Module 24

Module 24 discusses long reports.  Long reports are also known as formal reports, and contain additional components: a cover, title page, letter of transmittal, table of contents, list of illustrations, executive summary, and report body.  The first thing to do when writing a long report is to write parts as soon as you can, and to make sure you spend most of your time on sections that support your recommendations.  Much of the introduction part of your report comes from your proposal.  You should also save a copy of your questionnaires and interview questions for the appendix.  Although normally shorter titles are best, when making a title page for a long report you want it to be as informative as possible, so short three word titles may not always be the best.  The letter of transmittal is used to orient the reader to the report, and to help the writer build a good image of the report.

One important thing that I learned from this module, is that you should always create a table of contents for long reports so that your reader can find important sections fast and easy.  Make sure that you list all the important headings in you table of contents, and try to write the most important sections towards the beginning of the letter.

Another important thing that I learned from this module, is that the format and style of the report greatly depends on the information being portrayed in the report.  For instance corporate annual reports will be printed in an effort to be attractive to the eye, with lots of colors, charts, and graphs for presenting to others.  Engineering and accounting reports will be much different, with almost all text except for a few technical diagrams or charts, these will be very heavy on words and jargon as well as have very plain covers.

Module 23

Module 23 discusses short reports.  There are three different kinds short reports, informative, feasibility, and justification reports.  Informative reports summarize the completed work but does not result in an action or recommendation.  Feasibility reports evaluate several alternatives and recommend one of them as an action to fix the problem.  Justification reports are used to recommend or justify a purchase, investment, hiring, or change in a policy.  When giving a problem, you should give specific examples to prove how serious a problem is. 

There are seven patterns for organizing information.  One is comparison/contrast, where you give the pro's and con's of a situation to weigh which alternative is the best.  Elimination of alternatives is another, which is the process of weaving out the impractical solutions that will not work.  Another important one is chronological, where events are recorded in order of the time period that they happen in.  Blueprints are good to give a preview to your reader of what you will discuss in a section or in the entire report.  Make sure the blueprint is easy to read by telling the reader how many points there are and numbering them.

One important thing that I learned from this module is that you have to say what you mean, and make it clear so that everyone knows exactly what you mean.  Not everyone that is reading your document may know a lot about the subject matter, so it is important to make sure that you use the right verbs in your writing to help you say exactly what you mean.

Another important aspect of this module is the use of topic sentences and headings.  Both of these make it easy for a reader to quickly find a section that they want to read, and then get the general point quickly if they are a scanner and cannot read the entire document.

Moduel 27 & 28

Module 27 discusses resumes.  In order for you to encourage an employer to pay attention to your resume, you need to show how your qualifications fit into the job and the company, company's sometimes get thousands of resumes so it is important for yours to be relevant to the job opening to stand out.  There are two different kinds of resumes, a chronological resume which lists in order the jobs that you have had on a timeline, and a skills resume which will instead focus more on the individual skills that you possess.  One good way to keep your resume under a page long is to omit the Reference category.  But it is okay to have a resume longer than one page if you have a large number of qualifications.

Module 28 is about Job Application Letters.  There are two types of job application letters, solicited letters and prospecting letters.  You would write a solicited letter if you know that the employer is currently hiring, and you would write a prospecting letter if you are interested in a company but they are not currently hiring.  After writing a solicited letter, you should wait for the employer to call you back, because you know they are hiring, if your letter and application are among the best then you will get an interview.  For a prospecting letter though, it is important to be more aggressive, because the company is not planning on hiring you need to be aggressive so you will have a greater chance in getting an interview. 

One important thing to come away with from module 27 is on how to use skills resumes.  With this type of resume, you are changing fields so your experience and jobs may not sound relevant, so the best thing to do is to try and emphasize your skills and show the employer that you do possess the right types of skills and knowledge in the job.

One important thing to come away with from module 28 is that you should try to show that you know something about the company.  This is a good way to show that you are really interested in the company and that you will be dedicated to the job.  It also gives you an opportunity to learn about the company procedures and show how you can use your experience and skills to help the company.

Module 22

Module 28 discusses finding, analyzing, and documenting information for research assignments.  Secondary research retrieves information that someone else has gathered, such as library research and online searches.  Primary research gathers new information, such as from surveys, interviews, and observations made by the team.  In order to make it easy as possible while searching for information online, it is good to know how to use keywords to search for what you are seeking.  Use all synonyms and keywords when you search, use parenthesis and the word and, (minimum wage) and (restaurant or fast food), and the word or to help get a more accurate search.  Writing questions for surveys and interviews should contain questions that are neutral and clear, so not to steer the reader toward a biased answer.

