Memo Analyzing Workplace Communication

•    Due week 2; revision due week 4
•    350–400 words
•    W Component
•    7% of final grade
•    Use Chapter 1

At some point in your career, you will be asked to develop a type of communication that is unfamiliar to you. Because you will want the communication to reflect your abilities as a valuable member of the organization, you will need to analyze examples of that type of communication carefully in order to understand how that type of communication works. This assignment will help you learn a process for analyzing a type of communication in order to understand its typical audience, content, and organization and in order for you to project a good image for yourself and your organization through the communication that you develop.
Purpose of the memo
The memo that you will be writing has two purposes:
•    The primary purpose is to inform graduating students in your major about a common type of communication encountered in your field.
•    The secondary purpose is to build a good image of the sender (you). As you prepare and before you submit your memo, use the assignment rubric to ensure that your memo achieves the assignment’s goals.
Read carefully through the entire assignment sheet and rubric before you begin and refer to the rubric often as you prepare and complete the assignment.
To prepare to write the memo:
Step 1: Choose your topic
Start by considering the types of communications in your field of study. Below are common types of written business communication:
Internal Documents:
?    reports (purchasing, problem-solving, feasibility, and travel, for example)
?    proposals
?    performance reviews
External Documents:
?    annual earnings reports to shareholders
?    corporate report to the SEC
?    CEO statements
?    product recalls
?    letters to customers (announcing new services, products, or rate changes, for example)
For additional options, see our Library Guide: http://instr.iastate.libguides.com/c.php?g=194434&p=1279892.
Choose one type of communication.
Step 2: Find five or six examples
Once you have chosen a type of communication, you need to find five or six examples of that type of communication. You can use the Library Guide to find examples.
Step 3: Read and analyze examples
Read carefully through your examples and answer the following questions about each example:
•    Who are the main audiences for this type of workplace communication?
•    What is the purpose of this type of workplace communication?
•    What content must it include (for example, an executive summary, a description of work)?
•    What sorts of evidence or reasoning are appropriate (and thus expected)?
•    What contextual variables (for example, the audience’s familiarity with the topic) affect the data and reasoning included in this type of workplace communication?
Step 4: Look for patterns
Review your notes and look for patterns across your examples. What do they have common in terms of the questions in Step 3? Make a list of those patterns or commonalities.
Step 5: Identify evidence
With your list of patterns or commonalities in front of you, review your examples of workplace communication. Highlight details from the examples that you can use as evidence in support of those patterns or commonalities. Consider listing those details under the pattern or commonality it supports. That is, create an outline.
Step 6: Choose memo template
Find a memo template for the document you will draft.  Microsoft Word, for example, has multiple options under File > New from Template. In your memo’s “To:” line, write “Seniors preparing for a career in [Your Field]”
To write the memo :
1. Draft your memo
Draft your memo. Be certain to refer to the rubric for this assignment while preparing it, and compare your work against the criteria for effective performance.
2. Refer to the sources of your examples in your sentences
Make sure that you refer to the sources from which you found your examples. For example, “The six proposals that I found on NASA’s website and the site of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development illustrate that proposals typically begin with an executive summary.”

3. Revise and proofread
Once you have a complete draft of your memo, revise the order of ideas, add transitions, and eliminate redundancies, and tweak the phrasing until the text reads smoothly.

Note: For the revision, turn on tracked changes before you begin to revise. Leave tracked changes on as you revise. Turn in your revision with tracked changes showing.

Memo Analyzing Workplace Communication

•    Due week 2; revision due week 4
•    350–400 words
•    W Component
•    7% of final grade
•    Use Chapter 1

At some point in your career, you will be asked to develop a type of communication that is unfamiliar to you. Because you will want the communication to reflect your abilities as a valuable member of the organization, you will need to analyze examples of that type of communication carefully in order to understand how that type of communication works. This assignment will help you learn a process for analyzing a type of communication in order to understand its typical audience, content, and organization and in order for you to project a good image for yourself and your organization through the communication that you develop.
Purpose of the memo
The memo that you will be writing has two purposes:
•    The primary purpose is to inform graduating students in your major about a common type of communication encountered in your field.
•    The secondary purpose is to build a good image of the sender (you). As you prepare and before you submit your memo, use the assignment rubric to ensure that your memo achieves the assignment’s goals.
Read carefully through the entire assignment sheet and rubric before you begin and refer to the rubric often as you prepare and complete the assignment.
To prepare to write the memo:
Step 1: Choose your topic
Start by considering the types of communications in your field of study. Below are common types of written business communication:
Internal Documents:
?    reports (purchasing, problem-solving, feasibility, and travel, for example)
?    proposals
?    performance reviews
External Documents:
?    annual earnings reports to shareholders
?    corporate report to the SEC
?    CEO statements
?    product recalls
?    letters to customers (announcing new services, products, or rate changes, for example)
For additional options, see our Library Guide: http://instr.iastate.libguides.com/c.php?g=194434&p=1279892.
Choose one type of communication.
Step 2: Find five or six examples
Once you have chosen a type of communication, you need to find five or six examples of that type of communication. You can use the Library Guide to find examples.
Step 3: Read and analyze examples
Read carefully through your examples and answer the following questions about each example:
•    Who are the main audiences for this type of workplace communication?
•    What is the purpose of this type of workplace communication?
•    What content must it include (for example, an executive summary, a description of work)?
•    What sorts of evidence or reasoning are appropriate (and thus expected)?
•    What contextual variables (for example, the audience’s familiarity with the topic) affect the data and reasoning included in this type of workplace communication?
Step 4: Look for patterns
Review your notes and look for patterns across your examples. What do they have common in terms of the questions in Step 3? Make a list of those patterns or commonalities.
Step 5: Identify evidence
With your list of patterns or commonalities in front of you, review your examples of workplace communication. Highlight details from the examples that you can use as evidence in support of those patterns or commonalities. Consider listing those details under the pattern or commonality it supports. That is, create an outline.
Step 6: Choose memo template
Find a memo template for the document you will draft.  Microsoft Word, for example, has multiple options under File > New from Template. In your memo’s “To:” line, write “Seniors preparing for a career in [Your Field]”
To write the memo :
1. Draft your memo
Draft your memo. Be certain to refer to the rubric for this assignment while preparing it, and compare your work against the criteria for effective performance.
2. Refer to the sources of your examples in your sentences
Make sure that you refer to the sources from which you found your examples. For example, “The six proposals that I found on NASA’s website and the site of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development illustrate that proposals typically begin with an executive summary.”

3. Revise and proofread
Once you have a complete draft of your memo, revise the order of ideas, add transitions, and eliminate redundancies, and tweak the phrasing until the text reads smoothly.

Note: For the revision, turn on tracked changes before you begin to revise. Leave tracked changes on as you revise. Turn in your revision with tracked changes showing.