1. Heather Plett sharing stories, wisdom & courage www.heatherplett.com Heather Plett sharing stories, wisdom & courage www.heatherplett.com Effective Written Communication Instructor: Heather Plett www.heatherplett.com (see “student link” at bottom for notes)

2. Heather Plett sharing stories, wisdom & courage www.heatherplett.com Heather Plett sharing stories, wisdom & courage www.heatherplett.com Welcome! Name? Favourite kind of writing/reading? A story of the journey that brought you here?

4. Heather Plett sharing stories, wisdom & courage www.heatherplett.com Heather Plett sharing stories, wisdom & courage www.heatherplett.com Class material All class material can be found at: www.heatherplett.com click on “student link” at the bottom right password: “pathwaytolearning” click on “Effective Written Communication”

5. Heather Plett sharing stories, wisdom & courage www.heatherplett.com Heather Plett sharing stories, wisdom & courage www.heatherplett.com Community Agreements We will treat each other respectfully and with kindness. We will offer constructive criticism only when it is asked for or appropriate. We will do our best to honour each other by showing up on time and not being disruptive. We will honour our own wisdom and be willing to share it when appropriate. We will honour each other’s wisdom and welcome it when appropriate. We will be self-aware and hold ourselves accountable.

6. Heather Plett sharing stories, wisdom & courage www.heatherplett.com Heather Plett sharing stories, wisdom & courage www.heatherplett.com About this class Practice is important You’ll be stretching some writing muscles that might not seem directly connected to business communication Some of the exercises are about exploring creative communication & finding your personal voice Your effort to improve your writing is more important than marks Discussion is welcome, but confrontation or arguing to prove yourself is not

7. Heather Plett sharing stories, wisdom & courage www.heatherplett.com Heather Plett sharing stories, wisdom & courage www.heatherplett.com Stretching Exercise Where are you from?

8. Heather Plett sharing stories, wisdom & courage www.heatherplett.com Heather Plett sharing stories, wisdom & courage www.heatherplett.com Where I'm From (by George Ella Lyon) I am from clothespins, from Clorox and carbon-tetrachloride. I am from the dirt under the back porch. (Black, glistening, it tasted like beets.) I am from the forsythia bush the Dutch elm whose long-gone limbs I remember as if they were my own. I'm from fudge and eyeglasses, from Imogene and Alafair. I'm from the know-it-alls and the pass-it-ons, from Perk up! and Pipe down! I'm from He restoreth my soul with a cottonball lamb and ten verses I can say myself. I'm from Artemus and Billie's Branch, fried corn and strong coffee. From the finger my grandfather lost to the auger, the eye my father shut to keep his sight. Under my bed was a dress box spilling old pictures, a sift of lost faces to drift beneath my dreams. I am from those moments-- snapped before I budded -- leaf-fall from the family tree. http://www.georgeellalyon.com/audio/where.mp3

9. I am from _______ (specific ordinary item), from _______ (product name) and _______. I am from the _______ (home description... adjective, adjective, sensory detail). I am from the _______ (plant, flower, natural item), the _______ (plant, flower, natural detail) I am from _______ (family tradition) and _______ (family trait), from _______ (name of family member) and _______ (another family name) and _______ (family name). I am from the _______ (description of family tendency) and _______ (another one). From _______ (something you were told as a child) and _______ (another). I am from (representation of religion, or lack of it). Further description. I'm from _______ (place of birth and family ancestry), _______ (two food items representing your family). From the _______ (specific family story about a specific person and detail), the _______ (another detail, and the _______ (another detail about another family member). I am from _______ (location of family pictures, mementos, archives and several more lines indicating their worth).

10. SCHEDULELECTURE TOPICSPRE-READING August 15, 2012  Introductions  Overview of Course  Analyzing the purpose for writing  Codifying the message  The writing process  Effective Writing Strategies  Writing emails Writing activities and sections for reading will be assigned from the course manual each week. August 22, 2012No class – see full-time HRMDP schedule for details August 29, 2012  Effective Writing Strategies (cont’d)  Anticipating the audience  Adapting to the task and audience  Writing and revising  Communicating with narrative  Choosing the appropriate style  Concrete/Abstract  Passive/active  Avoiding surplus words September 5, 2012  Communicating positive & negative messages  Direct & indirect message  Structuring questions  Responding to questions  Apologies September 12, 2012  Writing persuasively  Effective sales messages  Choosing words carefully  Writing for the web  Identifying your audience September 19, 2012  Writing proposals  Effective emails, letters, memos, etc.  Writing for social media September 26, 2012  Writing to impact change  Defining your voice  Final Exam October 3, 2012  Exam Review  Presentation of final assignment

