Rtu Modules in Technical Communication 1

RIZAL TECHNOLOGICAL UNIVERSITY
Pasig Campus
School Year 2020-2021
Module in Technical Communication
MODULE 1
WEEK 1 - Introduction to The Course Objectives, Contents, Activities, And Requirements

OBJECTIVES:
At the end of the period, the students must be able to:
1. Give an overview of the course;
2. Show interest and appreciation of the course;
3. Define technical writing; and
4. Use the principles of technical writing as a guide in writing.
Technical Writing Defined

Technical Writing, sometimes called business writing, is writing for a specific purpose and
with a specific goal. Usually its goal is to inform/instruct or persuade/argue. Technical writing can
really be considered transactional writing because there are two people or groups involved in the
communication. One party has a clear goal to inform or persuade the other party.
It is an audience-centered means of communication that provides a reader with clear and

easy access to information. In the business world, time equates to profit, and profit is the force
behind all business interaction. The technical writer and reader have a vis-à-vis relationship. The
writer recognizes, respects, and addresses the importance of time in effective and efficient
communication by providing documents written in specific formats, using unambiguous language
to send clearly assessable information. The reader in turn thoroughly understands the
information in order to give a thoughtful response.
Why is Technical Writing Important?

Technical writing will be used by most college graduates as a regular part of their work.
It is much more likely that you will use technical writing than either academic or creative writing
unless you specifically enter those fields. A few examples of why you will likely need these skills
include: getting a job – preparing a resume or curriculum vitae, cover letter, application, and
portfolio; doing your job – preparing memos, letters, reports, instructions, case reports, reviews,
assignments, descriptions, etc.; and keeping your job – communicating with management, co-
workers, peers, patients/students/public.
Formatting and Language

Formatting and appropriate language are the basic design elements of all technical
documents. A format that shows a hierarchical structure and a coordinate structure of
information leads the reader through text. Using appropriate language is significant in providing
the reader with a thorough understanding of the purpose of the documents, how the document
relates to the reader’s needs, and what action is expected of the reader.
Principles to Guide Technical Writing

1. Remember your purpose (to inform or persuade),
2. Remember your audience (their concerns, background, attitude toward your purpose),
3. Make your content specific to its purpose and audience,
4. Write clearly and precisely (active voice, appropriate language to audience), ...
Discussion:
1. Discuss why you have to study this subject.
2. Explain its relevance to your course.
Pasig Campus
MODULE 2
WEEK 2 – Purposes and Properties of Technical Writing

Technical Writing vs Creative Writing
OBJECTIVES:
1. Distinguish the purposes and properties of technical writing; and
2. Compare technical writing with creative writing.
Purpose of Technical Writing
The main purpose of technical writing is to provide complex information to readers in a way
that they can understand and apply, even if they don't have prior knowledge of the
topic. Technical writing explains how a particular object works or how to complete a task or
project. Purposes include the following: to inform, to instruct, reference and to persuade.
Properties of Technical Writing

1. Accuracy
One of the essential characteristics of technical writing is maintaining accuracy. If you are
writing a review of a newly launched Nokia mobile phone and you miss on one important detail,
this will convey the customers that there is nothing special about this product and they would
buy another mobile phone instead. Technical writing requires that the information you provide
is based on accuracy and quality content.
2. Clarity
Write the technical document in a layman’s tone so that the customers who are not really
techie fans are also able to understand what the product is all about. Try cutting down on the
use of jargons because again, this is going to confuse the customers. Keep your language and
expression simple and meaningful. Use of complicated words may put the readers in a quandary.
3. Descriptiveness
Be as descriptive in distinguishing the technical product as you can. More than half of the
customers come from a non-technical background and they need to have sufficient details
otherwise they will not be able to picture the product correctly.
If you are creating a manual for an electronic product which explains how to operate it,
make sure you cover every aspect of its functioning.
4. Correctness
Technical writing requires that you use correct grammar and sentence structure. Write
down the key features in the form of headings, sub headings or bullet points as this will make the
manual easy for the customers to read.
What separates technical communication from other forms of writing?
Technical communication has a specific audience and is purposeful, usually intended to
solve a problem for that audience. One area that really sets technical communication apart is that
it is quite often collaborative. Technical communication is also focused on readability issues, not
only the use of clear writing, but also page design and graphics. The excellence of technical writing
is judged by clarity, accuracy, comprehensiveness, accessibility, conciseness, professional
appearance, and correctness.
There are seven principles to guide technical writing: 1. remember your purpose (to inform
or persuade), 2. remember your audience (their concerns, background, attitude toward your
purpose), 3. make your content specific to its purpose and audience, 4. write clearly and 5.
precisely (active voice, appropriate language to audience), 6. make good use of visuals (good page
design and graphics), and 7. be ethical (truthful, full disclosure, no plagiarizing).
Technical communication serves both explicit, or clear, and implicit, or implied, purposes.
Explicit purposes include to provide information, to provide instructions, to persuade the reader
to act upon the information, or to enact or prohibit something. Implicit purposes include
establishing a relationship, creating trust, establishing credibility, and documenting actions. Most
technical communications are based on a problem statement which gives your document a clearly
stated objective for your benefit as well as your reader’s.
The problem statement defines the problem, by doing more than simply stating your
topic, it goes on to explain what about that topic is at issue. For example, if your topic is career
guidance then your problem could be the fact that many adults need help identifying a career that
suits their strengths and abilities and the solution that your document will present is to create a
comprehensive clearing house that helps people identify career paths through military, vocational
training, and higher education.
The elements of technical writing are: 1. product, 2. developers, 3. audience, 4. tasks, 5.

deliverables, 6. environment, and 7. schedule. Together, they comprise everything important
that a technical writer needs to be concerned about.
Academic Writing versus Technical Writing

The definite purpose, strict format and use of appropriate language in technical writing
define the differences between technical writing and academic writing. The academic writer
purpose may be to write an assignment, a story, a letter, etc.. These works may or may not have
a reader. However, technical writing always has a definite purpose and will always have a
reader. Regardless of the number of the intended readers of a document who may or may not
read the document, the document will be read by the primary reader.
Uses of Technical Writing

Technical writing is commonly used to create brochures, newsletters, instruction manuals
on how to use a specific electronic/chemical product, product descriptions and various marketing
and promotional materials Hence it broadly falls into the category and advertising and marketing
copywriting.
Technical writing is totally different from essay and creative writing. It is a misconception
that technical writing is too stiff and mechanical. However, there are a few basic characteristics
of technical writing, which you must understand before making your mind to create technical
write ups.
Types of Technical Writing

Technical writing can be broadly divided into the following kinds:
1. Legal
2. Medical
3. Scientific
4. Mechanical
5. Business
6. Expository
The subject and purpose in Technical Writing and Creative Writing differ in that Technical
Writing is always nonfiction, with the purpose of educating or instructing, while Creative
Writing can be fiction, nonfiction, or a combination of both, and can serve any purpose.
Discussion:
1.Discuss which of the two types of writing (technical and creative writing) is more tedious and
explain why.
2. If you were to rank the seven principles of technical writing how would you arrange them
and why?
Pasig Campus
Modules in Technical Communication
MODULE 3
WEEK 3 – Relevant Laws and Principles of Ethical Communication

Do’s and Don’ts of Technical Writing
OBJECTIVES:
1. Identify the proper ethical practices; and
2. Distinguish the Do’s and Don’ts of technical writing.
Ethics
Technical writers have a responsibility to their readers and to their employers to follow
ethics when writing reports. Technical writers must use words that demonstrate valid appeals
to reason, avoiding emotional words and phrases that appeal to basic emotion instead of
justifiable reasoning. In addition, technical writers must use valid references to support ideas
and strategies, avoiding referencing non experts to sway readers’ support. Also, technical writers
must use accurate numbers to report data, avoiding charts and tables that skew data. Using any
type of fallacies in technical writing is unethical and could result in dire consequences.
Not only do technical writers have a responsibility to report accurate information, they
also have a responsibility to credit accurate sources of information. At no time is it acceptable
to rearrange information in order to attempt to indicate that the writer is the source of someone
else’s idea or to indicate that the writer read a report that included information he/she cited,
when the primary source of the information was cited in another report. All sources must be
referenced accurately in the text and cited on a reference page.
Principles of Ethical Communication 

Advocate truthfulness, accuracy, honesty, and reason as essential to the integrity
of communication.  Endorse freedom of expression, diversity of perspective, and tolerance of
dissent to achieve the informed and responsible decision making fundamental to a civil society.
Ethical communication is a type of communication that is predicated upon certain

business values, such as being truthful, concise, and responsible with one’s words and the
resulting actions. As a set of principles, ethical communication understands that one’s thoughts
must be conveyed and expressed effectively and concisely, and that the resulting actions or
consequences will [potentially] be based solely on how the message was communicated. Thus,
ethical communication defines a framework or set of acceptable communication principles that
align with an enterprise’s overarching code of conduct or code of ethics.
The main principle of ethical communication is honesty, as other factors stem from this
core value of presenting information in the most reliable and factual way possible. Any attempt
to mislead or present confusing information is not ethical communication. Additionally, the
“honesty” principle of ethical communication is linked inexorably to other core principles -
consistency and responsibility. This entails that information presented to different parties be
consistent, and that short-term and long-term consequences of honest communication are to be
accepted as one’s responsibility.
Ethical communication also assumes that communicated information is always presented

(and received by the listener) according to one’s subjective perception, even if only in the most
minimal way, and thus, the goal of ethical communication is to be as objective as possible when
communicating with others and to ensure that every recipient receives the same message.
Openness and Transparency

Truthfulness & honesty is the most core principle of ethical communication. This means
that speaking 99 percent of the truth in a matter - while leaving out one percent of the facts - is
not ethical communication, as omitting any detail (intentionally) changes the way that a listener
will perceive an event. Thus, being 100 percent open and transparent, and hiding nothing, is key
in order for all business relationships - whether within a business between its members, or with
business and their partners, or even customers - to succeed in the short term and long term.
Being honest is linked to one’s personal and professional trustworthiness and integrity. In
a perfect world, all members of an organization would have a positive reputation of honesty,
such that listeners never doubt that what they are saying is 100 percent true. Within an
organization - and between businesses - this type of honest communication can be the difference
between a project being completed successfully or not. For instance, utilizing ethical
communication, to be honest about the time and/or budget constraints during a board meeting
with primary stakeholders can be the difference between the project meeting its goals, or failing
due to misunderstandings and/or miscommunication. Thus, one of the primary goals of ethical
communication is to prevent any misunderstandings or instances of miscommunication.
Consideration for Any Potential Roadblocks

When communicating with another party, truly ethical communication entails
considering any potential factor that may influence how the recipient understands - or receives
- the information that is being communicated. If there are any known roadblocks, then ethical
communication principles dictate that the speaker/communicator utilize whatever means
possible to mitigate or weaken the roadblocks and ensure that the recipients of the information
are able to fully understand what is being communicated.
Language Use
Obviously, ethical communication dictates that speakers utilize the language that
listeners understand. It would make little sense to present a business presentation in English to
a non-English speaking Chinese audience. Taking this example further, it would also be unethical
to communicate the information mostly in Chinese, with a certain section in English, presenting
only parts of the data to the Chinese audience.
Jargon
Every industry has its own jargon. When speaking to a layperson, it is ethical to speak with
simple, easy-to-understand words, while avoiding the use of heavy jargon, resulting in portions
of the presentation/communication being incomprehensible to a portion of the audience.
Language Fluency
Ethical communication takes into account the level of fluency as well as the language
spoken by listeners so that recipients of the communication (whether it be spoken or written)
are able to fully understand what is being communicated.
Accessibility to Technology
In this information and digital age, some take accessibility to advanced technology for
granted. For instance, while smartphones are readily available, and translation apps are
abundant, not everyone is able to access such applications or platforms. If a business wanted to
present certain pieces of information to an audience while expecting the audience to translate it
into their native language via an application, there may be confusion. Thus, the ability to access
certain technology - and the know-how on how to use certain applications - may be a roadblock
when it comes to ethically communicating to a particular audience.
Development of Relationship
The art of communication allows people to express themselves in order to develop
relationships. In business, this can be an employee dealing with a manager, executives
communicating with stakeholders, or managers talking with other business representatives. It is
critical for there to be no confusion or misunderstandings when businesses try to develop
relationships within themselves and with other business entities or clients/customers. To
accomplish this, ethical communication principles must be followed, ensuring that all parties
can receive the consistent truth, and understand what needs to be done, and how it needs to be
done.
Principles of Ethical Communication

There are a myriad of core principles associated with ethical communication, starting with
the core value of honesty that all other values are connected to. However, it can be said that
there is a value underlying honesty (with regard to ethical communication) and that is emotional
intelligence/empathy as the precursor of all soft skills, which allows all personnel to be
understood, and to effectively communicate with others. Emotional intelligence, within the
framework of ethical communication, allows one to understand the needs of others, and meet
those needs in the most efficient manner possible as if you were in their shoes.
1. Be Truthful and Honest

Being honest means communicating what is known to be true (only 100 percent the facts)
to a listener, with no intent to deceive or present only parts of the truth. It also means being as
objective as possible, that is, not tailoring the story based on what the speaker wants the listener
to believe. Letting the listener take the data that is objectively presented and believe what they
choose to believe is a core goal of ethical communication. Ethical communication should be
based on accurate information and facts - in a word, do not lie.
2. Active Listening
Hearing someone and listening to them are two different things. In order for ethical
communication to be effective, it is necessary for the recipient to pro-actively listen to the
speaker, and to not just hear what they want to hear, or to hear only parts of the conversation.
This also means asking questions when any point is not completely understood, for the sake of
clarification.
3. Speak Non-Judgmentally
Ethically and concisely communicating means speaking in a non-judgmental manner with
every recipient, negating unnecessary conflict, which typically creates a breakdown in
communication and causes misunderstandings. Unnecessary conflict is never good for any
business, and such conflicts usually result from unethical communications, with judgmental,
accusatory, and overly-critical comments often being the catalyst for such breakdowns in
communication.
4. Speak from Your Own Experience

Bringing your personal experience into a dialogue with business listeners is important,
providing backup for your arguments with something more tangible. Such a communication
method (experiential communication) paints a complete picture for your audience and helps to
prove your points so that the listeners have a better understanding of what is being said.
5. Consider the Receiver’s Preferred Communication Channel

You risk losing an audience if you use a communication channel that is not preferred by
your intended receiver. To effectively communicate with your listeners, use the most preferred
communication channel, whether that be face-to-face, email, conference call, phone call,
messenger app, etc. Also, when presenting data to a business audience, be aware of the
preferred method of presentation for that business, whether it be graphs, slides, PowerPoint
presentations, etc. Additionally, since body language is very important, it is often preferred to
meet business clients face-to-face.
6. Strive to Understand
While it is important to be proactive in listening, it is important for listeners to also strive
to fully understand what is being said before responding. While asking for clarification or
confirmation of a point is fine, many times questions that listeners pose have already been
answered. Listeners should think about what has been said before constructing a reply. Reading
“in between the lines” is also an important skill that allows for understanding what isn’t said,
but was implicitly said or implied.
7. Avoid A Negative Tone

Ethically communicating assumes the speaker will avoid rudeness, be polite and
professional, and have tact. The ethical communicator knows that it’s not only important what
you say, but how you say it. Tone is one of the most critical facets of communication. A listener
may miss the meaning altogether if the tone is wrong, which can lead to unnecessary
confrontations that decrease business productivity.
Controlling one’s tone goes along with self-control, a soft skill that allows one to know
how they wish to reply to a terse business message (for instance) versus the most effective
manner for replying. Essentially, keeping the tone positive or neutral is best, as the tone of a
written message - or of one’s voice - is always picked up by the receiver, and can alter how the
message is received and/or understood.
Additionally, while it is acceptable to be honest and open, tact - and professional
maturity - means knowing when it is inappropriate to speak up, and when it is crucial to. Tact
also means knowing that being completely honest does not equate with being rude or negative
- it is possible to be completely honest and open with one’s thoughts and feelings while still
remaining polite and respectful.
8. Do Not Interrupt Others

Allowing others to speak is important for the creation of a civil, effective working
environment. Interrupting others results in misunderstandings and unnecessary conflicts and a
breakdown in workplace communications, which only hinders corporate progress and creates
problems. Interrupting others not only shows a lack of respect, but does not allow the listener to
fully grasp what is being said, which often results in incorrect assumptions being made.
9. Respect Privacy and Confidentiality

Most businesses should include a clause in their code of ethics defining what is
appropriate when it comes to honoring client and employee confidentiality and privacy. This can
have a wide range of implications, including minimizing workplace gossip, and mitigating toxic
conversations about the private lives of clients and/or personnel.
10. Accept Responsibility

