Agenda

1
Agenda

• Peer review of drafts
• More discussion of Computer Use Case
• Portfolio revision 1

2
Peer review

• As usual, exchange drafts with a partner
• Pay particular attention to the following
• Are facts used accurately?
• Are inferences supported with clear,
  reader-focused explanation?
• Are supporting paragraphs clearly relevant to the
  main point?

3
Computer use case

• Task
• To summarize, interpret, and transmit relevant
  information
• Requirements
• To identify and convey relevant information
• To place information in a meaningful context
• To make information easily accessible to a busy
  reader

4
Ambiguity of information

• How will you look for something when you dont in
  the least know what it is? How on earth are you
  going to set up something you dont know as the
  object of your search? To put it another way,
  even if you come right up against it, how will
  you know what you have found is the thing you
  didnt know?
• From Becoming a Manager by Linda Hill

5
Ambiguity of information

• Ambiguity of information is the normal state of
  affairs in corporate America
• Part of being an effective communicator is
  knowing how to analyze what a situation demands
  (what is relevant, how much detail, etc.)

6
Ambiguity of information

• This assignment asks you to analyze the situation
  as well as the article
• To succeed, you need to
• Set criteria for relevance
• Determine what background on the data is needed
  to make it meaningful
• Present the information in clearly, concisely,
  and in an easy-to-follow manner

7
Framing information

• How you frame information is critical to how it
  is received
• Weak examples
• Based on the information in this article, I will
  explain why the Board should not pursue a Web
  presence.
• This article is not relevant at all to the
  Boards decision, as I will explain in this memo.
• This article talks about ...

8
The relevance test

• Executive Directors View

• Your View

9
Framing information

• As part of my research on Internet use as it
  relates to Kids ReACTs potential web presence,
  the article About Time, Computer Time, is of
  limited use. While it does not focus directly on
  our key decision factors, it can offer some
  insight into A, B, and C.
• Spell out factors limiting usefulness
• Spell out how article connects to A, B, and C

10
Portfolio revision 1

• In this revision, we will focus on informative
  and analytical writing
• Read the instruction sheet and follow the
  directions
• You have 45 minutes you may leave earlier if you
  finish
• Turn in
• Your portfolio documents
• Your self-analysis memo
• Your revision

11
Assignment

• Work on the final draft of the Computer Use Case
  assignment (due Thursday, 2/20)
• You may bring a second rough draft for review
  next Tuesday, 2/13 (optional)
• Read EBC Ch. 5