11. Assignments VALUEITEM OF WORKDUE DATE 10 marksEffective emailAugust 29, 2012 15 marksBiography - effective sentences & paragraphsSeptember 12, 2012 15 marksLetterSeptember 19, 2012 20 marksWriting to impact change presentationOctober 3, 2012 30 marksIn-class ExamSeptember 26, 2012 10 marksClass Participation - Based on class participation & attendance Not applicable

12. Heather Plett sharing stories, wisdom & courage www.heatherplett.com Heather Plett sharing stories, wisdom & courage www.heatherplett.com Some thoughts on writing & communication

13. Heather Plett sharing stories, wisdom & courage www.heatherplett.com Heather Plett sharing stories, wisdom & courage www.heatherplett.com No matter where you work, communication is vital to your success.

14. Heather Plett sharing stories, wisdom & courage www.heatherplett.com Heather Plett sharing stories, wisdom & courage www.heatherplett.com Effective communication builds trust, which is essential in every line of business.

15. Heather Plett sharing stories, wisdom & courage www.heatherplett.com Heather Plett sharing stories, wisdom & courage www.heatherplett.com Even as technology changes, the basic requirements of effective communication do not change.

16. Heather Plett sharing stories, wisdom & courage www.heatherplett.com Heather Plett sharing stories, wisdom & courage www.heatherplett.com Your performance will be judged on how well you communicate.

17. Heather Plett sharing stories, wisdom & courage www.heatherplett.com Heather Plett sharing stories, wisdom & courage www.heatherplett.com With technology becoming so central to the way we work, effective written communication is even more important.

18. Heather Plett sharing stories, wisdom & courage www.heatherplett.com Heather Plett sharing stories, wisdom & courage www.heatherplett.com At the core, almost all communication is about storytelling.

19. Heather Plett sharing stories, wisdom & courage www.heatherplett.com Heather Plett sharing stories, wisdom & courage www.heatherplett.com We are all communicating every day in some form or another, even when we don’t realize it.

20. Heather Plett sharing stories, wisdom & courage www.heatherplett.com Heather Plett sharing stories, wisdom & courage www.heatherplett.com Relationships are not possible without communication.

21. Heather Plett sharing stories, wisdom & courage www.heatherplett.com Heather Plett sharing stories, wisdom & courage www.heatherplett.com Communication is a two-way street.

22. Heather Plett sharing stories, wisdom & courage www.heatherplett.com Heather Plett sharing stories, wisdom & courage www.heatherplett.com Good writing emerges from a lot of practice, practice, and more practice.

23. Heather Plett sharing stories, wisdom & courage www.heatherplett.com Heather Plett sharing stories, wisdom & courage www.heatherplett.com A creative edge & personal voice are often more valuable than technical perfection.

24. Heather Plett sharing stories, wisdom & courage www.heatherplett.com Heather Plett sharing stories, wisdom & courage www.heatherplett.com

29. Heather Plett sharing stories, wisdom & courage www.heatherplett.com Heather Plett sharing stories, wisdom & courage www.heatherplett.com Current Challenges for Business Communicators ongoing development of new information technologies the increasing global nature of business growing diversity in the workplace & in types of workplaces

30. Heather Plett sharing stories, wisdom & courage www.heatherplett.com Heather Plett sharing stories, wisdom & courage www.heatherplett.com Main Categories of Business Communication internal-operational communication external-operational communication personal communication

31. Heather Plett sharing stories, wisdom & courage www.heatherplett.com Heather Plett sharing stories, wisdom & courage www.heatherplett.com Business trends illustrating the need for good comm. skills (page 5) Innovative communication technologies Flattened management heirarchies More participatory management Increased emphasis on self-directed work & project teams Heightened global competition & collaboration New work environments The move to a knowledge economy

32. Heather Plett sharing stories, wisdom & courage www.heatherplett.com Heather Plett sharing stories, wisdom & courage www.heatherplett.com How technology improves business writing designing & producing professional-looking documents, presentations, and web pages using templates collecting information electronically adding graphics for emphasis improving correctness & precision using software for team writing