As noted before, a core tenant within any ethical communication framework is taking
responsibility for the actions that result from one’s words, whether it be good or bad. This
includes both short term and long-term consequences of one’s communications. Owning one’s
words reinforces the importance of being conscientious about ethical communication.
Example of Ethical Communication

There are a myriad of examples of how ethical communication can change the outcome
of a problem in a business or workplace environment, revealing why ethical communication
principles should be followed:
Medical industry: In the medical industry, not only is there the key HIPAA regulation, but
there are numerous medical codes of ethics that medical professionals have to follow, with
regard to their actions, conduct, and communications. These principles ensure that all patients
and fellow medical professionals have their rights protected. For instance, doctors are required
by law to not divulge private information about patients to anyone whom the patient has not
consented to be privy to such private info.
Property Consulting industry: Ethical communications in the property consulting industry
can take several forms, including revealing key pieces of information to would-be home owners
of a property, including “negative” truths about the property - for example, divulging the entire
history of the property, including any accidents or crimes that happened in the property.
Marketing industry: Ethical communications in the marketing industry can include

revealing to clients that their business marketing applications are not optimal, and that a
cheaper vendor, or a different form of marketing, will yield better results. Virtually every
industry can benefit from ethical communication principles, which always seeks to ensure that
every enterprise member is able to present valuable pieces of information so that the best
decisions can be made.
Ethical Communication in an Organization. In business organizations, communicating

concisely, ethically, and appropriately are all necessary so a business can operate effectively and
efficiently. Operating according to a communication-based code of ethics is important for both
small- and large-scale person-to-person conversations. For larger audiences it is often important
for business members to employ additional values to their communication principles, such as:
Choosing the right place/time: Speaking about a particular topic in a business often
requires choosing the most pertinent and appropriate time and place in order for the message
to be most effective. This requires knowing the recipients and having tact, along with utilizing
strategy and planning.
Knowing one’s Audience: Certain audiences may prefer different verbiage or jargon, or
may prefer one communication channel over another. Being an effective communicator means
knowing your audience in order to communicate in the way that he/she will understand the best.
Business communication requires ethical values to form the foundation of all of its relationships,
which ensures that all enterprise workflows, short term projects, and long-term projects are
effectively managed and carried out. Any lapse in efficient and ethical communication can
result in misunderstandings, conflicts, delays with projects, and the creation of an ineffective
working environment.
Do’s:
1. First of all, know your audience well and refer to a prescribed standard of style. Pre-write
the content to understand the flow and gaps of knowledge at your end. Display a good readability
in your content. Make use of active verbs to convey the clear sets of steps or processes. Use
possessive form of words.
2. Make use of clear, unambiguous words whose meaning you are sure of. Avoid use of
unnecessary prepositional phrases. Reduce the number of adjectives and adverbs altogether.
3. If you are discussing different subjects in your text, setup a smooth transition between
any two topics. Find the connecting thread in between the two chapters and maintain a flow
for better comprehension.
4. If using tables, list or figures, be sure of the validity of the given data. Present the data
in a table or a list in a parallel structure. Provide captions to address the information within a
table or figure with its corresponding text.
5. Give a thorough review to the entire content and re-write the portion you think, can be
presented better. Look for mistakes, typos, breaks in logic, ambiguity – anything that detracts
from a clear report that is easy to read.
And here are the Don’ts:

1. Do not use abbreviations unless specified to do so. Do not apply contractions or any
gender specific pronouns. Don’t use intensifier to convey strength of an action or a property of
a subject.
2. Don’t use filler words such as redundant pairs, modifiers or similar categories. Do not
use long noun strings in order to modify the last noun of a sentence.
3. Do not apply ‘Metadiscourse’ and avoid your personality spilling into the content. Do not
address the reader directly unless you are creating a user manual of some kind. Do not repeat
the obvious conclusion of an action.
4. Do not assume anything about the process or product in hand. Do not make your report
humorous. What is amusing to you may be offensive or inexplicable to your reader.
5. Do not rush to send the content for further processing without glossing over the content
for accuracy and coherency.
Follow these do’s and don’ts meticulously, to ensure quality work on all your projects.
1. Don't assume you know something – clarify and confirm your knowledge.
2. Don't be afraid of technology. ...
3. Don't speak two different languages in one sentence, especially if English is one of
them!
4. Don't use gender-specific or gender-biased terms.
5. Don't write without first defining a scope.
Discussion:
1. Which of the ethical practices are mostly violated in the workplace and why?
2. Discuss ethics that should be followed in the course you enrolled in.
Pasig Campus
MODULE 4
WEEK 4 – The Writing Process: Pre-Writing, Writing, and Re-writing Stage
OBJECTIVES:
1. Write an essay following the writing process; and
2. Apply the different expository techniques.
Steps of the Writing Process

Step 1: Prewriting. think and decide. make sure you understand your assignment. ...
Step 2: Research (if needed) search. list places where you can find information. ...
Step 3: Drafting. write. ...
Step 4: Revising. make it better. ...
Step 5: Editing
.
Step 1: Prewriting
Before you start writing, you need to decide exactly what you’ll write about and do the
necessary research.
Coming up with a topic

If you have to come up with your own topic for an assignment, think of what you’ve
covered in class—is there a particular area that intrigued, interested, or even confused you?
Topics that left you with additional questions are perfect, as these are questions you can explore
in your writing.
The scope of your topics depends on what type of text you’re writing—for example,
an essay, a research paper or a dissertation. Don’t pick anything too ambitious to cover within
the word count, or too limited for you to find much to say. Narrow down your idea to a specific
argument or question. For example, an appropriate topic for an essay might be narrowed down
like this: Narrowing down a topic 19th-century literature, novels in the romantic period, the
novels of Jane Austen, the theme of theater in Mansfield Park.
Doing the research

Once you know your topic, it’s time to search for relevant sources and gather the
information you need. This process varies according to your field of study and the scope of the
assignment. It might involve:
• Searching for primary and secondary sources.
• Reading the relevant texts closely (e.g. for literary analysis).
• Collecting data using relevant research methods (e.g. experiments, interviews or surveys)
From a writing perspective, the important thing is to take plenty of notes while you do
the research. Keep track of the titles, authors, publication dates, and relevant quotations from
your sources; the data you gathered; and your initial analysis or interpretation of the questions
you’re addressing.
Step 2: Planning and outlining

Especially in academic writing, it’s important to use a logical structure to convey
information effectively. It’s far better to plan this out in advance than to try to work out your
structure once you’ve already begun writing. Creating an essay outline is a useful way to plan out
your structure before you start writing. This should help you work out the main ideas you want
to focus on and how you’ll organize them. The outline doesn’t have to be final—it’s okay if your
structure changes throughout the writing process. Use bullet points or numbering to make your
structure clear at a glance. Even for a short text that won’t use headings, it’s useful to summarize
what you’ll discuss in each paragraph. An outline for a literary analysis essay might look
something like this:
Step 3: Writing a first draft

Once you have a clear idea of your structure, it’s time to produce a full first draft.
This process can be quite non-linear. For example, it’s reasonable to begin writing with the main
body of the text, saving the introduction for later once you have a clearer idea of the text you’re
introducing.
To give structure to your writing, use your outline as a framework. Make sure that
each paragraph has a clear central focus that relates to your overall argument.
Hover over the parts of the example, from a literary analysis essay on Mansfield Park, to see how
a paragraph is constructed.
When you move onto a different topic, start a new paragraph. Use appropriate transition
words and phrases to show the connections between your ideas. The goal at this stage is to get
a draft completed, not to make everything perfect as you go along. Once you have a full draft in
front of you, you’ll have a clearer idea of where improvement is needed. Give yourself a first draft
deadline that leaves you a reasonable length of time to revise, edit, and proofread before the
final deadline. For a longer text like a dissertation, you and your supervisor might agree on
deadlines for individual chapters.
Step 4: Redrafting and revising

Now it’s time to look critically at your first draft and find potential areas for improvement.
Redrafting means substantially adding or removing content, while revising involves making
changes to structure and reformulating arguments.
Evaluating the first draft

It can be difficult to look objectively at your own writing. Your perspective might be
positively or negatively biased—especially if you try to assess your work shortly after finishing it.
It’s best to leave your work alone for at least a day or two after completing the first draft. Come
back after a break to evaluate it with fresh eyes; you’ll spot things you wouldn’t have otherwise.
When evaluating your writing at this stage, you’re mainly looking for larger issues such as
changes to your arguments or structure. Starting with bigger concerns saves you time—there’s
no point perfecting the grammar of something you end up cutting out anyway.
Right now, you’re looking for:
• Arguments that are unclear or illogical.
• Areas where information would be better presented in a different order.
• Passages where additional information or explanation is needed.
• Passages that are irrelevant to your overall argument.
Redrafting and revising

Once you’ve decided where changes are needed, make the big changes first, as these are
likely to have knock-on effects on the rest. Depending on what your text needs, this step might
involve:
• Making changes to your overall argument.
• Reordering the text.
• Cutting parts of the text.
• Adding new text.
• You can go back and forth between writing, redrafting and revising several times until you
have a final draft that you’re happy with.
• Think about what changes you can realistically accomplish in the time you have. If you are
running low on time, you don’t want to leave your text in a messy state halfway through
redrafting, so make sure to prioritize the most important changes.
Step 5: Editing and proofreading

Editing focuses on local concerns like clarity and sentence
structure. Proofreading involves reading the text closely to remove typos and ensure stylistic
consistency.
Editing for grammar and clarity

When editing, you want to ensure your text is clear, concise, and grammatically correct.
You’re looking out for grammatical errors.
Proofreading for stylistic consistency

There are several issues in academic writing where you can choose between multiple
different standards. For example:
• Whether you use the serial comma.
• Whether you use American or British spellings and punctuation.
• Where you use numerals vs. words for numbers.
• How you capitalize your titles and headings.
Unless you’re given specific guidance on these issues, it’s your choice which standards
you follow. The important thing is to consistently follow one standard for each issue. For
example, don’t use a mixture of American and British spellings in your paper.
Additionally, you will probably be provided with specific guidelines for issues related to format
(how your text is presented on the page) and citations (how you acknowledge your sources).
Always follow these instructions carefully.
Frequently asked questions about the writing process

What’s the difference between revising, proofreading, and editing?
How can I get better at proofreading?
How can I edit a paper that is over the word limit?
Expository Techniques in Technical Writing

1. Description.
2. Sequence.
3. Comparison.
4. Cause-Effect.
5. Problem-Solution
Five of the most common types of expository writing are descriptive essays,
process essays, comparison essays, cause/effect essays and problem/solution essays.
The purpose of expository writing differs from creative writing or persuasive writing.
The purpose is merely to inform-to provide information.
Five elements of expository writing

1. Organization.
2. Topic Sentence, Thesis Statement, and Subtopics.
3. Transitions.
4. Evidence and Examples.
5. Conclusion
The concluding paragraph of an expository essay is an author's last chance to create a good
impression.
Conclusion Paragraph
1. Begin with a topic sentence that reflects the argument of the thesis statement.
2. Briefly summarize the main points of the paper.
3. Provide a strong and effective close for the paper.
Expository Essay
The introductory paragraph contains the thesis or main idea. The next three paragraphs,
or body of the essay, provide details in support of the thesis. The concluding paragraph restates
the main idea and ties together the major points of essay.
Discussion:
1. Write an expository essay on any of the following:
Description, Sequence, Comparison, Cause-Effect, Problem-Solution
Pasig Campus
MODULE 5
WEEK 5 – Communication in Business and Organization

Personal vs. Business Letters
Objectives:
1. Demonstrate how communication works in business and organization; and
2. Differentiate personal from business letters.
Business communication is the process of sharing information between employees within

and outside a company. Effective business communication is how employees and management
interact among each other to reach organizational goals and be more aligned with the core
What Is Business Communication?

Business communications the process of sharing information between employees within
and outside a company. Effective business communication is how employees and management
interact among each other to reach organizational goals and be more aligned with the core
company values. Its main purpose is to improve organizational practices, eliminate silos, keep
employees informed and reduce errors. Effective business communication is essential for
success and growth of every organization. Unlike everyday communications, business
communication is always goal oriented. Yet, data shows that 60% of internal
communications do not measure internal communications.
What Are the Different Types of Business Communication?

There are 4 main types of business communications.
1. Internal upward communication
Internal upward business communication is communication that comes from a
subordinate to a manager or an individual up the organizational hierarchy. Every leader should
enable information to flow upwards in order to have a true understanding of the company’s
operations. Internal upward communications usually include surveys, feedback, forms and
reports that employees deliver to their managers or team leaders. For example, a marketing
report may include statistics such as total website visitors, social media engagement or total leads
generated.
2. Internal downward communication

Internal downward communication flows from a superior to one or more subordinates.
This type of communication might be in the form of a letter, a memo or a verbal directive.
When communicating with employees, leaders should keep communication professional and
clear. An example of this type of communication may include a memo regarding a new company
operations procedure such as safety requirements and new regulations.
3. Internal lateral communication

Internal lateral business communication happens among employees in the workplace.
Today, there are many different ways employees can communicate: chats, messaging, email,
employee’s communication software solutions. This type of communication can be within or
among departments and it happens more regularly than other types of business communication.
Moreover, frequent communication among employees play a crucial role for employee
engagement and productivity.
4. External communication
External business communication is any communication that happens with external
parties such as customers, prospects, vendors or partners. Unlike all the internal business
communications types, external communications happen on a less regular basis.
11 Reasons Why Effective Business Communication is so Powerful

1. Improves employee engagement
Ragan’s research on employee engagement shows that leadership communication is the
top internal communication factor that statistically correlates to how engaged employees are.
Internal communication teams have a significant role in supporting, coaching and reminding
leaders of communication’s importance.
To understand the importance of employee engagement, here are a few useful stats.
2. Eliminates email overload
Within companies, email is used for everything from information requests, employee
communications and feedback, status reports, task assignments, communications with
customers and suppliers, meeting invites, document distribution, notices from HR on various
team activities, benefits and birthday wishes. Radicati reported that the average corporate
worker spends 25% of the workday on various email-related tasks. However, only a small
fraction of the emails that hit our inbox deserves our immediate attention. not relevant to us at
all. Internal business communications that use modern tools for employee engagement and
communications have eliminated this problem of email overload.
3. Eliminates communication silos
Too much irrelevant content often results in information silos. Meaning, information that
is actually important to an employee can easily get lost. Ask yourself why information gets lost in
the organization. Proper internal business communications and the use of the right
communications tools is crucial for eliminating this challenge.
4. Increases employee productivity
Four in five employees believe that effective internal business communications help their
job performance. With the information overload, employees often spend too much information
searching for content that they need to do their job. Moreover, an average employee spends 2.5
hours every day searching for information needed. Monthly, this results in the entire week of
internal business communications improve employee productivity.
5. Improves interdepartmental communications
Without a proper communications strategy, it is very hard to keep an effective
interdepartmental communication within companies. In order for employees to be more
productive, they need to be able to communicate and collaborate easily. For example, your
research department needs to be on the same page as your marketing team, and your business
office has to be in sync with the IT department .
6. Improves communication with remote workers
Remote teams are the future of work. The Global Mobile Workforce Forecast Update has
estimated that over 40% of the world’s working population will be mobile by 2022. Moreover,
in developed countries such as the US, the figures could soon reach 75%. This means a new kind
of communications, leadership and management approach is required. Coordinating across time
zones, information silos and overcoming language and cultural barriers are just a few
communication challenges remote teams face. In addition, distance often makes it harder for
team members to feel like a team. Better internal business communications can have a significant
positive impact on how remote teams collaborate and feel.
7. Reduces employee turnover
Companies with more engaged and satisfied employees enjoy much lower turnover
rates. In order to attract and keep Millennials and younger generations in the workplace,
employers have to make sure to keep their employees informed about what’s relevant to their
jobs. On the other side, too much irrelevant information often leads to stress, disengagement,
frustration and, with that, lower employee retention.
8. Improves knowledge sharing efforts
One of the main goals companies are trying to achieve by investing in internal
communications is to improve knowledge sharing best practices. In the world where employees
are constantly growing and learning new things, employers need to enable easy knowledge
sharing within their organizations. Without a well set internal business communications strategy,
knowledge sharing and organizational knowledge suffer.
9. Increases employee advocacy
When employers know how to communicate with their employees effectively, they are
much more successful in turning their employees into brand ambassadors. Brand
ambassadorship is not so hard to achieve as many companies believe. In fact, happy employees
would love to contribute in brand ambassadorship programs.
There are 4 main ways how brand ambassadorship and employee advocacy can help company's
operations:
• Increase brand awareness
• Improve employer brand and attract high-quality candidates
• Boost marketing efforts
• Increase sales
10. Improves customer satisfaction and retention

