Soloman Jones
What is the challenge of the reading discussed? The reading presents challenges related to how work communication differs from other communication, ensuring communication is written for the correct audience and watching how you format communication for text, email, and other digital mediums.
What is the opportunity of the reading discussed? I found that the reading framed up how technical communication can be done efficiently and effectively highlighting how tone in writings and the layout/format really impact how the readers consume the material.
What did I learn?
• Planning – Prior to the reading I thought I did a good job of planning and striving to convey a concise message in my workplace communications. One aspect of planning that stood out in the reading was the process of doing a dump of the message that you need to convey then revise and editing it to tailor it based on audience and meaning.
• Quality versus quantity – I confess that some of my emails tend to be longer than needed. I learned in the text that people really don’t want to read what I write just as much as I look at an inbox and don’t want to comb through emails. This is an immediate change I will make in my communications. I will strive for clear concise communication. This point is further proven in the example of the homeowner’s subdivision letter. When I read the review version of this letter it made me want to contribute to the fund in contrast to the first draft which made me now even want to read it. • Formatting, formatting, formatting – In the cases presented in the text I seen the power of proper formatting in written communication. I learned this technique not only makes technical communication tolerable it also gives readers the option to skim. This concept is key for me because I often skim read. A simple change in adding bolded titles with simple straight forward sentences worked wonders in the examples in the book • Preparing based on audience – I have a good understanding of this concept having spoken in front of audience and fine tuning my message for the audience however the text showed how that concept can translate in written communication. I plan to use one the examples, particularly, the example on seeking feedback like the “survey” example. • Email and text messages – The concept of writing with a professional purpose based on position was new to me. I have been mentored on how to prepare emails and presentation for executives in leadership roles. I never really paid too much attention to my professional tone and role base on how my peers and subordinates view me. I disagree with a portion of this concept, as I think those who are working with me should be viewed as team members and at times …show more content…
As an example, the format of emails for corporate communications which at times try to convey important messages don’t give users the ability to skim the message to get key details. They are often written in the form of three to four paragraphs sharing the data. One area of improvement would be to use bolded titles and at times bulleted lists to communicate information. In my workplace we have a corporate communications team and I plan to make a suggestion based on the examples I have seen in the text. I plan to use templates in the text to enhance my communication with the team I