33. Heather Plett sharing stories, wisdom & courage www.heatherplett.com Heather Plett sharing stories, wisdom & courage www.heatherplett.com Business Communication as Problem Solving problem = a gap between where you are now and where you want to be problems can be well defined or ill defined most problems are ill defined people add complexity to problems there are no formulas

34. Heather Plett sharing stories, wisdom & courage www.heatherplett.com Heather Plett sharing stories, wisdom & courage www.heatherplett.com In communication, the context matters organizational contexts professional contexts hierarchical contexts personal contexts

35. Heather Plett sharing stories, wisdom & courage www.heatherplett.com Heather Plett sharing stories, wisdom & courage www.heatherplett.com The process of business communication 1. Sensing a communication need. 2. Defining the situation. 3. Considering possible communication strategies. 4. Selecting a course of action. 5. Composing the message. 6. Sending the message.

36. Codifying the message

37. Heather Plett sharing stories, wisdom & courage www.heatherplett.com Heather Plett sharing stories, wisdom & courage www.heatherplett.com On the recipient’s end... 1. Receiving the message. 2. Interpreting the message. 3. Deciding on a response. 4. Replying to the message.

38. The communication process

39. Heather Plett sharing stories, wisdom & courage www.heatherplett.com Heather Plett sharing stories, wisdom & courage www.heatherplett.com How culture affects communication (page 18) Start by understanding habits & beliefs that characterize Canadian context: individualism versus collectivism formality - less emphasis on tradition, ceremony, and social rules than people in some other cultures communication style - value straightforwardness, are suspicious of evasiveness, and distrust people who may have a “hidden agenda” - uncomfortable with silence time orientation - consider time a precious commodity to be conserved - time is equated with productivity, efficiency & money

40. Heather Plett sharing stories, wisdom & courage www.heatherplett.com Heather Plett sharing stories, wisdom & courage www.heatherplett.com Tips for minimizing written miscommunication among cross- cultural audiences adopt local styles consider hiring a translator use short sentences & short paragraphs avoid ambiguous language (eg. idioms - “once in a blue moon”, and jargon - “input, bottom line”) cite numbers carefully - convert dollar figures into local currency, spell out months, etc.

41. Heather Plett sharing stories, wisdom & courage www.heatherplett.com Heather Plett sharing stories, wisdom & courage www.heatherplett.com Tips for Effective Communication with Diverse Audiences understand the value of difference don’t expect conformity create zero tolerance for bias and stereotypes practice focused, thoughtful & open-minded listening invite, use, and give feedback make fewer assumptions learn about your cultural self seek common ground

42. Heather Plett sharing stories, wisdom & courage www.heatherplett.com Heather Plett sharing stories, wisdom & courage www.heatherplett.com Exercise - Translate these idioms: let the cat out of the bag take the bull by the horns he is a tightwad putting the cart before the horse to be on the road lend someone a hand with flying colours turn over a new leaf

43. Heather Plett sharing stories, wisdom & courage www.heatherplett.com Heather Plett sharing stories, wisdom & courage www.heatherplett.com Stretching exercise In small groups, discuss the following: A story of effective communication A story of ineffective communication I would like to improve my writing so that...

44. Heather Plett sharing stories, wisdom & courage www.heatherplett.com Heather Plett sharing stories, wisdom & courage www.heatherplett.com The Writing Process Planning Determining goals Analyzing the audience Gathering & collecting Analyzing & organizing Choosing a form Drafting Being flexible Keeping going Using your own favourite strategies Revising Revising contents, structure & format Editing sentences & words Proofreading

46. Heather Plett sharing stories, wisdom & courage www.heatherplett.com Heather Plett sharing stories, wisdom & courage www.heatherplett.com Planning Determining goals what do you want to accomplish? what does success look like? how do you know you’ve met those goals? Analyzing the audience who are you writing for? why? primary audience? secondary audience? what do they have to gain?

47. Heather Plett sharing stories, wisdom & courage www.heatherplett.com Heather Plett sharing stories, wisdom & courage www.heatherplett.com Planning (cont’d) Gathering & collecting research, background info. who are your subject matter experts? Analyzing & organizing what info. is pertinent? how should it be organized? Choosing a form letter, email, brochure, article, text msg?