Better business communication also means better customer satisfaction. If there’s poor
communication within an organization, two things happen when it comes to customer service
and satisfaction. First, employees in customer-facing roles won’t have the information they
need. Second, customers will sense the low employee morale and have a negative experience.
In fact, one study found that employee attitude has a significant impact on customer
satisfaction, which then results in an increase in revenue.
11. Builds a better company culture
Finally, a proper business communications strategy is crucial for building a better
company culture and workplace environment. Companies that communicate in a transparent
and open way have much healthier work atmosphere, employee motivation and satisfaction.
On the other side, organizations that neglect business communications as a mean for improving
the workplace culture, suffer from low engagement, high turnover rates and low employee and
customer satisfaction rates.
Discussion:
1. Explain why effective communication is important in an organization.
2. What are the pros and cons if there is a flaw in communication?
3. How does communication work in business and organization?
Pasig Campus
MODULE 6
WEEK 6 – Characteristics and Elements of Business Letters

Objectives:
1. Evaluate and explain the characteristics and elements of business letter.
The elements of a business letter are:

1. The Heading.
2. The Date.
3. The Inside Address.
4. The Salutation.
5. The Body.
6. The Complimentary Close.
7. An Additional Notation Section Often Follows the Close.
Top 15 Characteristics of an Effective Business Letter

1. Simplicity. A business letter should be simple. It should be written in a lucid (easy)
language so that it is clear to the receiver. The language can be similar to that of social letters as
long as formality is maintained. The letter should make an instant appeal to the reader.
2. Conversational style. An effective letter is one that gives an impression of face to face
communication. Letters are the written media by which sender of the message speaks to the
receiver. Hence a letter should be written in a conversational style. Conversational style is
interactive in nature and is more or less informal.
3. Clarity of goal. The writer should be clear about what he wishes to convey. He should
keep all the facts and figures of the information handy. The letter should be written in such a way
that it reflects the goal clearly and easily. There must not be any ambiguity.
4. Public relation. Business letters reflect the image of the organization. All business letters
should therefore be drafted keeping in mind the objective of enhancing the organizations
goodwill, image and public relations.
5. The ‘You’ attitude. The business letters should be written keeping in mind the reader’s
point of view. It should be able to convey the sender’s interest in the reader. For this the ‘You’
attitude should be adopted. The T’s and ‘We’s’ should be avoided and more of ‘You’s’ should be
included. This will show the sender’s interest in the reader.
6. Courteous. The business letter should be courteous. Courtesy implies that the letter seeks
favor politely and expresses gratitude profusely for the favors done. Thus, the language of the
letter should be polite and appealing. When the ‘You’ attitude is adopted, automatically the letter
becomes polite and appealing.
7. Persuading. The basic idea behind every business correspondence is to persuade the
reader be it a sales letter, letter of enquiry or letter of complaint. Thus, to persuade the reader
in an effective way the piece of correspondence should be well written. So as to persuade the
reader in one’s favor.
8. Sincere. The business letters should be sincere. This means that the letter should be
written in such a way that the readers believe what the letter says. It should not hide reality. It
should also be free from hypocrisy making tall claims. The matter should be stated erectly and
genuinely.
9. Positive language. The words of the letter should be chosen with care. As far as possible
the language of the piece of letter should be positive. The use of negative words should be
avoided as it gives an impression of negative outlook and approach.
10. Due emphasis. Proper emphasis should be put on the content of the piece of
correspondence. This requires logical thinking on the part of the writer. The writer should himself
be clear in his mind what he wants to convey. Only then he can emphasis properly. Proper
emphasis is to be given according to the message Conveyed. Proper punctuation aids to this. It
should also be noted that short sentences are better than long sentences.
11. Coherence. The information present in the letter should be arranged in a logical
way. This is done by using carefully the linking devices, pronouns, and reputing the key words.
Unless arranged in a logical way the information will lose its meaning and thus the objectivity of
the correspondence will be lost.
12. Care for culture. All business correspondence seeks to be written keeping in mind
the reader’s point of view. As such no words should be used which offends the cultural
background of the reader? The best way is to avoid use of culturally derived words, slangs,
colloquialisms etc. Harmless and in offensive words should be used.
13. Tactful approach. The writer should adopt a tactful approach while writing a
business letter. It can be a direct approach letter, an indirect approach letter or a middle
approach letter depending on the message to be conveyed. Generally good news is conveyed
directly where as bad news or a complaint adopts indirect or middle approach.
14. Ethical standard. A business letter reflects the image of an organization.

Therefore, all business correspondence should maintain certain ethical standard. Although
business correspondence should be persuasive and tactful, without ethics they will be fruitless.
It may pay in short run but it will not reap harvest in long run.
15. Brief but complete. Brevity is the soul of correspondence. In short, the receiver must
know what the sender wants to transmit. But briefness does not mean incomplete. An
incomplete letter does not fulfill its objectives. All necessary matter should be incorporated in
the letter. Thus, the quality of brevity and completeness should be there in business letter.
Other Characteristics
1. Simplicity. A business letter should be simple.
2. Conversational style. An effective letter is one that gives an impression of face to
face communication.
3. Clarity of goal. The writer should be clear about what he wishes to convey.
4. Public relation
Discussion:
1. Explain the characteristics and elements of business letter.
Pasig Campus
MODULE 7
WEEK 7 – Basic and Optional Parts of a Business Letter

Objectives:
1. Compose basic and optional parts of a business letter.
Optional Elements for Business Letters

1. Attention line. If your letter is addressed to a company, you may include an attention line to
indicate the intended recipient of your letter (e.g., CEO, chief financial officer, marketing
director). ...
Subject or reference line. ...
Typist's initials. ...
Enclosures. ...
Courtesy copies.
What Are the Seven Basic Parts of a Business Letter?

Experts generally agree that there are seven basic parts in a business letter:
1. Sender’s address. Optimally, you want to have printed company letterhead. Letterhead,
similar to having a company website, conveys that your business is legit. But even if the address
is simply typed at the top, including your address plays a practical purpose, because you don’t
want the recipient to have to look up your address in order to send a response.
2. Date. Whoever receives the letter needs to know when the letter was written. It’s best to use
a standard format. (Here’s an example: September 20, 2020.)
3. Recipient’s address. Include the recipient’s address so that you have the information readily
available for printing out the envelope. A full recipient address also helps ensure the letter
doesn’t get lost in the office shuffle wherever you are sending it. The first line should be the
name, including any honorifics such as Mr., Ms., Dr., etc. The second line is the recipient’s job
title. Their company’s name goes on the third line. The remaining lines include street address,
city, state, and ZIP code.
4. Salutation. A “To whom it may concern” or “Dear Sir or Madam” is a good way to ensure that
your letter goes nowhere. Find out the name of the person who should receive the letter, even
if you have to do some searching on Google or LinkedIn, or call the company.
5. Body. Time is money in the business world, so get down to business and quickly make your
case or communicate your message. Stay professional, be clear and concise, and quickly convey
the point of the letter.
6. Closing/signature. Stick with a more formal closing such as “Sincerely” or “Thank you.” You
should only capitalize the first word of the closing. Remember to follow the closing with four
lines of space in order to make room for your signature, which demonstrates your personal
stamp of approval of the letter’s contents.
7. Enclosures. If there are additional items to enclose with the letter, it’s best to list them, so that
the recipient remembers what was included with the letter. Include enclosures three lines
below your signature or one line below the typist’s initials. Use this style if, for example, you
want to indicate that there are two enclosures: Enclosures (2). If you want to list each separate
item, use this style: Encl: product brochures (2), product photos.
Essential Parts of a Business Letter

Out of all of the parts in a business letter, there are two things about how to write a
business letter that can make or break a letter’s effectiveness: It needs to have the name of a
human being in the recipient address and salutation, and the body of the letter needs to quickly
get to the point and persuade the reader.
Use the first paragraph of the letter to quickly and clearly state the purpose of the letter.
In the second paragraph, provide the empirical evidence or persuasion to back up the point made
in the first paragraph. By the third or fourth paragraph, repeat the main point of the letter and
then close with a call to action.
What Are the Optional Parts of a Business Letter?

There are a number of optional parts in a business letter that you might find helpful. They include:
1. Attention line. If the letter is going to a large company, an attention line can provide the bit of
necessary emphasis you need so that the letter goes where it needs to go. Write “Attention:”
and then the name of the recipient (for example, “Attention: Human Resources”). The attention
line should go two lines below the recipient address.
2. Subject or reference line. This part can focus the recipient on the letter’s actual purpose. Start
with a “Subject:” or a “Re:” or write in all caps.
What Is the Format for a Business Letter?

Now that we’ve covered the parts in a business letter, let’s look at how they’re put
together. “Block style” is one of the most widely used formats. There are no indentations and
everything is aligned to the left. If you’re questioning how formal a business letter should be, it’s
probably best to play it safe and go with block format.
How Many Types of Letters Are There?

How the different parts of a business letter go together depends on the type of letter
being sent. And there are many types of business letters: They include cover letters, thank you
letters, complaint letters, adjustment letters, bad news letters, acknowledgement letters,
memos, and much more.
No matter what type of business letter you are writing, having the necessary parts in a
business letter formatted in the proper way will help you reach the initial threshold of delivering
a professional-looking document that the recipient will take seriously.
14 Most Essential Parts of a Business Letter
Parts of Letter
1. Heading. The heading which is also known as ‘head address’ or ‘letter head’ contains
information relating to the name of the organization and its address. It is usually given at the top
center or top right side of the paper. Following information are provided in the heading. The
firm’s name, addresses, trade mark, telephone number, telex number E-mail address, date etc.
2. Reference number. The number which the receiver refers in all future correspondence is called
Reference Number. It is usually printed below the date line or on the same line where the date
is written to the right margin. The purpose of reference number is to enable replies to be linked
with (he previous correspondence and to send replies to these letters to the proper official or
department.
3. Date. The date consists of day, month and year. The date finds its place either at the starting
of left margin or at the closing of the right margin as the style adopted. Date enables quick
references in future and helps in prompt action and orderly filing.
4. Inside address. The inside address contains the name and address of the organization or the
individual to whom the letter is written. It is written below the Reference time starting from the
left margin. The inside address makes a record on the copy which helps in identification for filing
purpose.
5. Attention line. Attention line is placed below the attention time and above the salutations and
is underlined. It indicates the names of those for whom the letter is meant.
6. Salutation. Salutation means to greet the addressee. It is the complementary greeting with
which the writer begins his letters. It is written below the inside address or attention line leaving
some space. It starts from the left side margin. It may or may not end with comma depending
upon the style of letter.
7. Subject line. Subject line tells what the correspondence is about. It is placed just below the
salutation line. It usually begins at the left margin and may also begin from the centre. It may
contain apart from the subject any specific identifications material i.e. date of previous letter,
invoice number etc.
8.Body of the letter. It is that part of the letter which contains the message to be converged. It
is the most important part of the letter and usually consists of three to four paragraphs. The first
(or the opening paragraph) begins the letter and builds up a relationship with the reader. The
second paragraph contains the proper subject matter. It is the main paragraph of the letter. The
third paragraph usually is an extension of the second paragraph. The fourth (or the closing
paragraph) brings the letter to an end. It must be natural and logical must be final and complete.
Closing with an important statement, a question, an offer or a request leaves the door open for
further communication.
9. Formal close. It is also known as subscription. It is merely a polite way of ending a letter. It is
written below the last paragraph of the body of the letter, either at the left side or at the right
side, depending on the style of letter. The subscription should be corresponding to the salutation.
10. Signature block/Slot. Signature is the assent of the writer to the subject matter of the letter
and is a practical necessity. It is usually handwritten and contains the writer’s name, status,
department, firm etc. Signature is put just below the complementary close.
11. Enclosures. Sometimes some documents like price list catalogue etc. are attached with the
letter. Enclosures mention the documents which are enclosed or attached with the letter. The
enclosures usually find their place at the bottom left margin.
12. Postscript. PS as it is commonly known as is something written after the letter is closed. It is
usually done when the writer forgets to put in some information or message in the main part. It
should be very precise and to the point.
13. ‘C C’ or carbon copy notation. When copies of the letter are meant to be sent to more than
one person it is mentioned under ‘CC’ or carbon copy Notation. The names of the person to
whom copies are to be sent should be written adjacent to the left margin.
14. Reference Initial. When typed initials are put it refers to reference initials. These are useful
for office checking. They are typed adjacent to the left margin.
Activity:
1. Compose one basic business letter with optional parts.
Pasig Campus
MODULE 8
WEEK 8 – Business Letter Punctuation and Style

Types of Business Letter
Objectives:
1. Distinguish different business letter punctuation and styles; and
2. Discuss and write different types of business letter.
Modern business letters typically use one of two styles of punctuation being used:
mixed punctuation and open punctuation.
Mixed punctuation requires a colon to follow the opening salutation – "Dear Mrs. Smith:"
– and comma to end the complementary close – "Sincerely,".
Three main styles of business letter

1. Block
2. Modified block, and
3. Semi-block styles.
Each is written in much the same way, including the same information, but the layout
varies slightly for each one. The most common layout of a business letter is known as
block format. Using this format, the entire letter is left justified and single spaced except for a
double space between paragraphs.
Use these tips when writing a formal letter

In today's Internet- and email-driven society, the need to write a formal letter arises less
often than in the past. However, it is still occasionally necessary to present a formal letter to
obtain information, to apply for an academic program or a job, to write a complaint letter, or
simply to express your opinion in an effective and coherent manner.
1. Be concise. State the purpose of your formal letter in the first paragraph and don't veer
from the subject. Try to avoid flowery language or long words. Keep the letter short and to the
point. This excerpt from Strunk and White's The Elements of Style (4th edition) provides the
perfect rule of thumb: vigorous writing is concise. A sentence should contain no unnecessary
words, a paragraph no unnecessary sentences, for the same reason that a drawing should have
no unnecessary lines and a machine no unnecessary part. This requires not that the writer make
all sentences short, or avoid all detail and treat subjects only in outline, but that every word tell.
2. Use the right tone. A business or formal letter should be written in a tone that is slightly
more formal than your everyday language. Avoid the following: slang or jargon; contractions such
as I'm, can't, it's; and vague words such as good and nice. Be polite and respectful, even if you
are complaining.
3. Proofread. Proofreading is so important. Once you have written your formal letter, check
the grammar and spelling carefully. Use the spell-checker on your computer and then read the
letter over yourself as the spellchecker will not catch every error. Use a dictionary or thesaurus,
if necessary. Check the grammar and punctuation for correctness and make sure the sentences
are complete.
It is a good idea to have someone else proofread your formal letter, even after you have
done so, as you may have overlooked errors in something that you have read over many times.
If this formal letter is important enough for you to take the time to write, don't rush its
completion. Errors will diminish the impact of the statement or impression you are trying to
make.
4. Use proper format and presentation. Remember that the first impression is the one that
lasts. Use good quality paper and a matching envelope for your formal letter. Make sure the
recipient is addressed properly and that his or her name is spelled correctly. Equally important—
don't forget to sign the letter! Check out our letter writing ebook, which features several
examples of formal letters. You can also search for free templates online.
5. Present your ideas properly: Formatting a formal letter. Adhering to the standard
conventions of good formal letter writing and presenting your letter attractively will ensure that
your thoughts are seriously considered by the recipient and given the attention and consideration
they deserve. Here are a few formatting tips:
Heading.
The heading consists of your address (but not your name) and the date. Telephone
numbers and email addresses are not usually included here, but they are acceptable. Using block
format, the heading goes in the top left-hand corner of the page.
Inside Address.
The inside address consists of the name and address of the person to whom you are
writing. You should try to address the formal letter to a specific person, but if you do not know
his or her name, at least try to include his or her title. This address is usually placed four lines
below the heading if a word processor is used or one line below the heading if the letter is
handwritten.
Salutation.
Skip one line after the inside address and then type the salutation. Your choice of
salutation depends on whether or not you know the intended recipient of the formal letter. The
most usual greeting is Dear followed by the person's name and punctuated with a colon. If you
don't know whether the person you are addressing is a man or a woman, you may begin with
Dear Sir or Madam: again followed by a colon. Ms. may be used if you don't know the marital
status of a woman. Furthermore, if the person has a specific title such as Dr. make sure that you
use it. Here are some examples of each salutation:
• Dear Mr. Trunk:
• Dear Ms. Root:
• Dear Mrs. Branch:
• Dear Dr. Acorn:
Body.
Skip one line after the salutation and begin typing the body of the formal letter. This is
the main part of the letter. Keep in mind the rules outlined above regarding brevity and
coherence. It is best to use short, clear, logical paragraphs to state your business.
Closing and Signature.