One important thing to know from this module, is that in order to have an effective and accurate survey, you should use a random sample of people.  The sample should be all ages of people, from all different sorts of backgrounds, cultures, regions, races, etc. so that there is less chance of bias in the group being surveyed.

Another important thing to remember from this module is that you should make sure to always document the sources that you received your information from by using either MLA or APA format.  It's important to always document your paper so that people receive the rightful credit that they deserve for making their discoveries, and also so that people can retrace where you got your information.

Module 21

Module 21 is on Proposals and Progress Reports.  Reports provide the information needed by people in companies.  Reports include five basic steps: defining the problem, gathering the information, analyzing the information, organizing the information, and writing the report.  Research is very important in writing proposals, it is important to start on and finish at least one-fourth of your research before you start writing your proposal.  Once the problem is defined, you then write a purpose statement which makes three things clear: the organizational problem or conflict, the specific technical questions that must be answered to solve the problem, and the rhetorical purpose the report is designed to achieve.  The proposal should contain what it is that you are going to do to solve the problem, how you will do it, and evidence that you will do it well.  Knowing an accurate budget is also very important otherwise you may not win the bid.  Progress reports are a way to show your employer that you are working hard and updating them on the progress and difficulties that you have made and come across.

One thing to come away with from this module, is that when writing a proposal, you must show the reader benefits, and make sure that you have good reader benefits.  No matter how good your proposal is if the reader cannot connect with it then it is a total waste of time.

Another thing that is important from this module is the use of progress reports.  Not only are they good because they show your employer where you stand on your work, but they can also help to minimize future problems if used correctly.  By using them you can update your boss on what to expect in the future so that they can prepare and not be blind sided by any delays or funding problems

Modules 17 & 18

Module 17 discusses listening.  Listening is much more difficult in the business world than in the classroom, mainly because the classroom is normally much more structured and you are able to take notes, which may not always be the case when talking to your boss.  To be a good listener, you should follow four practices; pay attention, focus on the other speakers, avoid making assumptions, and listen for feelings as well as facts.  Good listeners are active listeners, they show that they are listening to their audience by giving feedback.

Module 18 is about Working and Writing in Teams.  There are three categories that group messages fall into; they are informational, procedural, and interpersonal.  It is important when you first get together with your group to develop a cohesiveness, lay down some ground rules, and develop procedures for meeting and acting.  Conflict is not always a bad thing with groups, as long as they are productive.  Conflicts can help groups to develop a broader range of ideas.   Deal with conflicts as they arise, do not bury them so that they can irrupt later in a more intense manner.

One thing that I thought was very important from module 17 was that it is crucial to have good listening skills when speaking to superiors, especially if you are being criticized or work performance.  If you listen you will know exactly where you need improvement to increase your performance on the job and open up future possibilities.

Something that is very important from module 18 is that groups should steer away from groupthink.  This can keep a group from fully developing their thoughts as it could leave out possible alternatives that could improve your work or offer a different, better approach to the problem.  So sometimes it is good for people in a group to disagree.

Modules 15 & 16

Module 15 is about choosing the right word.  When writing, you need to make sure that you are using words accurately, using appropriate words, and using words that the audience should be familiar with.  Try to only use technical jargon when it is absolutely necessary.  Using the right word helps you look good as a writer, it helps build credibility and demonstrate you are professional.  Try to use positive sounding words, and stay clear of negative sounding words.  You should also be careful when using similar sounding words, as they can confuse the reader because they sound and sometimes look very similar, but have much different meanings.

Module 16 is about revising sentences and paragraphs.  Revising is very important, because it can help you rearrange your writing so that it flows better and makes more sense to the reader, as well as allowing you to add or subtract content as needed to improve the writing.  When writing in the business format, make sure that you sound friendly and use the correct style of writing according to your audience.  Be sure to also use the right tone, you want to sound friendly and informative, not rude and arrogant.  Sentences throughout your message should be of different lengths, but shorter sentences are better.  Any sentence longer than 30 words should be revised. 

One thing that is very important to know when coming away from module 15, is that there are many different denotations to some words, so it is very important to use the correct denotation when writing, or to make it clear what denotation you mean when writing so that the reader knows for certain what you mean.

Something that is important to remember from module 16 is that wordy writing is often bad writing.  It is always best to express what you are trying to say in the least amount of words, this makes it easier for the reader to follow and grasp what you are trying to say, and also might make them more likely to read your message fully instead of skimming it or skipping it altogether.