48. Heather Plett sharing stories, wisdom & courage www.heatherplett.com Heather Plett sharing stories, wisdom & courage www.heatherplett.com Drafting Being flexible try different methods, phrases, etc. don’t limit yourself Keeping going get something down on paper & edit later Using your own favourite strategies where do you do your best writing? start in the middle? at the end?

49. Heather Plett sharing stories, wisdom & courage www.heatherplett.com Heather Plett sharing stories, wisdom & courage www.heatherplett.com Revising Revising contents, structure & format does it need another format to make it more effective? what content is missing? Editing sentences & words cleaning up excess words sentence structure, grammar, etc. Proofreading typos, etc.

50. Heather Plett sharing stories, wisdom & courage www.heatherplett.com Heather Plett sharing stories, wisdom & courage www.heatherplett.com Choosing the medium Letters for relatively formal circumstances - primarily external Memorandums generally for internal communications - sometimes as fax header Email now acceptable for almost all forms of communication Text messaging (sms) for quick messages - only the essentials

51. Heather Plett sharing stories, wisdom & courage www.heatherplett.com Heather Plett sharing stories, wisdom & courage www.heatherplett.com The medium (cont’d) Instant messaging (online chatting) interactive - personal Social networking brief, public Blogs & websites public (even if they’re targeted) What’s next?

53. Heather Plett sharing stories, wisdom & courage www.heatherplett.com Heather Plett sharing stories, wisdom & courage www.heatherplett.com Effective emails Pros eliminates “phone tag” & allows person to respond when available saves time & interruptions speeds the process & permits rapid exchanges cheap provides a written record

54. Heather Plett sharing stories, wisdom & courage www.heatherplett.com Heather Plett sharing stories, wisdom & courage www.heatherplett.com Emails Cons: not confidential absence of non-verbal clues (voice intonation, facial expression, etc.) doesn’t communicate emotions well easy to ignore or delay

55. Heather Plett sharing stories, wisdom & courage www.heatherplett.com Heather Plett sharing stories, wisdom & courage www.heatherplett.com Email Beginning the message: make it as formal or informal as the relationship requires identify yourself, if necessary Organizing the content a “top-down” order is most often appropriate most important information first positive info. may be more direct, while negative info. more indirect

56. Heather Plett sharing stories, wisdom & courage www.heatherplett.com Heather Plett sharing stories, wisdom & courage www.heatherplett.com Email Writing the message: formality : determine the nature of the relationship - casual, informal, or formal? conciseness : as short as complete coverage of the subject matter will permit clarity : concreteness, vigor & precision etiquette : courteous - keep it professional correctness : proofread & edit carefully

57. Heather Plett sharing stories, wisdom & courage www.heatherplett.com Heather Plett sharing stories, wisdom & courage www.heatherplett.com Goals for effective emails: Will actually be read Will actually be understood Will not annoy the receiver Does not take up too much time on the receiver’s end.

58. Heather Plett sharing stories, wisdom & courage www.heatherplett.com Heather Plett sharing stories, wisdom & courage www.heatherplett.com Inappropriate use of email message is long, complicated, or requires negotiation questions or information need clarification and discussion information is confidential or sensitive, requires security or could be misinterpreted message is emotionally charged & requires tone of voice message is sent to avoid direct contact with a person message contains sensitive issues, relays feelings, or attempts to resolve conflict

59. Heather Plett sharing stories, wisdom & courage www.heatherplett.com Heather Plett sharing stories, wisdom & courage www.heatherplett.com Which message opener is more effective? 1. An email inquiring about web hosting: 1. We are considering launching our own website because we feel it is the only way to keep up with our competition and make our product more visible in a crowded market. We have a lot of questions and need information about web hosting. 2. Please answer the following questions about hosting our new website, which we hope to launch to increase our product visibility in a crowded market. 2. An email message announcing a professional development program: 1. Employees interested in improving their writing and communication skills are invited to a training program beginning October 4. 2. For the past year we have been investigating the possibility of developing a communication skills training program for some of our employees.

61. Heather Plett sharing stories, wisdom & courage www.heatherplett.com Heather Plett sharing stories, wisdom & courage www.heatherplett.com Stretching exercise Rewrite one of the following opening paragraphs: Several staff members came to me and announced their interest in learning more about severance plans and separation policies. As most of you know, these areas of concern are increasingly important for most Human Resources professionals. A seminar entitled “Severance & Separation Benefits” is being conducted February 11. The following employees are attending the seminar: Dave Neufeld, Tayreez Mushani, and Gail Switzer. Your employee association has secured discounts on auto repair, carpet purchases, travel arrangements, and many other services. These services are available to you if you have a Buying Power Card. All employees are eligible for their own private Buying Power Cards.