This is the end of the letter. Skip one line after the last paragraph of the body of the letter
and type the closing. Only the first word of the closing should be capitalized. It is punctuated with
a comma. Leave several lines after the closing and type (or print) your signature. Your actual
handwritten signature is to be inserted between these two printed lines, written in ink.
Yours sincerely,
Your typed signature marks the end of your letter, and while you can write a postscript (P.S.)
containing additional information, it is better to include all pertinent details in the body of the
letter itself so nothing is accidentally overlooked.
Now that your formal letter has been written, read it through in its entirety to ensure you have
communicated your points thoroughly and accurately. Then, it's ready to be sent off to its
recipient!
There are many standard types of business letters, and each of them has a specific focus.
1. Sales Letters. ...
2. Order Letters. ...
3. Complaint Letters. ...
4. Adjustment Letters. ...
5. Inquiry Letters. ...
6. Follow-Up Letters. ...
7. Letters of Recommendation. ...
8. Acknowledgment Letters.
Types of business letters

Here are some of the most commonly used types of business letters:
1. Cover letters
Cover letters accompany your application when applying for a new position. You can use
cover letters to introduce yourself, describe your interest in a company and outline your
qualifying skills. A cover letter will include the following:
• Contact information: Include your name, phone number and email address on the cover
letter to ensure the reader knows how to contact you after reviewing your application.
• Salutation: Begin the letter by addressing the person to which you are writing the letter.
This person may be the hiring manager, department head or other company representative
identified in the job listing.
• Purpose of the letter: In your introduction, discuss why you are writing by mentioning the
job title, the company name and where you found the job listing.
• Qualifying skills: In the body of your letter, highlight the specific skills that make you a
strong candidate for the open position. Your cover letter should complement your resume, so
build off of the information in your resume to provide more specific details of your professional
experience.
• Conclusion: End the cover letter with a memorable statement about why you are a good
fit for the open position. Include a call-to-action to encourage the reader to follow up on your
application should they want to interview you and learn more about how you could fit into their
company.
2. Letters of recommendation
A letter of recommendation is written by another person who can confirm a professional’s
qualifications and work ethic. A letter of recommendation can strengthen an application for
employment, higher education or another professional opportunity. This letter often includes the
following information:
• Relationship of the recommendation: The letter should state the relationship of the
person making the recommendation to ensure the reader knows what qualifies the writer to speak
on the applicant’s behalf. Those who write these letters might include a professor, supervisor or
coworker.
• Evaluation of the candidate’s qualifications: The recommendation is often the body of
the letter and speaks directly to the candidate’s skills, positive character traits, professional goals
and their potential in the program or position.
• Examples: The writer can include specific examples of how the candidate demonstrated
their skills during their time working, studying or otherwise interacting with each other. This
information can help prospective employers understand how the candidate positively impacts
their peers and supervisors.
• Closing statement: It should conclude with a final confirmation of the candidate’s
qualifications and include the writer’s contact information should the reader want to know more.
3. Interview follow-up letters

You can send a follow-up letter after interviewing for an open position to thank the
interviewer for their time and to demonstrate your interest in the job further. A follow-up letter
will include the following:
• Overview of the interview: Include key topics discussed during the interview, such as
specific job tasks or a talking point that interested you. Be sure to mention the title of the position.
These details demonstrate active listening while expressing your continued interest in the open
position.
• Skills related to the position: The follow-up letter is a good time to reiterate the skills you
offer as they relate to the open position.
• Gratitude: You can also use the follow-up letter to thank the hiring manager for taking the
time to meet with you. This step shows professional courtesy that can leave a good impression
with your prospective employer.
4. Offer letters
An offer letter is an official offer of employment that describes the specific terms of the
position. If you agree to the terms the letter offers, then you will sign the offer letter and accept
the job.
An offer letter will usually include the following:
• Job description: This item outlines the specific job tasks and requirements of the role.
• Job title: A letter that states the official name of the position can ensure you are hired for
the right role.
• Requested start date: This is the date in which you will begin employment. You may
discuss with your employer if you need to adjust the date.
• Salary and benefits: This information includes the offered salary, bonus and benefits that
come with the role. Some employers may specify when bonuses are given and benefits,
such as health care, begin.
• Acceptance timeline: This is the date by which you must respond to the offer letter.
5. Sales letters
The purpose of a sales letter is to introduce a service or product to a client or customer.
Sales professionals often use these letters when making new contacts with prospective buyers
or strengthening relationships with longtime clients.
A sales letter often includes the following:
• Description of product or service: Include specific details about the item or service you
are offering. Consider identifying a possible solution this product or service provides to the
recipient to best demonstrate its value.
• Cost: Some letters include information about the price of the product or service, especially
if the buyer is a current patron. It may be included if the cost was already discussed in a
previous meeting as well.
• Call to action: Include directions to the reader explaining how they should take action if
they want to buy. You may include your contact information, the best times to reach you
and a date by which they should reply to take advantage of your offer.
6. Letters of commendation
Letters of commendation are a form of employee appreciation, and companies send them
out to the entire staff to congratulate an employee for a job well done. They may include the
following:
• Purpose: Begin a letter of commendation identifying who is being commended and for
what reason.
• Details of the commendation: Include details about the specific tasks, achievements or
awards for which the team member is being recognized.
• Call to action: This letter may include a call to action that encourages fellow employees to
congratulate the team member on their success.
7. Letters of resignation
A letter of resignation informs your employer of your intent to resign. While you may
verbally notify your coworkers and employer of your plans to leave, many organizations prefer
to have an official letter for documentation purposes.
A letter of resignation often includes the following:
• Statement of resignation: Begin this letter with the official statement declaring that you
are resigning from the company.
• Reason for leaving: Depending on your situation, you may consider mentioning why you
are leaving so your employer understands your decision. This may include accepting an
opportunity elsewhere, pursuing higher education or relocating.
• Dates: Include the date on which you are delivering the letter and the date of your official
last day of employment. This step can ensure your employer can best prepare for your
leaving and fill your position.
• Thank you: Consider thanking your employer for the opportunity and the skills you gained
while working for them. This step is a professional courtesy that can strengthen your
professional relationship with your employer should you need their recommendation in
the future.
Important components of a business letter

Though many types of letters have certain formatting requirements and include a variety
of information, there are a few components that are consistent across most business letters,
including:
• Contact information: This step is essential, especially when ending a physical copy of a
business letter. Your contact information should include your name, phone number, and
business address or email address.
• Subject line: A subject line is used when sending a business letter via email. This brief line
often includes a few-word summary of the purpose of your letter.
• Greeting: The formality of the greeting will depend on the type of business relationship
you have with the reader. If you are looking for a new job, your greeting should be formal.
If you are sending a quick follow-up to a customer that you have already created a
relationship with, then you might choose to use their first name.
• Introduction: The introduction describes the purpose of the letter and what you are
hoping to achieve with it. This is your chance to grab the reader’s attention with
information such as a discount on a product you sell or that you’re inquiring about an open
position.
• Detailed information: The body of your business letter includes specific details about your
purpose, including asking or answering questions and providing additional information.
• Conclusion: Your conclusion should leave the reader with a call to action, such as how the
reader can order a product or reach out to you for more information.
• Signature: A signature can be as simple as writing your name or as complex as including
your credentials and certifications. How you sign a business letter will also depend on your
current relationship with the reader.
Business letter tips
Here are a few guidelines to keep in mind when writing a business letter:
• Customize your letter: All business letters should be written explicitly for its intended
recipient. For example, a cover letter should state why you want to work for that particular
company.
• Be punctual with delivery: Timely business letters can demonstrate your time
management skills to a prospective employer or let your recipient know that you value
their time.
• Consider the method of delivery: Your relationship with the recipient, the type of letter
and the level of urgency may influence whether you send it via email or traditional mail.
• Choose the appropriate level of formality: The majority of business letters you write will
be worded professionally. Your relationship with the recipient, the type of letter and your
intent may dictate the formality of the language in your letter.
• Limit your letter to one page: Concise business letters that quickly get to the point are
more likely to be read in full. Evaluate each paragraph for relevancy, and only include
information the reader needs to know.
Activity:
1. Design a letterhead of your supposed company.
2. Write a sales letter of your product
Pasig Campus
MODULE 10
WEEK 9 – Midterm Exam

WEEK 10 – Writing Memoranda
Fundamental Concepts of Report Writing
Objectives:
1. Analyze and write a memorandum
2. Explain the fundamental concepts of report writing
What is a memorandum – definition

It is good to understand the meaning of a memo before you proceed to encode one so
that you can be, of what you are writing. A memorandum is a short notice usually written by the
management to address a certain policy or give a certain announcement or changes in an
organization. In official instances, a memo is usually written by the organization heads, but even
students at different levels of education may be examined on the same.
So, whether you are a student or working-class, writing a memo is a very important skill
that you cannot afford to miss. A memo can also be written in a business case where you are
writing to confirm to your suppliers that you have received certain goods. This type of memo
called a business memorandum.
The format of a memo is much simpler. You write “Memo” or “Memorandum” at the
top, followed by a To line, a From line, a Date line, a Subject line, and then the actual body of
the message. Traditionally, you would print out a memo and distribute it to the relevant parties
inside your small business.
A memo (also known as a memorandum, or "reminder") is used for internal
communications regarding procedures or official business within an organization. Unlike an
email, a memo is a message you send to a large group of employees, like your entire department
or everyone at the company. You might need to write a memo to inform staff of upcoming events,
or broadcast internal changes.
Business Memo Template

TO:
FROM:
DATE:
SUBJECT:
I'm writing to inform you that [reason for writing memo].
As our company continues to grow … [evidence or reason to support your opening paragraph].
Please let me know if you have any questions. In the meantime, I'd appreciate your cooperation
as [official business information] takes place.
Header:
In your header, you’ll want to clearly label your content “Memorandum” so your readers
know exactly they’re receiving. Then, you’ll want to include “TO”, “FROM”, “DATE”, and
“SUBJECT”. This information is relevant for providing content, like who you’re addressing, and
why.
Paragraph One:
In the first paragraph, you'll want to quickly and clearly state the purpose of your memo.
You might begin your sentence with the phrase, "I'm writing to inform you … " or "I'm writing to
request ... ". A memo is meant to be short, clear, and to-the-point. You'll want to deliver your
most critical information upfront, and then use subsequent paragraphs as opportunities to dive
into more detail.
Paragraph Two:
In the second paragraph, you’ll want to provide context or supporting evidence. For
instance, let’s say your memo is informing the company of an internal re-organization. If this is
the case, paragraph two should say something like, “As our company continues to grow, we’ve
decided it makes more sense to separate our video production team from our content team. This
way, those teams can focus more on their individual goals.”
Paragraph Three:
In the third paragraph, you'll want to include your specific request of each employee -- if
you're planning a team outing, this is the space you'd include, "Please RSVP with dietary
restrictions," or "Please email me with questions." On the contrary, if you're informing staff of
upcoming construction to the building, you might say, "I'd appreciate your cooperation during
this time." Even if there isn't any specific action you expect from employees, it's helpful to include
how you hope they'll handle the news and whether you expect them to do something in response
to the memo.
How to write a good memo

It is good to know how to come up with the best memo so that whatever you are trying
to pass across to your audience is clear. In most cases, a memo is usually used to address very
critical matters and therefore it has to come out clear so that the content of the information
being passed is not distorted. Below are some of the tips that you need to pay attention to while
writing your memo:
1. Make it a s short as possible- the memo should not be lengthy because it will be tiresome
to read. Most people would want to go through it with the shortest time possible but acquire all
the information. You need to summarize as much as you can. The shorter your memo will be, the
more the readers because most people are prone to be ignorant to lengthy notices.
2. Use simple English- you should not use complex language while writing your memo
because the readers may end up missing up important points and your memorandum will not
have served its purpose. Avoid too much use of vocabularies in your work.
3. Use a captivating heading- the heading of your memo should attract readers- you should
be very selective in the words that you use for your heading because that is the first impression
that your readers would come across. Others would just read the heading and leave, so it is your
responsibility to make them curious to read the rest of the document. There are different ways
that you can use to captivate the readers:
4. Use bolding on emphasize- you should use bold letters in the action that expect your
readers to take so that it can attract their attention and they will have gotten the message.
5. Use a different color for the heading- you can decide to use a different color for your
heading so that it can attract readers from a distance.
6. Avoid simple grammar and spelling errors- you should be very cautious in memo writing
because a simple spelling mistake may confuse the intended information that you needed to pass
and that would be chaos especially if it is a critical matter that affects an organization. You should
go through your memo after writing to ensure that everything reads as required.
A memorandum writing format.

The format of your memo should adhere to the required rubric because one can be able
to identify a memo from its format. In the notice board you may find several notices of which
others are usually, meant for motivations purposes, so it is the format that will distinguish your
memo from other notices.
The header
At the top of the page, you should indicate that it is a memo in capital letters. This helps
to give identity to your document.
The recipient addresses

Immediately after the header, you should write the recipient address. Be official in writing
the name of the recipient whether it is one person or a group of people. The address helps the
readers to know whom the memo is being addressed to. You should also include other recipients
if you wish your memo to address a different group of people. When you have more than one
recipient, you can use the following format:
To :
Cc :
From :
Date :
Subject :
In this format, the cc will serve to address another recipient that you wish to address apart
from your main.
The sender
After the recipient’s address, you should indicate where the memo is coming from, write
your name and your position if you have one so that the readers can be able to know you.
The date
After writing the senders name you should write the date in the right format so that the
readers can be able to know when was the memo sent. The date is important because it
distinguishes the old and new memos in the notice board.
The title
After the date, you should write the title of the memo. In the title, you should indicate
what the memo is all about clearly. The title carries a heavy weight in your memo because it
should tell the reader what the memo is all about in the shortest words.
On the formatting of the heading and the addresses you should:
• Ensure that the content is double spaced. This helps to improve the clarity of your
document.
• Align all the content to the left side of your page- you should align the date and the
addresses to the left side of the page.
• You should write the start of the address with capital letters. For example, when writing
to your staff and you are the IT director of a certain company you will proceed on as
follows:
TO : All Staff
FROM : The IT Director
DATE : September 9, 2020
SUBJECT : Promotions in Different Departments.
The body
The second part of the memo format is the body. You should keep your memo as short
as possible by avoiding more stories in the body paragraphs. Below are some of the tips on how
to come up with the best body for your memo:
• Consider your readers- your readers, in this case, are the audience that you are writing
to. You should use the right tone depending on what you are writing on. You should be able to
note the needs of your audience because for instance if you are requesting something from your
staff as the manager, you have to use polite language so that your staff can consider your request.
You should ask yourself any question that your readers are likely to come up with after reading
your memo and address them accordingly. You should also use a language that will suit the class
of people you are addressing.
• Go directly to the point- after deciding on what you are going to write on, you should
avoid the salutations available in other letter writing formats. The thesis for your memo should
be your major issue.
• Give a small background of the problem- after addressing the change that you need you
should proceed and give reasons for the implementation of that policy or rule. Explain to your
audience the sole reason that led to coming up with that decision or what motivate you to that
step. You can also mention the merits and the demerits of the change.
• Support your issue- after mentioning what you wanted of the readers, you can go on and
give illustrations just to be clear on what you mean or improve their understanding. There are
several ways in which you can support your points.
• Use of lists- you can use a list to indicate what you need to be done if there are several
points.
• Use of short subheadings- you can use a short subheading just to clarify to your reader on
the points you are addressing.
• Give the actions that you need the readers to do- after explaining what you need you
should state the role of the readers in the implementation of your policies. You can also give the
conditions that should apply to your reader. you can, for example, give a deadline to whatever
you need to be done.
• End your memo with a summary. You need to summarize your points and state the cause
of action needed by your readers. Try and be positive as much as you can while closing your
memo.
• The last thing is signing- you can decide to sign at the end of the memo just to make it
official. Signing of the memo makes it official.
Types of memos
There are different types of memos that you can be asked to write. It is good to get
familiar with each type so that you can be able to classify and know where it falls. Below are some
of the memo types that you can come across:
• Request memo- in this type of memo you will be trying to get a favor from a certain
person or group of people. You are supposed to use persuasive language to win the heart of your
recipients.
• Confirmation memo- this document is written after a certain agreement between two
parties. You will be writing just to confirm that you agree to a certain demand. In this type of
memo, you should state the terms of the agreement and encourage the recipient to ask for
clarification where they did not understand.
• Suggestive memo- this type of writing is written in the case where the management is
requesting views from the employees on how to solve a certain problem. You will need to request
your readers to give their say about a certain issue and specify how they should forward the
suggestions.
• Report memo- this is a memo written after a certain period of time to give an account of
the progress.it takes the report format. In this memo, the body is mainly consistent of values and
charts to indicate the progress.
• Informal results memo- this is where you are required to give the results of a certain action.
It can be research that was done and people would wish to know the outcome, or it can be even
application results for various seats in a department.
Memo examples
A good writer would always have the passion of going through different samples to
improve their proficiency. A memo template will help you to understand how you are supposed
to orient your work to look appealing in the eyes of the reader. Below is a memo sample that
should act to guide you on how to plan your work and keep to the right format.
To : All students taking IT course at the university

