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Category > Essay writing Posted 08 Sep 2017 My Price 10.00

WRTG 394 Critiquing a bad news letter II

WRTG 394 students,

In weeks 1-2, you critiqued a response from Loren Lackluster to Todd Riley. Todd, a teenager, had applied for a credit card.

For this conference exercise, please access the article, “Using Problem-Based Scenarios to Teach Writing.” It can be found in the e-reserves of the class.

Actually, the scenario with Todd and Loren is in this article. The scenario begins on page 74 of the article. The letter you read is on page 75.

The authors of the article—Smart, Hicks, and Melton—critique the response by Loren, as you did.

They then provide a second possible response to Todd on pages 76-77. They then critique this second response.

They then provide a third possible response to Todd on page 78. They then critique this third response.

Please examine pages 74-79 of the article. Then answer the following questions.

1. After you read the analysis by Smart, Hicks, and Melton of the letter by Loren Lackluster, did your initial critique of the letter change at all? Did they point out issues that you had not thought of? If so, what issues did they point out that might cause you to revise your critique.

Or perhaps your critique still stands. If so, why does is still stand?

2. After you took a look at the second response and the third response, how did the first response letter compare? Did the first response letter seem less effective to you after you saw the second and third ones? Why or why not?

3. Smart, Hicks, and Melton mention on page 75, “Too great a focus on an organizational strategy or predefined format results in this type of response.” Do you feel that Smart, Hicks, and Melton have a point? Explain in a sentence or two.

4. Does this scenario of Todd’s applying for a credit card represent a bad-news scenario? Examine the points made by Smart, Hicks, and Melton as you answer this question.

5. Examine the visual layout of the information in response 1, response 2, and response 3. Comment on them, compare them, and write a sentence or two on the importance of bullets, short paragraphs, or other visual elements in business writing of this nature.

6. Examine page 73 and the section, "Academic Writing Assignments: What is Lacking?" In this section, Smart, Hicks, and Melton note that some business communication books might emphasis a "'fill-in-the-blank' approach for a generic audience." Describe a situation in your life, either at work or in another context, in which you had to respond to someone but that was not entirely either a bad-news or a good-news scenario. The authors of this article maintain that rhetorical context is important rather than a one-size-fits-all approach. They use the situation with Todd to demonstrate that a formulaic positive message strategy or a formulaic negative message strategy might not feature the best approach in some situations. Consider their discussion and analyze whether your writing situation "fit" a bad-news situation.

Business Communication Quarterly

76(1)

–81

Business Communication

Reprints and permission:

sagepub.com/journalsPermissions.nav

DOI: 10.1177/1080569912466256

bcq.sagepub.com

466256

BCQ

10.1177/1080569912466256

usiness Communication QuarterlySmart et al.

Teaching Writing

Central Michigan University, USA

Corresponding Author:

Karl L. Smart, College of Business Administration, Central Michigan University, 305 Grawn, Mt. Pleasant,

MI 48859, USA

Email: karl.smart@cmich.edu

Using Problem-Based

Scenarios to Teach Writing

Karl L. Smart

, Nancy Hicks

and James Melton

Abstract

The ability to communicate effectively remains a critical skill for obtaining a job and

achieving success in the workplace; however, many still lack these skills. In particular,

graduates lack adequate writing skills. This article advocates the use of problem-

based scenarios to teach writing, which focuses on authentic rhetorical framing

similar to writing done in the workplace. A sample scenario is provided along with

three responses, showing the type of issues involved in helping students develop

writing skills appropriate to an organizational context.

Keywords

writing pedagogy, problem-based learning, persuasive messages

A critical component of professional success is the ability to write effectively (American

Management Association, 2010; Glenn, 2011; Rentz, Flatley, & Lentz, 2010). However,

recent graduates, along with many in the workplace, lack good writing skills (Hines &

Basso, 2008; Minton-Eversole & Gurchiek, 2006; Quible & Griffin, 2007; Speck, 1990).

The need to develop workplace writing skills in the academic setting can be better achieved

by recognizing what’s often lacking with the focus of academic writing and understanding

how to use problem-based scenarios to develop writing skills for the workplace.

This article advocates the use of problem-based scenarios to teach effective writing,

with an emphasis on rhetorical principles rather than content or format only. In this

way, the act of writing not only improves students’ communication abilities, but in the

tradition of social-rhetorical theory (Berlin, 1987), it is a catalyst for critical thinking,

also one of the “critical skills” identified in the American Management Association’s

Teaching Students to Write for the Workplace

2010 study. A sample scenario is used to demonstrate the process as well as the issues

involved in such an approach.

Academic Writing Assignments: What Is Lacking?

One factor that leads to inadequate writing skills in the workplace is the type of writing

students are required to do in their academic training. Typically, students are asked to

write for the purpose of showing an instructor (the expert) how much they know about

a certain topic. Although this may seem appropriate in an academic setting, it is the

exact opposite of what is required in the workplace. In the workplace, the writer (as

expert) attempts to explain new or unfamiliar information to others to help them draw

conclusions, make recommendations, and solve problems (Schneider & Andre, 2005,

p. 198). Most academic writing assignments “focus on content and format to the exclu

sion of the higher level analytical skills needed to connect that content and format with

the needs of specific audiences to accomplish specific tasks” (Paretti, 2006, p. 189).

This focus on content and format is reflected in many college-level business communi

cation textbooks, with multiple chapters on format and grammar. These textbooks also

focus on specific types of documents, such as “the most common business letters”—good

news, bad news, persuasive, informative, and so forth. Since not all business communica

tion instructors have rhetorical training and may rely on supplemental textbook material in

their approach to teaching, the assignment and approach described in this article is particu

larly relevant. Novice writers may come away from a business communication course feel

ing that they need only find the right format or template for a particular writing situation to

ensure effective communication. Students learn to use a “fill-in-the-blank” approach for a

generic audience. This approach lacks the higher level skills of understanding a rhetorical

context and creating messages appropriate to varying audiences, contexts, and purposes.

Using Problem-Based Scenarios

The movement toward service learning and client-based project work in the classroom,

with corresponding communication assignments, attempts to address the need for more

complex and authentic writing and communication situations. However, coordinating

such projects and finding an adequate number of them on a continual basis frequently

proves challenging (Scheiber, 1991). In addition, these projects require significant

preparation to create a foundation of necessary knowledge and skills. An alternative

or supplement to these types of writing situations is the use of problem-based sce

narios (Jebb, 2005; Pennell & Miles, 2009). Scenarios and analyzing accompanying

responses to scenarios can provide a rhetorical framework that provides students

with the basis for determining effective or ineffective communication.

Using Scenarios to Articulate a Rhetorical Framework

Using context-based problems and scenarios can help students understand and

develop effective writing skills (Victor, 1999). Scenarios—short situational vignettes

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