English 424: Technical Writing--Reflecting on It All
Emily Vincent
Intro to Your
Portfolio: The
Philosophical Writer
I've never been one for theory or philosophy; the abstract thought of
why some things are the way that they are has always tended to
frustrate
me. I figure, you can't change it (whatever "it" is)- it is what it is.
The idea of becoming a
writing major appealed to me, not only because it naturally came easy
to me,
but also because it wasn't an abstract principle. There was a document
and you followed it.
If a manual that a technical writer crafted told me to skip step number
3 and screw piece A into part B, I
didn't question.
Or, so I thought until I entered Room 312 for ENGL 424.
Writing isn't just that simple. A document isn't an end; a document is one step of an entire process. The fact is technical writing involves more than memos or manuals. The true professional writer is an expert at rhetoric. The word "rhetoric" is tossed around a lot in our highly political world, but in the wrong connotation. To be an expert at rhetoric, is to have the ability to bridge the gap between the audience and the speaker- to convey the true purpose of a message. To use ethos, pathos, logos- emotion, passion, logic- to get past the agendas we each hold and make a clear argument on an issue.
I have learned that there is a reason behind every word choice, every sentence structure. Possibly the most important realization I have come to, is that there is a process to every piece of writing.
The manual itself may seem like simple text, however, it was the professional writer who was able to sort through the academic and scientific description to simplify it to something everyone could understand. What good is a product if no one knows how to use it? It was the writer who had to analyze data, who had to go convey the same message as the scientists; it was the writer who had to become the expert. The writer crafted a document that was tangible, that could be used to help simplify the lives of others. The concept of rhetoric isn't concrete, but the outcomes often are.
The
Team Introduction Memo (TIM) and Process Documentation Memo (PDM): ???
Contextualizing the TIM & PDM
The Introduction Memo was the first assignment in ENGL 424. Pretensed
simply as an introduction
to our classmates, the memo soon became much more. The memo is meant to
"bridge the gap" between strangers, to find common ground and instill a
team ethic
among classmates. Through the memo we were to use rhetoric, a concept
we had not yet learned, to make a claim about ourselves. The
introduction memo is an
argument- how the knowledge I've gathered through my different
experiences can contribute to the team.
In this final version of the introduction memo, I have followed the process of an argument- stating a claim in the overview, supporting that claim by explaining two specific examples of what I've learned about writing, and giving warrant to the claim by stating how these examples and experiences showed my breadth as a writer and my value in our class/team environment.
The Process Documentation Memo can be described as "the memo about the memo." The documentation memo was addressed not to the class, but Professor Benninghoff. It details the changes that were made during the writing process from draft to draft until the final version, which is linked to this page. The purpose of this memo is to show what was learned in the process in creating a document. We were to contextualize the changes- explaining the major differences from its earliest stages to the final version. However, we were also to argue why these changes were necessary and the effect that they had upon the whole document- therefore, explaining the rhetorical aspects of the introduction memo.
The process documentation memo brought out into open many of
the thought processes and conclusions that we had made about the
introduction memo. Simply reading a "final" version
of a document does not allow the reader to understand why the it is in
the particular form and the content that it contains. The process
documentation memo brings to light many of the underlying choices a
writer decides upon. It also gave each individual the opportunity to
create an argument to our professor stating why our document was
effective in its final version.
Reflecting on the TIM & PDM
Rhetoric is all encompassing of communication
Rhetoric itself is an awkward concept. Aristotle defined rhetoric as
the "ability to see the relative means of persuasion." How
can one thing encompass so much, and have such a substantial effect on
the ability that we are seen and valued in society? In the same
respect, how do you form an argument about your own value, persuade
others of your worth, in less than two pages?
Lessons Learned: The complexity of a "simple" memorandum
To write a memo in itself could be described as a simple task; or at least that is how the process is usually viewed by many businesses. The format of a memo is straight forward, and the material should be written in a concise manner. To say that writing the introduction memo was a simple task, however, is far from the truth. The most important point that I have taken from this assignment is to never view a document in "simple terms."
Any document, no matter how standard the formatting is, has its own purpose and therefore involves more than a regurgitation of information. The name of the assignment is itself alluding. To say it is an introduction memo implies that it simply lists information, such as where you're from, what you are studying, hobbies or interests, or work or class experiences. However, in every piece of writing, some form of an argument is presented. This assignment's purpose was to argue our worth or value to our classmates. A memo cannot be looked at in simple termsThe problems writing the introduction memo dealt with narrowly tailoring the message that I wanted to get across, yet having it still serve several purposes. The memo serves as an introduction of myself-who I am,what I'm studying and what I'm interested in. This part for me was simple. However, the memo served a higher purpose- to teach my fellow classmates why I am of value to them in class.
This meant that I would first have to learn about my classmates, what they looked for in fellow classmates and what they were hoping to achieve in taking ENG 424. biggest issue I found in writing this assignment was that it served several purposes. The memo served as a representation of myselfn introduction that served several purposes, dealt with narrowing down specific examples that could relate to each of my classmates.