From : The department chair
Date : July 7, 2020
Subject : Submission of your final project
It has come to our notice that some of you have not submitted their final year projects which is
very crucial at this moment because it determines whether you will graduate or not. In the
previous years, we have had the same incidents and students usually come back to me crying
when they find out that their name is not on the graduation list.
The project will account for forty percent of your final grade and that is why it should be taken
seriously. On that note the department has given out a deadline of 3rd August 2020, if you do not
have submitted your project by then, you will have to wait 1 academic year to graduate. You are
all advised to submit your project before the due date as we do not want you to suffer when it
comes to graduation. Thanks in advance.
Yours sincerely,
Sign…….
Department chair.
It is good to go through such examples because they help you to understand how to
format your work. You also get to know the right tone to use for your memo. The tone is usually
very important in memo writing because it will determine the attitude that the recipients will
have towards your memo. Am guaranteed that from this guide you are going to be the best writer
of a memorandum to suit all kinds of audience.
The Fundamental Principles of Report Writing

1.Be Relevant. The subject of your report should be timely and relevant to your field. ...
2. Organize Logically. A report must be organized in a logical and formulaic format. ...
3. Report Accurately. A report must be well researched and contain factual information. ...
4. Summarize Briefly.
5 Principles of Report Design

1. ACCURACY. The accuracy principle simply means that the content of a report
represents what it claims it does. It involves, for example, ensuring that the written
components and titles in the report are free from spelling and grammatical errors and that
the data presented is associated with the time period(s) indic ated. It should also require
that the titles and descriptions in the report are consistent with the actual amounts
included in the report.
For example, an amount reported as wages expense on a report should, in fact, be

the amount of wages expense for the period and not some other expense. And, of course,
any amount included in the report need to be accurate, even if amounts (particularly in
accounting) sometimes require judgment and estimation. When the true amounts may not
be known for certain until some future date, as is common with accounting data, the
estimated amounts should at least be verifiable against standard data sources to be
considered accurate.
2. CONSISTENCY. The consistency principle requires that the format and layout of a report
are similar to prior issuances of the same report and/or other reports issued by the same
department. In many organizations, selected individuals or de partments (such as the CFO
or the board of directors) will receive many different reports each period. Depen ding on
how well such a recipient organizes reports, whether electronic or in paper form, having a
consistent (and, in certain cases, distinctive) format or “feel” for each report or for each
issuing department will allow the recipient to quickly identify a needed report for a specific
related decision. Having a consistent format can also provide a brand style for the source
department or individual preparer.
2. APPEARANCE. The appearance principle means that the report is aesthetically

pleasing and also professional-looking. (After all, this is similar to but not quite the same as
creating artwork.) Aesthetically pleasing reports should include proper alignments and
should make appropriate use of white space, borders, shading, and color. The purpose of
most reports is to support decision making, and improving the appearance of the report
can often help to draw the attention of the decision maker to the most relevant data items
(and can avoid distracting the recipient). For example, inserting a blank row above and/or
underlining a very important financial statement amount naturally attracts the gaze of the
reader.
3. EFFICIENCY. The efficiency principle involves ensuring that a standard report can
be prepared as quickly and easily as possible. This often means utilizing automated or
formulaic fields where possible. This will help to minimize the data entry and computations
necessary for the preparation of reports. If possible, building reports to extract data directly
from the underlying accounting system, both for labels and amounts, can create the greatest
efficiency. In one of my prior professional positions, where a legacy, homegrown accounting
system with poor reporting capabilities was used, we created higher -quality reports with
many automated fields using Microsoft Access. The reports then extracted data from SQL
tables that were created in a nightly download from the accounting system.
4. USABILITY. The usability principle relates very specifically to decision support for
the report recipients. It involves considering how the report will be disseminated. In that
regard, report data should be organized to allow for easy extraction by recipients. It should
also be easily understandable given the specific background(s) of the recipients.
5. THE SOLUTION. While reporting style preferences will vary and reports won’t
always be perfect, greater attention to these principles should allow accounting
professionals and students alike to improve the quality of reporting.
Activity:
1. Write a memorandum following the basic parts.
Pasig Campus
MODULE 11
WEEK 11 – Classification of Technical Report

Writing the Minutes of a Meeting
Objective
1. Distinguish the categories of technical reports;
2. Write different technical reports; and
3. Compose minutes of the meeting.
Classification of Reports
1. Informal reports and
2. Formal reports.
Both of those classifications are further broken down by type of information. This module
describes these report structures and types.
Types of Technical Reports

1.Technical-background report. The background report is the hardest to define but the most
commonly written. ...
2.Instructions. ...
3.Feasibility, recommendation, and evaluation reports. ...
4. Primary research report. ...
5.Technical specifications. ...
6.Report-length proposal. ...
7. Business prospectus.
What are meeting minutes?

Meeting minutes, or mom (for minutes of meeting) can be defined as the written record
of everything that's happened during a meeting. They're used to inform people who didn't attend
the meeting about what happened, or to keep track of what was decided during the meeting so
that you can revisit it and use it to inform future decisions.
What should you include when writing meeting minutes?

The five steps that you must include are:
1. Pre-Planning
2. Record taking - at the meeting
3. Minutes writing or transcribing
4. Distributing or sharing of meeting minutes
5. Filing or storage of minutes for future reference
What is the purpose of meeting minutes?

You shouldn’t be intimidated by the term “minutes” since it’s actually a little misleading.
After all, your committee or Board doesn’t want or need a record of its meeting proceedings
minute by minute! But it is important to capture the essence of the meeting, including details
such as:
1. decisions made (motions made, votes, etc.)
2. next steps planned
3. identification and
4. tracking of action items
Minutes are a tangible record of the meeting for its participants and a source of
information for members who were unable to attend. In some cases, meeting minutes can act as
a reference point, for example: when a meeting’s outcomes impact other collaborative activities
or projects within the organization and minutes can serve to notify (or remind) individuals of
tasks assigned to them and/or timelines
Why are they called minutes of a meeting?

According to Today I Found Out, the "minutes" of "meeting minutes" don't refer to the
minute measurement of time, but to the "minute" (my-newt) notes taken during meetings.
What’s involved with meeting minutes?

As mentioned above, there are essentially five steps involved with meeting minutes:
1. Pre-Planning
2. Record taking - at the meeting
3. Minutes writing or transcribing
4. Distributing or sharing of meeting minutes
5. Filing or storage of minutes for future reference
1. Pre-planning meeting minutes:

A well-planned meeting helps ensure effective meeting minutes. If the Chair and the
Secretary or minutes-taker work together to ensure the agenda and meeting are well thought
out, it makes minute taking much easier. For example, depending on the meeting structure and
the tools you use, the minutes-taker could work with the Chair to create a document format that
works as an agenda and minutes outline as well.
What is the agenda of a meeting?

Meeting agenda = outline:
At the very least, it’s important to get a copy of the meeting agenda and use it as a guide
or outline for taking notes and preparing the minutes – with the order and numbering of items
on the minutes of meeting matching those of the agenda. In addition, the agenda and/or meeting
notice also provides information that will need to be included in the minutes, such as:
1. the names of all the meeting attendees, including guests or speakers
2. documents that are sent out with the agenda or handed out in the meeting – copies
(digital or hard copy) of handouts should be stored with the meeting minutes for future reference
and for sharing with those who were unable to attend the meeting (and others as determined by
the meeting’s Chair).
Clarifying Expectations:
When you take on a new role as minutes-taker or Secretary, be sure to ask the Chair of
the committee or Board what their expectations are of your role during the meeting, as well as
the type of detail he/she expects in the minutes. For example, if your Board or committee will
be dealing with motions, or voting on items/issues, be clear on whether you need to offer names
of those making motions, seconding, etc. If you will be dealing with this type of procedures, you
(and your Chair) may want to refer to Robert’s Rules of Order.
2. What should be included in meeting minutes?

Before you start taking notes, it’s important to understand the type of information you
need to record at the meeting. As noted earlier, your organization may have required content
and a specific format that you’ll need to follow, but generally, meeting minutes usually include
the following:
1. Date and time of the meeting
2. Names of the meeting participants and those unable to attend (e.g., “regrets”)
3. Acceptance or corrections/amendments to previous meeting minutes
4. Decisions made about each agenda item, for example:
5. Actions taken or agreed to be taken
6. Next steps
7. Voting outcomes – e.g., (if necessary, details regarding who made motions; who seconded
and approved or via show of hands, etc.)
8. Motions taken or rejected
9. Items to be held over
10. New business
11. Next meeting date and time
Tips that might help your note taking:

1. Create an outline – as discussed earlier, having an outline (or template) based on the
agenda makes it easy for you to simply jot down notes, decisions, etc. under each item as you go
along. If you are taking notes by hand, consider including space below each item on your outline
for your hand-written notes, then print these out and use this to capture minutes.
2. Check-off attendees as they enter the room - if you know the meeting attendees, you
can check them off as they arrive, if not have folks introduce themselves at the start of the
meeting or circulate an attendance list they can check-off themselves.
3. Record decisions or notes on action items in your outline as soon as they occur to be sure
they are recorded accurately
4. Ask for clarification if necessary – for example, if the group moves on without making a
decision or an obvious conclusion, ask for clarification of the decision and/or next steps involved.
5. Don’t try to capture it all – you can’t keep up if you try to write down the conversation
verbatim, so be sure to simply (and clearly) write (or type) just the decisions, assignments, action
steps, etc.
6. Record it – literally, if you are concerned about being able to keep up with note taking,
consider recording the meeting (e.g., on your smart phone, iPad, recording device, etc.) but be
sure to let participants know they are being recording. While you don’t want to use the recording
to create a word-for-word transcript of the meeting, the recording can come in handy if you need
clarification. Here is an example:
The Minutes Writing Process
Once the meeting is over, it’s time to pull together your notes and write the minutes.
Here are some tips that might help:
1. Try to write the minutes as soon after the meeting as possible while everything is fresh in
your mind.
2. Review your outline and if necessary, add additional notes or clarify points raised. Also
check to ensure all decisions, actions and motions are clearly noted.
3. Ensure you're including sufficient detail
4. For Board of Director’s minutes in particular, we recommend including a short description
of each action taken, as well as the rationale behind the decision
5. If there was a lot of discussion before passing a motion, write down the major arguments
for and against
6. Edit to ensure brevity and clarity, so the minutes are easy to read
7. In terms of format, here are a few things to keep in mind:
7.1 Be objective
7.2 Write in the same tense throughout
7.3 Avoid using names other than to record motions and seconds.
7.4 Avoid personal observations — the minutes should be solely fact-based
7.5 If you need to refer to other documents, don't try to summarize them. Rather, simply
indicate where they can be found or attach them as an appendix
Do meeting minutes have to be approved?

Before you share your meeting minutes, make sure that the Chair has reviewed and either
revised and/or approved the minutes for circulation. They are not an official record of a meeting
unless this has taken place. Depending on your Board, minutes may also be formally approved at
the beginning of the next meeting.
Distributing or Sharing Meeting Minutes

As the official “minutes-taker” or Secretary, your role may include dissemination of the
minutes.
Online sharing
The method of sharing or distribution will depend on the tools that you and your
organization use. Since minutes and other documentation can create a pile of paper, it’s great if
you can use a paperless sharing process. For example, if you are using a word processing tool
(e.g., Microsoft Word) that doesn’t offer online sharing, you might want to create a PDF of the
document and send this and the other attachments or meeting documentation via email.
Alternately, if you are all using Google docs – for meeting invitations, agenda and additional
document sharing – you can simply “share” the document with that group once it has been
finalized. Committee or Board members can simply read the documents online and save a few
trees!
Sharing in the Cloud?
If your organization is using a cloud-based membership management system (like Wild
Apricot), you can publish the minutes as a web page and give access only to the committee or
Board members, depending on your organization’s needs. Through members-only webpages,
you can create a secure online Intranet for your Board and committees.
Tools Specifically for Meeting Minutes:
If you are wondering about the types of tools you might use specifically for meeting
minutes, here are some tools that organizations we've worked with have found helpful:
1. Google Docs: Also supports collaborative note taking. [Here are some meeting minute
sample templates in Google docs. If you send out a meeting request using Google Calendar, you
can attach a Google doc agenda outline. Once minutes are crafted (using the outline), you can
simply share the document with the group using their email addresses.]
2. OneNote: (if you are a Microsoft user) - Very fast and allows for organization of
notes. Also support audio recording with corresponding note time-stamping.
3. Lucid Meetings: Fantastic meeting-tool to automate your meeting processes like notes,
attendance, and organization.
4. Evernote: Great note taking tool.
5. Agreedo: supports creation of meeting minutes and tracking the results.
6. minutes.io: allows you to quickly take meeting minutes with hotkey shortcuts and the
ability to work online or offline.
Filing/Storage of Meeting Minutes

Most committees and Boards review and either approve or amend the minutes at the
beginning of the subsequent meeting. Once you’ve made any required revisions, the minutes will
then need to be stored for future reference. Some organizations may store these online (e.g., in
Google docs or SkyDrive) and also back these up on an external hard drive. You may also need
to print and store hard copies as well or provide these to a staff member or Chair for filing.
• .
To write effective meeting minutes, you should include:
1. The names of the participants
2. Agenda items
3. Calendar or due dates
4. Actions or tasks
5. The main points
6. Decisions made by the participants
7. Record what is the most important points
8. Future decisions
9. Documents: images, attached files
Before the meeting:

You need to prepare the different topics to be addressed during the meeting, noting what
you know about them in order to save time and to be able to focus on important topics during
the meeting. If not, you might end up on the margins of the meeting being too busy taking notes.
During the meeting:

Meeting minutes are an effective contributor to successful meetings, yet they need to be
appropriately written and distributed in time. The main problem with reports is that they take a
long time to be written down properly, and that they must be sent quickly after the meetings to
let everyone know their next projects or actions.You need to build your notes as the meeting
progresses: a good way of organizing your note-taking is to differentiate actions from remarks as
well as noting the different actions per person with a deadline.
After the meeting:
Type out your notes in a logical manner and not chronologically. It needs to be organized
to be sent out to your colleagues. Also, adding a short summary organized per person and per
project at the end of the minutes helps your colleagues quickly glance at the minutes and spot
the actions they need to realize within seconds.
Activity:
1. Write a sample minutes of the meeting.
Pasig Campus
WEEK 12 – Definition of Visual Rhetoric
Importance of Visual Rhetoric
Various Media Platforms if Visual Rhetoric
Objectives:
1.Define visual rhetoric;
2. Explain visual rhetoric’s significance in business communication;
3.Analyze visual cues and images based on modes of persuasion; and
4.Critique the manner of visual rhetoric presentation.
What visual rhetoric?

"Visual rhetoric" has been used to mean anything from the use of images as argument,
to the arrangement of elements on a page for rhetorical effect, to the use of typography (fonts),
and more.
Why is visual rhetoric important?

Learning more about visual rhetoric can help us produce documents that speak more
readily to their intended audience. It can also help us to evaluate visual images we encounter in
any variety of settings, whether on TV, in magazines, on billboards, or in the classroom.
Visual rhetoric is a branch of rhetorical studies concerned with the persuasive use of
images, whether on their own or in the company of words. Visual rhetoric is grounded in an
culture, art, and even science" (Kenney and Scott in Persuasive Imagery, 2003).
What is a visual rhetorical analysis?