62. Heather Plett sharing stories, wisdom & courage www.heatherplett.com Heather Plett sharing stories, wisdom & courage www.heatherplett.com Email tips (cont’d) Provide key information with your signature (eg. company name, website, etc.) If you’re sending attachments, make sure they’re small & readable. Be clear, concise, and complete. Be as personal as you can be without offending.

63. Heather Plett sharing stories, wisdom & courage www.heatherplett.com Heather Plett sharing stories, wisdom & courage www.heatherplett.com Email tips (cont’d) Make one point per email Specify the response you want Make sure all the necessary information is included. Avoid “dumping” - sending too much information to too many people too often.

64. Heather Plett sharing stories, wisdom & courage www.heatherplett.com Heather Plett sharing stories, wisdom & courage www.heatherplett.com Email tips (cont’d) Don’t use email to avoid contact. Never respond when you’re angry. Care about correctness. Resist humour and personal jokes. Limit the tendency to copy to your distribution list. Limit the tendency to reply to the entire cc list.

65. Heather Plett sharing stories, wisdom & courage www.heatherplett.com Heather Plett sharing stories, wisdom & courage www.heatherplett.com Email tips (cont’d) Consider using identifying labels (eg. “Action”, “Urgent” Use capitals letters only for emphasis or for titles Announce attachments; consider summarizing or highlighting important aspects briefly in the email body Consider asking for permission before forwarding

66. Heather Plett sharing stories, wisdom & courage www.heatherplett.com Heather Plett sharing stories, wisdom & courage www.heatherplett.com Effective emails - tips Use simple subject line with enough information & interest that the recipient wants to open it (consider it a headline) Keep it short. You can always follow up with more info. if necessary. Proofread carefully. Use proper capitalization for anything formal/professional.

67. Heather Plett sharing stories, wisdom & courage www.heatherplett.com Heather Plett sharing stories, wisdom & courage www.heatherplett.com Consider the audience benefits (page 40) Sender focus: To enable us to update our shareholder records, we ask that the enclosed card be returned. Our warranty becomes effective only when we receive an owner’s registration. Audience focus: So that you may promptly receive dividend cheques and information related to your shares, please return the enclosed card. Your warranty begins working for you as soon as you return your owner’s registration.

68. Heather Plett sharing stories, wisdom & courage www.heatherplett.com Heather Plett sharing stories, wisdom & courage www.heatherplett.com Polite “You” View (page 40) “I/We” View: I have scheduled your vacation to begin May 1. “You” View: You may begin your vacation May 1. “I/We” View: We have shipped your order by courier, and we are sure it will arrive in time for the sales promotion on January 15. “You” View: Your order will be delivered by courier in time for your sales promotion January 15.

69. Heather Plett sharing stories, wisdom & courage www.heatherplett.com Heather Plett sharing stories, wisdom & courage www.heatherplett.com Exercise - Revise to emphasize the audience perspective and the “you” view To prevent us from possibly losing large sums of money, our bank now requires verification of any large cheque presented for immediate payment. We take pride in announcing daily flights to Singapore. So that we may comply with new federal privacy legislation, we are asking you to complete the enclosed waiver. For just $1,195 per person, we have arranged a seven-day trip to Las Vegas that includes deluxe accommodations, a Cirque du Soleil performance, and selected meals. I give my permission to attend the two-day workshop. I think my background and my education match the description of the manager trainee position you advertised.

70. Heather Plett sharing stories, wisdom & courage www.heatherplett.com Heather Plett sharing stories, wisdom & courage www.heatherplett.com Conversational but Professional (page 43) Unprofessional (low-level diction) badmouth guts pecking order ticked off rat on rip off TTLY Conversational (mid-level diction) criticize nerve line of command upset inform steal talk to you later Formal (high-level diction) denigrate courage dominance heirarchy provoked betray embezzle I’ll be in touch soon about this

71. Heather Plett sharing stories, wisdom & courage www.heatherplett.com Heather Plett sharing stories, wisdom & courage www.heatherplett.com Warm, friendly tone that sounds professional (page 42) Formal: All employees are herewith instructed to return appropriately designated contracts to the undersigned. Conversational: Please return your contracts to me. Formal: Pertaining to your order, we must verify the sizes that your organization requires prior to consignment of your order to our shipper. Conversational: We’ll send your order as soon as we confirm the sizes you need.

