignments. You are expected to use the same topic for all three of these writing assignments in your WRTG 394 course. 
Please use these sample papers to help you answer the following questions:
1. Examine the Synthesis Lit Review (WA#2) instructions. This assignment calls for the student writer to use scholarly (academic) and professional (trade) sources. Explain what you understand a scholarly source and a professional/trade source to be. You should consider offering an example of each type of source.
2. Examine the Research Proposal Memo (WA#3) instructions. What permission must you request? To whom should your memo be addressed? What information about your research must you provide? 
3. Take a look at the Research Report (WA#4) instructions. What additional research demands are placed upon the writer for this assignment compared to WA #2? How can you as writer best present your report so that it is most readily accessible for your primary audience?
4. Writing on the same topic for WA#2 and WA#4 make the writing of the research report an easier task than it would have been if different topics had been chosen.  Comment on how the writing on the same topic for both these assignments can help you as you write your research report. 
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Writing in Business Style and Format
Your response to this discussion is due by this week Friday before midnight Eastern Standard Time (EST).
You are also asked to respond to at least one other student in the class on his or her response.
Your response to your fellow student is due by this week Sunday before midnight Eastern Standard Time (EST).
Please note that you will not be able to see other students’ responses to this discussion topic until you post your response.
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WRTG 394 is a business writing course. Business writing has certain significant differences in style (approach to how the writer presents the subject matter) and format (arrangement of text on the page, i.e., how the writing looks to the reader) from the type of college writing that students are familiar with, academic writing. Therefore, it is important that you review some resources and make yourself acquainted (and eventually knowledgeable) with both business writing style expectations and with business writing format expectations.
In this WRTG 394 course, you will expected to complete all writing assignments using appropriate business writing style and business writing format.
Both here and in the Week 1 Content area of the WRTG 394 classroom you will find links to resources that will help you understand business writing style and business writing format. You should find the following resource very helpful for becoming acquainted with business style and how it differs from academic style:
Business Writing Style (Oregon State University)
This source gives you some examples of what business writing format looks like:
Business Document Formats (Lumen Learning)
There are two (2) questions for you to consider responding to for this topic. You should only choose one question to respond to for your initial response. Respond to that question in a minimum of 40 words. Then, in your reply to a classmate, try to choose a classmate who responded to the question you did not choose. If that’s not possible, try to choose a classmate who hasn’t gotten a reply from anyone.
Questions/Discussion:
1. In the Oregon State University resource on business writing style, review carefully the table showing differences between academic and business writing styles. Choose a difference that you find surprising (or that you think might be challenging to remember and practice as you are learning business writing) and discuss why you find this difference particularly surprising and/or challenging.
2. The Lumen Learning resource discusses how email and other web based forms of communication and reduced memo use in workplaces. Consider your own workplace (or a similar setting such as an organization/club/team, etc.) you belong to or are involved with and discuss whether your own experience in the communication setting you have chosen seems to prove that Lumen’s claim about the “death of memos” seems valid or seems – premature, let’s say.