Visual rhetoric encompasses the skill of visual literacy and the ability to analyze images
for their form and meaning. Drawing on techniques from semiotics and rhetorical analysis, visual
rhetoric examines the structure of an image, and the consequent persuasive effects on an
audience.
Examples and Observations
"[W]ords and how they're gathered on a page have a visual aspect of their own, but they
may also interact with nondiscursive images such as drawings, paintings, photographs, or moving
pictures. Most advertisements, for instance, use some combination of text and visuals to
promote a product for service. While visual rhetoric is not entirely new, the subject of visual
rhetoric is becoming increasingly important, especially since we are constantly inundated with
images and also since images can serve as rhetorical proofs." (Sharon Crowley and Debra
Hawhee, Ancient Rhetorics for Contemporary Students. Pearson, 2004
"Not every visual object is visual rhetoric. What turns a visual object into
a communicative artifact--a symbol that communicates and can be studied as rhetoric--is the
presence of three characteristics. The image must be symbolic, involve human intervention, and
be presented to an audience for the purpose of communicating with that audience." (Kenneth
Louis Smith, Handbook of Visual Communication. Routledge, 2005)
A Public Kiss
"[S]tudents of visual rhetoric may wish to consider how doing certain deeds expresses or
conveys varied meanings from the perspectives of diverse participants or onlookers. For
example, something as apparently simple as a public kiss can be a greeting between friends, an
expression of affection or love, a featured symbolic act during a marriage ceremony, a taken-for-
granted display of privileged status, or an act of public resistance and protest defying
discrimination and social injustice. Our interpretation of the meaning of the kiss will depend on
who performs the kiss; its ritual, institutional, or cultural circumstances; and the participants' and
onlookers' perspectives." (Lester C. Olson, Cara A. Finnegan, and Diane S. Hope, Visual Rhetoric:
A Reader in Communication and American Culture. Sage, 2008).
Visual Rhetoric in Politics

"It is easy to dismiss images in politics and public discourse as mere spectacle,
opportunities for entertainment rather than engagement, because visual images transfix us so
readily. The question of whether a presidential candidate wears an American flag pin (sending a
visual message of patriotic devotion) can triumph over real discussion of issues in today's public
sphere. Similarly, politicians are at least as likely to employ managed photo opportunities to
create an impression as they are to speak from the bully pulpit with facts, figures, and
rational arguments. In heightening the value of the verbal over the visual, sometimes we forget
that not all verbal messages are rational, as politicians and advocates also speak strategically with
code terms, buzz words, and glittering generalities." (Janis L. Edwards, "Visual Rhetoric." 21st
Century Communication: A Reference Handbook, ed. by William F. Eadie. Sage, 2009).
"In 2007, conservative critics assailed then candidate Barack Obama for his decision not
to wear an American flag pin. They sought to frame his choice as evidence of his presumed
disloyalty and lack of patriotism. Even after Obama explained his position, the criticism persisted
from those who lectured him on the importance of the flag as a symbol." (Yohuru Williams,
"When Microaggressions Become Macro Confessions." Huffington Post, June 29, 2015).
.
Is visual rhetoric persuasive?
Visual rhetoric is a branch of rhetorical studies concerned with the persuasive use of
images, whether on their own or in the company of words.
Visual Rhetoric in Advertising

"[A]dvertising constitutes a dominant genre of visual rhetoric. Like verbal rhetoric, visual
rhetoric depends on strategies of identification; advertising's rhetoric is dominated by appeals to
gender as the primary marker of consumer identity." (Diane Hope, "Gendered Environments,"
in Defining Visual Rhetorics, ed. by C. A. Hill and M. H. Helmers, 2004).
How is rhetoric used in advertising?
Advertisers use pathos to evoke specific emotions in the audience. ... Many ads will use
a combination of all three rhetorical appeals to construct their arguments. However,
some ads emphasize ethos, while other ads mostly make use of pathos. Still other ads may tend
to have a strong use of logos.
What are rhetorical devices in advertising?

Ethos, pathos and logos are the three categories of persuasive advertising techniques.
Each category invokes a different appeal between speaker and audience.
Ethos calls upon the ethics, or what we'd call the values, of the speaker.
Pathos elicits emotions in the audience. Pathos elicits emotions in the audience.
Finally, logos puts logic into play by using evidence and facts.
Good persuasive advertising technique is when you balance all three. But using ethos,
pathos and logos in commercials sometimes means featuring one advertising technique
prominently.
ETHOS DEFINITION
What is ethos?
Ethos is the persuasive technique that appeals to an audience by highlighting credibility.
Ethos advertisement techniques invoke the superior “character” of a speaker, presenter, writer,
or brand.
Ethos examples aim to convince the audience that the advertiser is reliable and ethical.
It’s easier to make a decision when someone you respect signs off on it, right? This is broadly the
function of ethos in commercials. When an esteemed public figure endorses a product, it
validates it to the end consumer.
An ethos advertisement plays off the consumer’s respect for a given spokesperson.
Through that respect, the spokesperson appears convincing, authoritative and trustworthy
enough to listen to. Of the types of persuasive techniques in advertising, ethos is best used to
unlock trust.
USE OF ETHOS IN ADVERTISING

How is ethos used in advertising?
So, what does ethos mean? It’s all about credibility. Famous people enjoy a high status in
our society. So, they’re the ones selling products to us -- whether or not they have product-
specific expertise.
How is "Plain Folks" used in ads?

Ethos rhetoric often employs imagery of everyday, ordinary people. Known as the Plain
Folks persuasive advertising technique, in this approach a spokesperson or brand appears as an
Average Joe to feel common and sensible. In doing so, they appear concerned and cut from the
same cloth as you. This approach is very common in political ads. Consider the “Family Strong”
ad from Hillary Clinton’s 2016 presidential campaign.
What is pathos?
Pathos is persuasive technique that try to convince an audience through emotions.
Pathos advertisement techniques appeal to the senses, memory, nostalgia, or shared experience.
Pathos examples pull at the heartstrings and make the audience feel. A quick way to appeal to a
viewer’s emotions? A cute animal. A devastated family. A love story. Overcoming great odds. An
inspirational song and imagery. A good zinger.
LEARN MORE LOGOS ETHOS AND PATHOS

Comparing other techniques
There are many types of rhetorical strategies. To get a full picture on how they work
together, or when to use which rhetorical strategies, explore the full guide below. Emotions
create responses and, in our increasingly consumer-driven culture, the response is to buy
something. Pathos appeals to an audience’s basic emotions like joy, fear, and envy. All are easily
triggered in many ways.
So, what is pathos?

Well, it's a model enjoying a refreshing Coke. Or a frustrated infomercial character
desperate for a better remedy. And "tired" of the "same old blah-blah-blah." The many different
pathos advertisement examples not only evoke your feelings but anticipate your responses too.
If you want to explore pathos in advertising, language is the best place to start. Why? Because
the words we hear and read trigger specific feelings. Positive words conjure feelings of love,
excitement and wonder.
What is the "bandwagon advertising"?

“Bandwagon advertising” is commonly categorized under pathos advertisement
examples. While it may sound unfamiliar, you're probably pretty familiar with it. It creates that
impression that using certain product will put you on the “winning team”. It adheres to the
pathos definition because it plays off your fear... of being left out. Old Spice used this in their
“The Man Your Man Could Smell Like” spot. In its comical way, it puts pressure on men to smell
as good as the Old Spice Guy. Like the “Plain Folks” technique, Bandwagon advertising is a very
popular form of propaganda. Of the persuasive advertising techniques, “Bandwagon” puts your
brand on the right side of popular opinion. Remember the "Be like Mike" Ads?
What is logos?
Logos is the persuasive technique that aims to convince an audience by using logic and
reason. Also called “the logical appeal,” logos examples in advertisement include the citation of
statistics, facts, charts, and graphs. Ever told someone to “listen to reason” during an argument?
This is what logos does. The best logos advertisement examples are when a speaker appeals to
logic. Statistics, surveys, facts, and historical data can make a product seem like a more
reasonable decision. Whether the data is sound or not is another story.
How to Write a Rhetorical Analysis Essay on an Advertisement

If you have an interest in knowing how to write a rhetorical analysis essay on an
advertisement, there are a couple of things you need to explore first. For starters, a rhetorical analysis
is one where you are expected to influence what others think. In order to write a rhetorical analysis
on an advertisement, there are a couple of things you need to consider:
Questions to ask yourself
It is essential for you to ask yourself these questions as you prepare to write your essay:
• What purpose does the advertisement serve (consider what is on sale and the manner in
which it is used)
• What audience is the ad intended for (you can also think of the location where you found the
ad)
• What are specific images found in the ad and whether it is in the form of written text or visual
• How are people in the advertisement depicted? If there are any stereotypes, what are they
conforming to>
• What is the lifestyle promoted by the advertisement?
• Are there any implicit or explicit messages in the ad?
One important section you have to get right when writing a rhetorical analysis essay on an
advertisement is the introduction. You should start by describing what seems to be taking place
within the ad. VYou can achieve this by writing a strong thesis and “unpacking” the ad as you go on.
Analyze the text, color, shapes and symbolism etc. It is by answering questions such as these that you
will be in a position to write your essay. Among the best examples of rhetorical analysis essay on an
advertisement can be found at muecke1020.pbworks.com-pdf. The essay is an Old Spice
Advertisement “The Man your Man Could Smell Like” and it follows different rhetoric styles, some of
which we are going to discuss further.
Requirements to writing a rhetorical analysis essay on an advertisement

Ideally, while writing your paper bear these guidelines in mind:
• The paper should be 5 full pages, in MLA format, double spaced (ensure you use the
appropriate headers
• The advertisement in question should be incorporated in the text of the essay or it should be
attached to the essay
• You should remember to discuss ways through which the ad can be improved or what could
be done in order to make the ad more effective
With these simple tips on how to write a rhetorical analysis essay on an advertisement you should be
able to write the essay on your own.
How to write a rhetorical analysis essay on an advertisement introduction

Your rhetorical analysis essay requires an introduction and this should be in the form of a
thesis statement. The thesis statement simply refers to one or two sentences that condense the
argument you are going to follow. Often, it is either the first or last statement of your introductory
paragraph. The thesis should sum the argument of the essay without being too precise or too broad
such that your readers are able to understand the scope and message of the essay.
Tips for writing the thesis statement
While writing the thesis statement, start by figuring out what you have been asked to do. For
instance, it could be that you are asked to explain the color used in the advertisement. It is ideal to
narrow down the prompt of your assignment to a particular question then answer it. The thesis
statement is supposed to answer this question and provide an overview of evidence you intend to
use in order to convince readers the thesis is a sound one.
Writing the rest of the introduction

Next, you have to write the remaining part of the introduction so as to bring the reader to
speed with the topic under discussion. In some instance, there no need in providing a definition for
“rhetoric” or rhetorical analysis” for your reader though it is necessary to provide
context for the text under analysis. Text in this case refers to what is contained in the advertisement.
Revise the introduction

Write the essay by providing evidence in every paragraph in the body so as to support the
thesis. If at the end of the essay you realize the introduction does not work as intended, review and
rewrite it. Always make sure the introduction is a reflection of what you say in the rest of the essay.
Additional tips on how to write a rhetorical analysis essay on an advertisement
Use of ethos
Ethos refers to a persuasive strategy used by an author for purposes of illustrating their
reliability, trustfulness and credibility. As you review the advertisement, identify ethos by evaluating
how the author has asserted their credentials or the effort they are making to win trust from the
audience. Where the advertisement has used ethos, provide specific examples and analyze how that
changes the perception of the reader. For instance, many advertisements use celebrities because
people tend to believe they use the best products. Knowing how to write a rhetorical analysis essay
on an advertisement demands that you identify use of ethos with precision and accuracy.
Use of pathos
This is a rhetorical appeal in which the author engages the values and emotions of the
audience. Emotions are often evoked through sharing of personal anecdotes or stories of people who
have used the product/service in the past. Therefore, in this section of the essay, analyze the strategy
used by the author to reveal his argument through stories and emotional language.
You can also read the sample of Lance Armstrong and Nike at sites.psu.edu to get a better idea of
how to achieve this. By reading samples such as these, you sharpen your writing skills and increase
chances of getting a high score.
Logos
In the next part of the essay, describe how the author has used logos. This refers to appeal to
the needs of an audience for logical sequencing ideas. This will also include making reasonable and
supportable claims through solid research and use of reliable resources. For instance, write about
how through the advertisement, the writer has advanced his argument, the kind of research they
have used as well as reasoning behind the advertisement.
Identify style details

There are different style elements used in advertisements such as diction, imagery, syntax
and tone. Addressing these elements is crucial towards the completion of your essay and you are
supposed to demonstrate how these aspects are used if indeed they are.
Form the analysis
Now that you have identified crucial aspects about the ad, you should start working on the
analysis. Before you do this though, ensure you determine just what the gathered information
suggests. In this case you are supposed to:
• Ask the rhetorical strategy appeals and style that helps the ad to achieve its purpose. You
have to establish whether these strategies hurt or fail the ad rather than helping.
• Speculate on whether the author would have selected the rhetorical strategies for that
occasion and audience.
• Since you are writing a rhetorical analysis, bear in mind you do not necessarily have to agree
with what the author has presented in their argument.
Write in chronological order
Knowing how to write a rhetorical analysis essay on an advertisement requires you
understand how to write chronologically. This is as important as organizing the advertisement by
rhetorical appeal. Additionally, it is straightforward:
• You are supposed to begin from the start of the advertisement then work your way towards
the end. Details regarding the advertisement and analysis should be presented in a clear
manner.
• The author of the ad must have organized it carefully and with purpose. As such, addressing
the order they have used makes your analysis more coherent and easier to follow through.
Writing the conclusion

While writing a rhetorical analysis on an advertisement, the conclusion is just as important as
the introduction. You are supposed to accomplish more than simply summarizing the rhetorical
appeals used by the author. Ensure you round out the ad’s content by giving your readers
something they can ponder about. You can also review the sample at writinghood.com to get
additional ideas on how to write an impressive rhetorical analysis essay on an advertisement.
Restating your thesis and main ideas in the conclusion is important and so is specifying what can be
done in order to make the advertisement better and more effective.
While literary devices express ideas artistically, rhetoric appeals to one's sensibilities in four
specific ways:
• Logos, an appeal to logic;
• Pathos, an appeal to emotion;
• Ethos, an appeal to ethics; or,
• Kairos, an appeal to time.
Aristotle's Rhetoric generally concentrates on ethos and pathos, and—as noted

by Aristotle—both affect judgment. Specifically, Aristotle refers to the effect of ethos and pathos
on an application: Anyone who wants to persuade another; maybe you want a customer to buy,
a boss to give you a better shift, an employer to hire you, a spouse to do you a favor, your children
to do their chores. Perhaps you wanted to understand someone who is very different than you.
This theory gives you ancient keys that have been successful for centuries.
Context: Public because the communication is heard in public in the form of speeches and public
discourse.
Approach to knowing: Empirical/Scientific because researchers compiled large amounts
of data on what persuades an audience, how to organize the message and what to include. The
theory is also Interpretive because ultimately it is the individual who decides what is persuasive
to them.
Goal: As an Empirical/Scientific theory the goal is to predict that a person will be
persuaded if a combination of logos, pathos and ethos is used in the speech. As an interpretive
theory the goal is to understand what persuades each person in the audience.
In the classical tradition, the art of public speaking is called rhetoric; the circumstances in which
you give your speech or presentation are the rhetorical situation. The audience gives you the
space and time as a speaker to fulfill your role and, hopefully, their expectations. Just as a group
makes a leader, an audience makes a speaker. By looking to your audience, you shift your
attention from an internal focus (you) to an external (them/others) emphasis. Several of the first
questions any audience member asks himself or herself are, “Why should I listen to you?” “What
does what you are saying have to do with me?” and “How does this help me?” Generating interest
in your speech is the first step as you guide perception through selection, organization, and
interpretation of content and ways to communicate your point.
The rhetorical situation involves three elements: the set of expectations inherent in the context,
audience, and the purpose of your presentation (Kostelnick & Roberts, 1998). This means you
need to consider, in essence, the “who, what, where, when, why, and how” of your speech from
the audience’s perspective. Figure 5.1 below demonstrates the three-part set of expectations in
the rhetorical situation.
Visual arguments use images to engage viewers and persuade them to accept a particular idea or
point of view. Advertisements use images to make a product appealing or to link a product to a
particular lifestyle or identity. However, advertisements are only one type of visual argument
Activity:
1.Explain visual rhetoric’s significance in business communication.
2. Analyze visual cues and images based on modes of persuasion.
3.Critique visual rhetoric presentation in any advertisement
Pasig Campus
MODULE 13
WEEK 13 – Basic and Important Elements of Visual Rhetoric in Hypertext

Steps in Creating Hypertext and Generating Visual Material
Objectives:
1. Create their own visual argument in various forms
What are hyperlinks?