72. Heather Plett sharing stories, wisdom & courage www.heatherplett.com Heather Plett sharing stories, wisdom & courage www.heatherplett.com Exercise: convert to conversational, professional tone Kindly inform the undersigned whether or not your representative will be making a visitation in the near future. Pursuant to your letter of the 12th, please be advised that your shipment was sent 9 June 2012. She was pretty ticked off because the manager accused her of ripping off office supplies. Kindly be informed that your vehicle has been determined to require corrective work. He didn’t have the guts to badmouth her to her face.

73. Heather Plett sharing stories, wisdom & courage www.heatherplett.com Heather Plett sharing stories, wisdom & courage www.heatherplett.com Positive Language (page 43) Negative: We are unable to send your shipment until we receive proof of your payment. Positive: We look forward to sending your shipment as soon as we receive your payment. Negative: You will never regret opening an account with us. Positive: Your new account enables you to purchase high-quality clothing at reasonable prices.

74. Heather Plett sharing stories, wisdom & courage www.heatherplett.com Heather Plett sharing stories, wisdom & courage www.heatherplett.com Courteous Language (page 43) Less courteous: You must complete the report before Friday. More courteous: Please complete the report by Friday. Less courteous: You should organize a car pool in this department. More courteous: Organizing a car pool will reduce your transportation costs and help preserve the environment.

75. Heather Plett sharing stories, wisdom & courage www.heatherplett.com Heather Plett sharing stories, wisdom & courage www.heatherplett.com Familiar words (page 45) Less familiar: ascertain conceptualize encompass hypothesis monitor operational option perpetuate perplexing Alternatives: find out see include guess check working choice continue troubling

77. Heather Plett sharing stories, wisdom & courage www.heatherplett.com Heather Plett sharing stories, wisdom & courage www.heatherplett.com Analyzing, Anticipating, Adapting Do I really need to write this email? Why am I writing? How will the reader react? How can I save my reader’s time?

78. Heather Plett sharing stories, wisdom & courage www.heatherplett.com Heather Plett sharing stories, wisdom & courage www.heatherplett.com What’s wrong with this email? Subject: Meeting Hi Jim. I just wanted to remind you about the meeting we have scheduled for next week. Let me know if you have any questions. Best wishes, Mark

79. Heather Plett sharing stories, wisdom & courage www.heatherplett.com Heather Plett sharing stories, wisdom & courage www.heatherplett.com More effective version: Subject: Reminder of Meeting, 10am on July 30 on harassment policy Hi Jim I just wanted to remind you about the meeting we have scheduled for Monday, October 5, at 10:00 am. It’s being held in conference room A, and we’ll be discussing the new harassment policy. A representative from the board of directors will be present, along with the human resources team. If you have any questions, feel free to get in touch (954-3024). Best wishes, Mark

80. Heather Plett sharing stories, wisdom & courage www.heatherplett.com Heather Plett sharing stories, wisdom & courage www.heatherplett.com The PASS Process for emails P is for PURPOSE - what is the purpose of the email? A is for ACTION - what action needs to result from the email? does it have a due date? (task? respond? read?) S is for support - what supporting documentation needs to be included or attached? S is for Summary - have you successfully summarized your message in the subject line? http://workawesome.com/communication/eff ective-email-communication/

81. Heather Plett sharing stories, wisdom & courage www.heatherplett.com Heather Plett sharing stories, wisdom & courage www.heatherplett.com Assignment Write one of the following emails: You’re writing to your city councillor to request that they consider putting a stop sign on your street to slow traffic. You’re inquiring about renting a room at the local community centre to host a celebration for your sports team.

82. Heather Plett sharing stories, wisdom & courage www.heatherplett.com Heather Plett sharing stories, wisdom & courage www.heatherplett.com Grading assignments Assignments will be graded for: (approx. breakdown) content & development (eg. clarity, accuracy, effectiveness, creativity) - approx. 50% organization & structure (paragraphs & sentences are well organized & structured) - approx. 20% format (appropriate formatting for content/message) - approx. 10% grammar, punctuation & spelling - approx. 20% My notes will convey the missing elements, but not an exact breakdown. You will have one opportunity to re-submit an assignment to improve your grade.