Introduction to Professional Writing Sue Webb AIM: webbsuza Session 2

COURSE HOMEPAGE

Today in Class… Individual Assessment: What are your goal areas? Individual Assessment: What are your goal areas? What is rhetoric? What is rhetoric? Project 1: Invitation Letters Project 1: Invitation Letters Audiences: writers & policy makers Audiences: writers & policy makers Purposes Purposes Our rhetorical situation Our rhetorical situation Schedule Schedule For Next Time: 1. Visit Creativeclass.com website – read 2. Bring early drafts of letters for review – be ready to show connection between PW skills & goals for a transformed MI

Individual Assessment Take a few minutes and look at the Assessment form online: Tell us: What might you list as goal areas? What areas do you feel confident about coming into the semester? What questions arose for you? Where does something like rhetoric fit?

Rhetoric…? Discovering the available means of persuasion Others… Making ways of making meaning Making ways of making meaning Do a Google search. See what other definitions and descriptions of rhetoric we can use, build on, or reject… Do a Google search. See what other definitions and descriptions of rhetoric we can use, build on, or reject… Aristotle

Professional Writing…? Organizationally Situated Authorship Gurak (tech comm) The art and science of making information accessible, usable, & relevant to a variety of people in a variety of situations Others… Solving problems with words and images Solving problems with words and images ? Peeples

Audience Gurak Making information relevant means zeroing in on the needs of a particular audience…how can we do that? 1. Tailoring messages rather than using generic messages 2. Researching the needs of our audience 3. Testing the message with actual audience members when appropriate 4. Revising when we learn the message is not as relevant as it could be

Practicing Audience: Writing an Invitation Letter Task: Invite two different groups of people to participate as speakers in our Town Hall Audience 1: Area professional writers and graduates of the MSU PW program Audience 2: Policymakers who have some sense of and influence on the Michigan economy How might our message differ for these two groups?

Assignment Details Draft a one page letter to ONE of these two audience groups, tailoring your invitation to their needs & interests The PW program doesn’t have official letterhead…you should design some for your letter Adhere to conventions for formal business letters (yes, this project is a first look for me at your writing…I want to see where you are). If you need help, let me know. Also…consider visiting the writing center!

Our Rhetorical Situation… The challenge you’ll need to meet in making the letter persuasive is to show a link between Michigan’s economic transformation and the skills/abilities of professional writers. Each audience likely knows more about one of these topics than the other. You’ll need to appeal to the expertise of each, specifically. We’ll vote on the best letters (and the best letterhead design) to actually send to area writers and policymakers.

You’ll need to make a connection between Michigan’s economic outlook and the expertise/skills of a professional writer…

For Next Time… 1. Bring an early draft of your letters for review; have a version you can share with the class ready to go 2. Read the governor’s job plan info and materials on Richard Florida’s creativeclass.com site creativeclass.com 3. Note areas where you feel you need more information – we’ll talk about researching to support your claims