Hyperlinks are one of the most exciting innovations the Web has to offer. They've been a
feature of the Web since the beginning, and are what makes the Web a web. Hyperlinks allow us
to link documents to other documents or resources, link to specific parts of documents, or make
apps available at a web address. Almost any web content can be converted to a link so that when
clicked or otherwise activated the web browser goes to another web address (URL).
To fully understand link targets, you need to understand URLs and file paths. This section
gives you the information you need to achieve this. A URL, or Uniform Resource Locator is
simply a string of text that defines where something is located on the Web. For example,
Mozilla's English homepage is located at https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/. URLs use paths to find
files. Paths specify where the file you're interested in is located in the filesystem. Let's look at an
example of a directory structure, see the creating-hyperlinks directory.
There are three elements that should be communicated in any hypertext system. These
three fundamental elements are: • link presence (which must include link extent), • link
destination (which must include multiple destinations), • link mapping (which must display link
and node relationships).
The root of this directory structure is called creating-hyperlinks. When working locally
with a web site, you'll have one directory that contains the entire site. Inside the root, we have
an index.html file and a contacts.html. In a real website, index.html would be our home page or
landing page (a web page that serves as the entry point for a website or a particular section of a
website.). There are also two directories inside our root — pdfs and projects. These each have a
single file inside them — a PDF (project-brief.pdf) and an index.html file, respectively. Note that
you can have two index.html files in one project, as long as they're in different filesystem
locations. The second index.html would perhaps be the main landing page for project-related
information.
How do you make a hypertext?
Create a hyperlink to a location on the web

1. Select the text or picture that you want to display as a hyperlink.
2. On the Insert tab, click Hyperlink. You can also right-click the text or picture and
click Hyperlink on the shortcut menu.
3. In the Insert Hyperlink box, type or paste your link in the Address box. Hypertext is text
which contains links to other texts. The term was coined by Ted Nelson around 1965 (see History
). Hypermedia is a term used for hypertext which is not constrained to be text: it can include
graphics, video and sound, for example. ... A list of terms used Hypertext refers to "links" on a
computer screen that, when activated, will bring the reader immediately to a new site of text,
audio, video, etc.
4. A link may lead to only a brief sentence, to a paragraph, or to whole pages of new text.
These new texts may themselves contain links to even more new pieces of information
in hypertext literature.
Discussion:
1. Why are hyperlinks important?
2. Create your own visual argument in various forms.
Pasig Campus
MODULE 14
WEEK 14 – Steps in Conducting Visual Rhetoric Analysis

Writing Visual Rhetoric Analysis
History of Social Media and Electronic Communication
How to get the most of Social Media
Why use Social Media
Classification of Social Media
Content Worth Sharing
Objectives:
1. Write their own rhetoric analysis paper;
2. Explain the nuts and bolts of how to get the most of social media;
3. Reflect on their usage of social media apps and sites; and
4. Customize their own social media profile.
How to Do a Visual Analysis

1. Choose a visual artifact that has meaning, purpose, or intrigue;
2. Research the artifact to understand its context;
3. Evaluate the rhetorical devices the artifact uses to affect an audience;
4. Examine the design principles the artifact employs.
Visual Analysis Essays

1. Are usually written for Art History, History or English courses.
2. Describe the image and discuss how the way it is put together (the composition).
3. Analyze the meaning of the image for the artist.
4. Consider the historical meaning of the image.
5. Evaluate the effectiveness of the image for today.
What is Visual Analysis?

All images project ideas or claims. Advertisements generally make these claims openly
and even tell you the claim in the text. Works of art may be more subtle but they usually are also
trying to get the viewer to believe something. How can you analyze visual images? You look at:
the purpose of the artist; the audience; the way the image was composed and the historical
context when it was produced and when it is viewed.
Sample Outline of Visual Analysis Essay
1. Introduction: Tell the basic facts about the art (see citing your image). Get the reader
interested in the image by using one of the following methods:
2. Describe the image vividly so the reader can see it.
3. Tell about how the image was created.
4. Explain the purpose of the artist.
5. Give interesting facts about the art or artist.
6. Talk about a controversy or misunderstanding about the art.
In order to conduct a proper visual rhetoric analysis, follow these steps:

1. Write down absolutely everything you see in the ad. ...
2. Determine the importance of the objects and pictures. ...
3. Consider the message. ...
4. Determine who the audience is – the rules of visual rhetoric can be changed based on
who the author is speaking to.
5. Where did the idea of social media originate from?
Social Media plays a crucial role in connecting people and developing relationships, not
only with key influencers and journalists covering your company's sector, but also provides a
great opportunity to establish customer service by gathering input, answering questions and
listening to their feedback.
Before social media, the ways in which we connected and how many people we reached
were limited. We depended on phone calls and face-to-face interactions to strengthen
relationships. ... The more people use digital communication, the more
interpersonal communication skills decline.
What is electronic communication in business?

Email, instant messaging, websites, blogs, text messaging, voicemail and video messaging
are a few examples of electronic communication. Electronic communication has changed the
way businesses communicate with each other. ... Email is a common communication method for
sharing information with businesses.
Social media offers many benefits to business owners, as it allows them to reach out to
their customers and to gain the attention of more people/potential customers. A recent Social
Media Marketing Industry report has shown that social media enables businesses to get
exposure, traffic and gain market insights.
Social media offers many benefits to business owners, as it allows them to reach out to
their customers and to gain the attention of more people/potential customers. A recent Social
Media Marketing Industry report has shown that social media enables businesses to get
exposure, traffic and gain market insights.
Benefits of social media for brand building
1. Increase brand awareness
With nearly half of the world’s population using social media platforms, they’re a natural
place to reach new and highly targeted potential customers. Think people only connect with
brands they already know on social media? Consider that 60 percent of Instagram users say they
discover new products on the platform. When Absolut Vodka ran an Instagram campaign to
promote its limited edition Spark bottle, the company achieved a five-point lift in brand
awareness.
2. Humanize your brand

A UK study from Trinity Mirror Solutions found that more than half of adults do not trust
a brand until they see “real-world proof” that the brand is keeping its promises. To connect with
are you embracing your brand values? (Do you even have brand values?) How are you looking
out for the best interests of your customers and employees? Does your product really work?
The ability to create real human connection is one of the key benefits of social media for
business. We call these Meaningful Relationship Moments. Introduce your followers to the
people who make up your company and showcase how existing customers are using and
benefiting from your products. A social media advocacy program can be a great way to humanize
your brand.
3. Establish your brand as a thought leader

No matter what industry your business is in, social media offers the opportunity to
establish your brand as a thought leader—the go-to source for information on topics related to
your niche. Like brand advocacy, thought leadership is a great way to build consumer trust. In
fact, LinkedIn research in partnership with Edelman shows that marketers underestimate just
how much thought leadership can impact trust, especially for B2B marketers. About half of B2B
marketers surveyed believed their thought leadership would build trust in their companies.
However, more than 80 percent of buyers said thought leadership builds trust.
4. Stay top of mind

Most social media users log into their accounts at least once per day, according to Pew
Research Center, and many people are checking social multiple times per day. Social media gives
you to the opportunity to connect with fans and followers every time they log in. Keep your social
posts entertaining and informative, and your followers will be glad to see your new content in
their feeds, keeping you top of mind so you’re their first stop when they’re ready to make a
purchase.
Benefits of social media for growth

1. Increase website traffic
Social media posts and ads are key ways to drive traffic to your website. Sharing great content
from your blog or website to your social channels is a great way to get readers as soon as you
publish a new post
Participating in social chats—like the weekly #HootChat on Twitter—can also be a great
way to increase your visibility, get attention from new people, showcase your expertise, and drive
traffic to your he ads had a 7.9 times lower cost per lead than ads linking to a form on the car
manufacturer’s website.
2. Boost sales
No matter what you sell, social media can help you sell it. Your social accounts are a critical
part of your sales funnel—the process through which a new contact becomes a customer.
As the number of people using social media continues to grow and social sales tools evolve, social
networks will become increasingly important for product search and ecommerce. The time is
right to align your social marketing and sales goals. For individual sales professionals, social
selling is already a critical tool.
3. Partner with influencers

Word of mouth drives 20 to 50 percent of purchasing decisions. When you get people talking
about your product or company on social media, you build brand awareness and credibility, and
set yourself up for more sales. One key way to drive social word of mouth is to partner with
influencers—people who have a large following on social media and can draw the attention of
that following to your brand.
Benefits of social media for content creation and distribution

1. Promote content
Promoting your content on social channels is a great way to get your smart, well-
researched content in front of new people, proving your expertise and growing your audience.
For example, Adobe used LinkedIn Sponsored Content to showcase its research, including
infographics and videos.
2/ Go viral
As people start liking, commenting on, and sharing your social posts, your content is
exposed to new audiences—their friends and followers. Going viral takes this concept one step
further. As people share your content with their networks, and their networks follow suit, your
content spreads across the internet, getting thousands or even millions of shares.
This exposure is especially beneficial because all those shares, likes, and comments show an
existing connection with your brand. If I see that my friend likes your article, I may be inclined to
check out what you have to say, even if I’ve never heard of your company before. In a world
where there is far more content than any one person could ever consume, a friend’s social share
acts as a kind of pre-screening. Going viral is no easy task, of course, but without social media it
would be next to impossible.
Source content
There are two key ways businesses can source content on social media:
1. Source ideas: Ask your followers what they want, or engage in social listening, to come
up with ideas for content you can create yourself. Put simply: Give people what they’re asking
for. It’s a sure way to create content that people will want to read and share.
2. Source material for posts: Create a contest or use a hashtag to source user-generated
content (UGC) you can share. Getting your followers involved can build excitement about your
brand while also providing you with a library of social posts to share over time.
3. Reputation management. Your customers are already talking about you on social media,
whether or not you’re there to respond. If you and your team are on the ball, you can pick up on
important social posts about your brand to highlight the positive and address the negative before
it turns into a major issue. Is someone saying something about your business that’s not true? Be
sure to share your side of the story in a polite, professional way. Someone singing your praises?
Send them plenty of thanks and draw attention to their kind words.
4. Crisis communication. When a Philadelphia Starbucks store had two black men arrested,
the hashtag #BoycottStarbucks went viral, and fast. The hashtag was used more than 100,000
times in just three days. That is officially a crisis. Starbucks, to its credit, responded quickly. After
this first apology, the company followed up with several more statements on social media, and
announced that it would close all of its stores for a day of racial-bias training. It remains to be
seen what the long-term effects of this incident will be for the Starbucks brand, but the
consequences would almost certainly been worse if the company had not responded quickly and
appropriately on social media. Does your company have a plan in place for dealing with a crisis?
While smaller brands may not have a crisis blow up to such a large scale, a smaller number of
shares can have a devastating impact within a tight-knit community or niche. Silence is not an
option when it comes to responding to crises on social media. Maintaining well-run and managed
social accounts and having a plan in place can help make sure you’re present and ready to engage
if the worst occurs.
5, Customer and audience engagement. Social networks give you the opportunity to interact
directly with customers and fans, and likewise give them the chance to interact directly with your
brand. Unlike traditional media, which offers only one-way communication, social media is a two-
way street. If you want customers and followers to be engaged, you have to be engaged yourself.
Stay active and respond to comments and questions on your own social media posts in a way
that’s appropriate to your brand.
6. Customer service and customer support. People expect brands to be available on social
media and seek out their social accounts for customer service. Research published in the Harvard
Business Review shows that brands who don’t meeting those expectations damage their bottom
line. The HBR research, which specifically looks at Tweets, shows that customers who receive a
response to their Tweet would be willing to spend more with the brand on a later purchase,
especially if they get a response within five minutes. That holds true even when the initial Tweet
was a flat-out complaint.
Benefits of social media for gaining insights

1 Monitor conversations that are relevant to your brand. We mentioned social media
monitoring above as an important element of audience engagement. But it’s also important as a
key source of intelligence about your brand, your competitors, and your niche.
2. Learn more about your customers. Social media generates a huge amount of data about your
customers in real time. You can use that information to make smarter business decisions.
All of the major social networks offer analytics that provide demographic information about the
people interacting with your account. This can help you tailor your strategy to better speak to
your real audience. We’ve created extensive guides on how to use analytics
in Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, Snapchat, and Pinterest, so there’s no excuse to
remain in the dark about your customers and social followers.
3. Gauge sentiment around your brand. Lots of mentions is a good thing, right? Sure, in many
cases. But if you’re getting lots of mentions with a negative sentiment, you need to do some quick
thinking to figure out what’s gone wrong and address the problem. Hootsuite’s social
engagement coordinator, Nick Martin, defines social media sentiment as “the perceived positive
or negative mood being portrayed in a social media post or engagement.” While it’s important
to know how much people are talking about your brand online, it’s also important to know how
people actually feel about your brand.
4. Keep an eye on the competition. It’s also important to know what people are saying about
your competitors. For example, tracking mentions of your competitors might reveal pain points
with their products that you could reach out to address, winning new customers in the process.
When Uber Canada launched a promotion to deliver free ice cream for a day in Vancouver, things
went spectacularly wrong. People couldn’t get their free ice cream, and they were not happy
about it. They took to social media to complain. The social team at Skip The Dishes saw an
opportunity and reached out to people complaining about Uber with a free ice cream delivery of
their own, in the form of a Skip The Dishes credit. All those Uber haters quickly turned into Skip
The Dishes fans, and new customers (since you had to create a Skip The Dishes Account to get
your free ice cream). Monitoring the competition on social media also means you’ll be aware
when you competitors launch new products, run promotions, and release new reports or data.
5. Stay on top of industry news. In the online world, things move fast—and you can’t afford to
be left behind. Keeping a virtual ear to the ground through social listening makes sure you’re
always informed about upcoming changes to your industry that could affect the way you do
business.
Benefits of social media for advertising
1. Targeted advertising
Social ads are an inexpensive way to promote your business and distribute content. They
also offer powerful targeting options so you can reach the right audience and make the most of
your budget.
Savvy marketers have embraced this key benefit of social media for business: They will spend
twice as much on Facebook ads in 2018 as they will on newspaper advertising
2. Retargeting
Nearly 70 percent of online shopping carts are abandoned.People who have abandoned
products in a shopping cart are prime potential customers. They have already found your
website, browsed your products, and made a decision about what they might want. People
abandon shopping carts for many reasons, but someone who has expressed this degree of
interest in your company should not be ignored.
Using tracking tools like the Facebook Pixel, you can show these potential customers
social media ads for the exact products they have browsed on your website or placed in the
shopping cart. For example, the craft site Craftsy used retargeting Facebook ads to promote
products to people who had already interacted with a product page on the Craftsy site.
Discussion:
1. Conduct a visual rhetoric analysis on any brand.
2. Explain the nuts and bolts of how to get the most of social media.
Pasig Campus
MODULE 15
WEEK 15 – The Apps and Social Media networking Sites

Mobile Devices as One’s Social Life Package
Objectives:
1.Discuss the different Apps and social media networking sites; and
2. Explain how mobile devices are ones’ social life package.
Social Networking Apps

1.Whatsapp: Being a messaging app Whatsapp has more users than Linkedin, Instagram, Twitter
and Pinterest combined. ...
2.Twitter: ..
3.Linkedin: ...
4. Instagram: ...
5. Google+: ...
6. Pinterest: ...
7. Facebook messenger: ...
8. Tumblr:
The 10 Best Social Media and Content Apps for 2020

1. Facebook. Facebook is The king of social media and the one with the largest amount of users
across the globe. Facebook has around 2 billion active users per month, making it the ultimate
social media platform. ...
2. Instagram. ...
3. Twitter. ...
4. You tube. ...
5. Hootsuite. ...
6. Canva. ...
7. Captiona. ...
8. Story Slicer.
Social Media in 2020