The Process Documentation Memo exists as a testament to the process that exists in developing writing. It serves as an argument from myself to my professor to explain the necessity of the content that the introduction memo contains. In this memo, I have specified the changes that were made from my original draft of the introduction memo. At first when writing the introduction memo, I focused on myself. I listed my area of study, my involvement on campus, and experiences involving communications and arguments. But, I soon realized that there was no claim in this memo. I was simply stating facts. Later drafts moved towards more specific examples of writing, something that my fellow classmates could relate to. In the end, the process documentation memo helped me realize just how important audience analysis was to the introduction memo, or any other piece of writing for that matter.
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The
Creative Rhetoric Scenario:
Your Own Project Title
Contextualizing the Creative Rhetoric Scenario
The Creative Rhetoric Scenario project required students to create a fictitious dialogue with a person that he or she is close with. The dialogue was to somehow address the topic of rhetoric, teaching the individual what rhetoric is. Somehow in the dialogue the student was also to address any negative connotations associated with rhetoric, for example that it is used by politicians to create "empty promises" to their constituents. Instead, rhetoric is a useful tool that can be used for good or ethical ambitions.
In my dialogue I chose to speak with a friend from the Mock Trial team here at Eastern. Mock Trial uses rhetoric on many levels. For example, persuassion is needed while in the courtroom, but there is also rhetoric involved in the behavior of close teammates/friends. As you will read, you will be see that rhetoric has many uses, far from only those that are associated with negative and unethical purposes.
Reflecting on the Creative Rhetoric Scenario
I found that the CRS was one of the easiest and straightforward assignments this past semester. For me, it came at the point of the semester when I finally began to understand what rhetoric was and how it could be used. The dialogue pulled all the class discussions and readings from the semester together for me. Before they had all been seperated lessons, each conveying their own message in their own way. However, the dialogue acted as a summary of these as a whole. Rhetoric can be useful in so many ways.
Arguing cases in a courtroom requires persuassion, but there was also actions within our team that signified differing levels of friendship. For example, in the dialogue you will read that my friend and I show our frustration and our desire to not do work in subtle ways- through the rhetoric of body language, not the spoken word. Because we had spent so much time together, these subtle hints were easily known to one another. The actions taken to express this same concept with someone else may have required spoken dialog.
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The
Airbag Letter Case: Your Own Project Title
Contextualizing the Airbag Case
Issues of Online Tutorial Design
For this project, the class was given a letter written by a customer
service representative at Vanguard
Motors, Inc. in response a customer's inquiry regarding how to obtain a
"on/off switch" for the airbag
in her vehicle. We were to re-write the letter so that it could apply
to all customers who have questions or concerns regarding the airbags
within their vehicles. The first letter
was rather unfriendly and unable to speak to a wide audience- it
addressed the customer's specific questions
and therefore could not apply to everyone as desired by Vanguard
Motors.
apply to
Reflecting on the Airbag Case
Because of my participation in ENG 424, the belief that memos and
letters are simple documents to write has been completely turned upside
down. The letter, although the
information was simple, was not an easy task in itself to write. The
letter
required that all customers' questions about airbags
be answered in one document; therefore its purpose was to inform
customers about information regarding the airbags in their vehicle,
provide safety instructions, and reassure them of Vanguard Motor's
dedication to their concerns and to safety. The most difficult part of
this assignment was making sure
that this letter did fulfill its purpose. Without an analysis as to
what the letter was supposed to do, I would never have included as many
facts
and instructions as I did. I would have narrowly tailored my answer to
address mainly a concern brought by one customer, rather than every one
of them. Also, because it did need to address many customers' needs,
the task of narrowing down this information
into one page became frustrating. I had to learn to, as another
professor has said
to our class before, "say a whole lot with only a little."
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The Context & Genre Analysis
Project:
A Culture is Created by a Document
Contextualizing the Context & Genre Analysis
Project
The Context and Genre Analysis asked students in the class to classify documents used within a certain workplace and how these documents affect the overall process these documents are a part of. First, students had to think of a workplace or class where he or she used several documents, and then explain the process in which these documents were used. Students were also to describe a genre, a single document, that was used within this contexts (environment). Through an analysis of both the context and the genre, we were to draw conclusions as to how these documents serve their purpose, or how they fail in this respect. Does the environment have an effect on how these documents are used? Why are they used in this office?
The context/genre analysis looks at a specific environment and
the documents that are used through the social perspective. As
described by Lester Faigley, the social perspective allows the
analyst to see the document not as and "end," but one step in an entire
process. Writing is shaped by
individuals and the way it is used. To that extent, while writing is
influenced by these factors, it also helps to create this culture as
well.
Reflecting on the Context & Genre Analysis
Project:
This assignment was one of the hardest for me to actually write. I knew the environment/context
that I wanted to analyze, as well as a specific document. However, as I wrote, I found that I
had no idea how these documents were to influence the context, how they were related. It wasn't until
class discussions, when I found that I had been taking on too much to write about, that I realized
the connection. I had tried to write about every process, every document used within one area of the
office. Instead, you will read that I instead found to cocentrate on one overall process, "reservations/RSVPs,"
and how a few key documents were used. In the end, I found that documents and the environment of the office
work together, the professional atmosphere at this office is determined by the people, but also by
the rigid rules associated with each document. This assignment helped to put the topics discussed throughout
the year into perspective. A writer needs to understand the situation behind a document in order to
write it, in order to know if it will serve its purpose.
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