Should you go all in on Instagram? Maybe place half of your social media budget into
Facebook and split the rest between YouTube and LinkedIn? What about Pinterest? These are
the kinds of questions plaguing small businesses and marketing teams alike.
To help you decide which social media platforms are going to be right for your brand this
year, here are our picks for the top social media sites you should care about (and invest in) during
2020 and guidance on where to place your bets.
1. Instagram
Long the home of influencers, brands, bloggers, small business owners, friends and
everyone in between--Instagram has topped well over 1 billion monthly users for some time
now. If you’re wondering whether a meaningful segment of your audience spends time on the
platform, the answer is almost surely a resounding yes.
Who’s on Instagram (and Why): Instagram has become one of the most popular social
media platforms for teens and young adults, especially in the US. Use of the app slowly drops
off with age but stays consistent across both men and women, so if your customers are under
40, then Instagram can’t be ignored.
The Content that Works Best on Instagram: Beautiful photography, stunning visuals,
unique designs, selfie-style video that speaks directly to your audience and a cohesive theme to
your content will help you stand out on Instagram.
2. YouTube
YouTube hails as the second most popular search engine in the world today, right behind
its parent company, Google. If your business could benefit from producing video tutorials or
walkthroughs, visually-driven instructional content, product reviews or interviews, then this
social media platform is a must for reaching their more than 2 billion monthly users.
Who’s on YouTube (and Why): A whopping 73% of US adults report regularly using
YouTube, with a heavy concentration in the age range of 15 to 34 years olds. YouTube is broadly
popular amongst both men and women, and usage tends to go up alongside income and level
of education.
The Content that Works Best on YouTube: Video only! Depending upon your type of
business and who your audience is, both long-form and short-form video content can work very
well on this platform. Most viewers tune in for a combination of education and entertainment,
so whether you’re teaching your audience about emerging marketing tactics or streaming video
gameplay, work hard to retain their attention throughout your videos. You might also
consider tapping into popular YouTube trends like unboxing videos (especially if you rep a
physical product) and “with me” content that takes viewers along with you for the ride.
Additionally, if starting a YouTube channel feels ambitious, partnering with YouTube
influencers who are excited about your mission could help you test the waters before you dive
in.
You Should Prioritize YouTube if: Your audience is below the age of 50 and consumes
video content as a means of either education or entertainment.
3. Facebook
With nearly 2.5 Billion monthly users, Facebook is hands down the largest social media site
in the world. While that practically ensures at least some of your audience regularly uses the
platform, it’s developed a somewhat negative reputation amongst younger users that are
increasingly turning to other alternative sites.
Regardless, if your brand stands to benefit from sharing industry-related news, engaging
(short-form) videos, graphics and other visually appealing content—especially if your primary
audience is above the age of 30—then consider having a presence on Facebook. You might
also consider leveraging Facebook groups to gather your customers or community in one place
online. Facebook groups, unlike Facebook business pages, aren’t for advertising, but they can
be helpful in creating conversation.
Who’s on Facebook (and Why): 68% of US adults report using Facebook, with 51% saying
they’re active multiple times daily. Usage is spread pretty evenly amongst males and females,
while users tend to get increasingly active as age increases (especially beyond the 40+ year old
demographic).
The Content that Works Best on Facebook: The more interesting, engaging or even
polarizing your content is, the more likely it is to go viral on Facebook. Lean heavily on short
videos, eye-catching images and attention-grabbing headlines to attract an audience. For
Facebook groups, interactive content and conversation-starters are the way to go. Consider
live streams and polls.
You Should Prioritize Facebook if: You want to reach an audience of adults and have
engaging visual (or video) content that can capture their attention, invoke an immediate
emotional response and make them excited to share with their friends. Or if you want an easy
way to create an online community around a topic or business.
4. Twitter
While Twitter’s monthly active user numbers have hovered consistently around 300
Million for a while now, a whopping 40% of those users are active on the site multiple times
daily, suggesting that if your audience uses the platform, they’re likely very engaged. The
popularity of this social media site remains high amongst tech-savvy users and is particularly
active in B2B verticals related to business, marketing and politics today.
Who’s on Twitter (and Why): 63% of Twitter users are between the ages of 35 and 65,
with males making up nearly two-thirds of those people.
The Content that Works Best on Twitter: Twitter has become a very popular medium to
communicate breaking news, digest bite-sized content, and communicate directly with your
users in real-time. Videos and images tend to stand out best, but a well-timed written tweet
still works wonders if you’re hopping on trending topics and are particularly witty.
You Should Prioritize Twitter if: Your audience skews toward the demographic of mature
males between the ages of 30 and 60. Experiment with a combination of content types ranging
from educational videos, to gripping visuals and discussion threads that offer advice & opinions.
5. TikTok
This new kid on the block is less than two years old, but received over 1 billion downloads
of their video-based app during their first year of operation. Today, TikTok reportedly sees over
800 Million monthly users (according to a leaked advertising deck), which instantly places it
amongst the top social media platforms in the world in terms of sheer user figures.
Who’s on TikTok (and Why): Around 50% of TikTok’s audience is under the age of 35 in
the US, with the majority of that audience concentrated amongst those between the ages of
16 to 24.
The Content that Works Best on TikTok: Entertaining, interesting, comedic and
sometimes nonsensical short-form video content, usually set to the tune of popular songs. Think
fun, catchy music-video style content.
You Should Prioritize TikTok if: You want to reach (and entertain) a young audience with
fun video-based content that doesn’t often have a direct connection to your products or services.
Being overly self-promotional on this platform won’t build you a loyal following, so be prepared
to take the approach of entertaining first.
6. Pinterest
Pinterest has become a very popular social bookmarking tool for saving ideas and finding
creative inspiration when it comes to everything from cooking to DIY home projects, vacation
ideas, interior design, business and everything in between. With an audience predominantly
consisting of adult women, this social media platform is also often cited as a crucial part of the
product discovery journey.
Who’s on Pinterest (and Why): With over 320 million monthly users, Pinterest boasts one
of the most concentrated audiences of women amongst all social media sites. Nearly 80% of their
users are female, with a heavy concentration amongst Millennials.
The Content that Works Best on Pinterest: Vertically-formatted images do best on this
platform, due largely to the browsing experience users are presented with. Polished imagery with
clear copy that conveys what the Pinner will see if they click through performs best. Numbers,
lists, and quotes should be a big part of your strategy here. And don’t forget to consider keywords
and search terms in your imagery.
You Should Prioritize Pinterest if: Your audience consists predominantly of adult women,
your business is related to lifestyle, fashion, decorating, or DIY.
7. Snapchat
Despite seeming to lose some ground to competitor social media platforms like Instagram
and TikTok, Snapchat still remains one of the most heavily used apps with the under 25 years of
age demographic—boasting over 300 Million monthly users in recent months. Most Snapchat
users frequent the app in order to share updates and communicate with friends & family through
disappearing images and short video messages.
Who’s on Snapchat (and Why): Young adults between the ages of 18 and 24 make up a
massive 78% of active users who partake in the platform’s over 14 Billion daily video views. Users
tend to skew slightly more toward females, with the majority accessing the app daily.
The Content that Works Best on Snapchat: Video-driven storytelling. If you have a knack
for creating compelling (usually selfie-style) short videos that can entertain & educate a young
audience, then Snapchat is a no brainer platform for you to form connections with your
customers.
You Should Prioritize Snapchat if: You want to reach a young audience and have an
affinity for creating bite-sized, engaging video content. Like with TikTok though, don’t expect to
flip on your camera and talk about your products all day, as most Snapchat users are here to be
entertained.
Activity:
1. Which of the apps are you into and why?
2. Discuss the different Apps and social media networking sites and how they can
help you in your business.
Pasig Campus
MODULE 16
WEEK 16 – Social Media and Technical Documentation

Social Media Platforms and How to Use Then in Technical Writing
Challenges and Opportunities
OBJECTIVES:
1. Understand social media’s role in technical writing;
2. Analyze and critique technical documents; and
3. Create credible content/article to be published online.
Social Media For Technical Writers

There are now many social media avenues by which technical writers could use to provide
the information required by their target audience. We have Facebook, Twitter, YouTube,
Blogging, Pinterest to just to name a few. With all these social media mediums, do we still need
to provide paper documentation or should we just answer questions from users via social media
channels? Social media contains user generated content. Will readers be more apt to read
documentation on electronic devices than on paper? We are so tied to our mobile devices, that
maybe, we should just place all our documentation online. We have the Kindle, iPad, iPhone,
Android, Nook, blogs, webinars, and podcasts, etc., just to name a few which can all communicate
technical information electronically.
The target audience can gain access to all the information they need quickly and when
they want no matter where they are. They can perform searches quickly for specific information
and send comments and ask questions when they want no matter where the SME (Subject Matter
Expert) is located. SME’s can be reached via links, e.g., tweets which can be added to the end of
documents and get immediate responses; especially for critical questions and situations. All these
new communication lines also keep all stakeholders abreast of critical situations, new knowledge,
and keeps everyone up-do-date on all the latest events.
Even though this all sounds logical and exciting, should we do that? We still have to be
aware of some drawbacks or problems. Not every type of information can be placed within social
media channels, especially if it is related to confidential information. Confidential information is
a huge entity. Each organization will have to decide which types of documents can be placed
online for social media access, which to remain on paper format, and of course which to
store/archive elsewhere. If the organization has an intranet or has been storing data within the
cloud, they can set it up with privilege access only to retain confidentiality.
As a whole, using social media is useful for technical writers. Social media would provide
easier accessibility to SMEs, users, upper management and those across all levels of the
organization. One of the technical writers’ functions is to create help content and assist in
creating marketing material. All these materials add to the good credibility of the organization
and its products. Social media for technical writers in this area provides a plus for consumer
service and sociability. If there is a problem w/a purchase or a question, the consumers can
immediately, e.g., text, or tweet customer service quickly and the customer service personnel
would be able to perform the search and provide answers quickly. In turn the
customers/consumers, could, e.g., re-tweet about the organization, its support and cooperation,
and might even reply with new suggestions or products for the company.
Social media changes traditional technical communication by turning a passive, reading

audience into active, contributing participants. Using social media channels,
the technical communicators get closer to the users, breaching the gap between the creators
and consumers of the support content.
7 Social Media Content Writing Tips

1. Do your research
If you want your audience to notice and engage with your social posts, you need to make
them highly relevant to your target group.
The more relevant your posts are, the more success you will have - but relevance, in general, is
not enough. You need to take the time to truly understand your audience. Start with the general
demographic information and then go deeper.
What needs, obstacles or challenges do they have? Pick a need or challenge that might be a high
priority for them right now, then develop content and social media posts which provide them
with a solution.
PRO TIP: To connect with your audience on an emotional level, share success stories from
your previous satisfied customers. This will help them envision their own success as a result of
using your product or solution, and make them feel positive about you.
2. Speak their language

Take your research further and learn what language your ideal clients use to communicate
their needs or challenges. Use this language when writing your posts to ensure your content
resonates with your audience. This will help to show them that you truly understand them and
their challenges.
For example, a post you write on LinkedIn for senior-level executives will read very
different to a post you write on Facebook for new moms. Not only do these two groups of people
have different challenges and points of view, but their language – the exact phrasing they use to
speak about their needs and challenges – differs significantly also.
3. Develop your voice

Although you should write social media posts in the language of your target audience, the
overall message should be written in your own voice.
Your voice (or your brand voice) refers to the personality and emotion infused into all your
marketing activities and social interactions online - you create that voice with the language and
tone you use when writing your content or interacting with your audience.
This voice is primarily influenced by your or your company’s personality - your 'why' story
and the language used by your ideal customers. This voice needs to be consistent throughout the
content you create and the posts you share on social platforms, as well as any engagement you
have on those networks. This consistency will help your audience connect with you emotionally,
as well as build trust, and identify your social media posts as yours.
4. Be positive
This doesn’t mean every post needs to be happy - there's a huge difference between
positive and happy. You want your audience to be excited, and inspired by your posts, and that
doesn’t always mean happy posts.
In some of your posts, you may choose to share your opinion or take a stand on something
important to you and your brand. But there’s a difference between taking a stand and attacking
or criticizing others.
A lot of schoolyard-style bullying happens on social media. Don't engage with it.
Whatever you do, avoid criticizing anyone (or any business) publicly. Criticizing others is not only
unprofessional but also dangerous - it can draw more negative people to your page, and can hurt
any trust or credibility you've built with your existing followers.
5. Keep it short and simple

People value their time. If you want your audience to give you their attention, you need
to show that you value their time also.
Great ways to do this include:
• Making your content and posts easy to read by writing at an eighth-grade reading level
• Using headings, bullets and lists where possible to make your content or posts easier to
scan
• Keeping paragraphs to only two or three sentences
• Being as succinct as possible when writing on your topic
6. Use images and videos

Use images, graphics and videos to tell a story where possible. Visual content is more
engaging, and can often tell the story quicker and more succinctly than words alone. In fact, an
image or video can often stand alone in social media posts while still conveying the full message
to your audience.
Keep in mind that video, in particular, can better enable you to connect with your
audience on a deeper level. People respond well to video, as it can humanize you and enable
them to get to know you more intimately.
Most platforms have live video features, which can greatly benefit you. An unscripted live
video can make you feel vulnerable, but that vulnerability will give your video a level of
authenticity, which is often lacking in high-quality marketing videos. Those slick marketing videos
are more likely to be ignored than a live video featuring your authentic self.
For best results, optimize each piece of visual content for the platform you're posting it
on to ensure your message is being shared, and that you look professional.
7. Add a call to action
At the end of your content or social posts, consider prompting your audience with what
you action you'd like them to take next by including a call to action (CTA). Without one, most
people won’t take any action after reading your content, even if they enjoyed it and derived value
from it.
CTAs come in different forms and have different purposes. For example, you can motivate
your audience to take actions with these CTAs:
• Ask them to like or share your social media posts
• Ask a question they can answer in the comments
• Direct them to another piece of content
• Send them to a landing page
• Direct them to your website
• Get them to subscribe to your newsletter
• Ask them to connect with you on other social media channels
8. Increase your success with these social media content writing

The competition for your audience’s time and attention can be fierce. The secret to being
successful is to not compete, but rather to set yourself apart from the crowd by creating and
sharing content and social posts your audience will want to consume.
You can bond with your audience over your content by ensuring that everything you write
is created with their wants and needs in mind. Do your research and get to know who they are,
and what they need and/or want most. Speak to them using their language, consistently
conveyed in your brand’s voice.
Keep your content and social posts positive (not to be confused with happy), and ensure
they're easy for your audience to consume. And look to add images, videos and CTAs to increase
your content's effectiveness - and drive measurable results. (Melonie
Dodaro@meloniedodaroMay 31, 2019)
Biggest Challenges of Social Media Management

1. Finding time for everything. ...
2. Creating fresh and meaningful content for each audience. ...
3. Getting executive or client approval. ...
4.Having great ideas but a lack of resources. ...
5.Switching up the voice and tone for different channels. ...
6. Simply developing a strong and distinct voice.
Biggest Social Media Marketing Challenges

1. Lack of sufficient time to discover and create interesting content
2. Targeting the right platforms and audience for maximum engagement
3. Originality and lack of design resources
4. Ensuring right sizes for social media graphics
5. Keeping up with the ever-changing world of social media
6. Adopting a unique platform-specific approach
7. Aligning social media strategies throughout different departments
8. Staying up-to-date with latest trends on a daily basis
9. Balancing the daily tasks
10. Sorting across the most engaging content
11. Getting to know your audience
12. Limited social media budget
13. Keeping up with the unwritten rules
14. ROI on social media
15. Scaling up the social media efforts
16. Developing an effective social media strategy
17. Dilemma of choosing between quality and quantity
18. Managing and growing your community Tweaking the strategy for each social media
platform
19. Staying inspired, optimistic and consistently creating and executing strategies
20. Lack of details from clients
21. No proper funnel set
1. Lack of sufficient time to discover and create interesting content

Social media managers can face quite a few challenges in their day to day operations; or
at least they do if they're not leveraging the right tools.
Time management, for example, is one of the most significant issues faced by marketers
- there's never enough time to create the content needed, post it at the right time, research
hashtags, get approval from managers and clients and so on.
And that is a big challenge - one that is only solvable by being super organized and by using the
right social media management tools -- tools that help you plan your posts, create them quickly
and schedule them on multiple accounts. And what's more, being organized is key: prepping your
updates ahead of time, getting posts approved in time, ensuring you have extra content that you
can use and so on.
Another huge challenge is, getting stuck and not being able to come up with great
ideas in time. Because social media moves at such a fast pace, and you always need to come up
with new ideas, this is entirely understandable. One way to solve this is to regularly brainstorm
with your team and come up with multiple ideas in one go, as well as to follow similar accounts
and influencers to help inspire you.
2. Targeting the right platforms and audience for maximum engagement

Social media is its own monster that needs care and attention to serve you in the way you
intend (with the right strategy, of course). But even with the right goals and techniques to get
there, managing social media accounts can still have its challenges:
Leverage each platform for maximum engagement. Twitter, Facebook, Instagram,
LinkedIn; they all serve a different purpose, and your audience utilizes them for a specific reason
(even if it's subconscious). Finding ways to align those purposes with what the audience wants to
see and engage with can be a game of trial and error.
Understand who your audience is and what they want to see. In comparison to public
speaking, posting to social media is a curated effort and is tailored to a specific audience. Knowing
who they are so that you can keep their interest can be difficult. It's about listening to them, too.
It takes patience. Refrain from sounding the same in all your posts. Variety is the spice of life. It
can draw new eyes to your content. But when it's a one-person show, it can be a challenge to be
the voice for the hundreds of people in your company.
3. Originality and lack of design resources

One of the most challenging parts of social media management is coming up with new
content ideas to stand out in the sea of sameness. It's easy to fall into a routine of repeating the
same types of content (e.g., new blog post announcements, new course launches, upcoming
webinar promotion, etc.) to keep up our social presence on multiple channels. There's a real
challenge in curating new and out-of-the-box content.
That leads to another challenge I often face: lack of design resources. Our in-house design
team is overloaded with design projects outside of social media, so finding and coming up with
creatives is something that I often have to do on my own. This is time-consuming.
Lastly, organic social media is hard to measure. Given our industry (CRO, digital analytics,
and growth), it's imperative that I'm able to clearly measure ROI on all of my efforts spent on
social media and communicate that with data back to the team. Tracking engagement and other
social KPIs are siloed into various social platforms. I've yet to find a tool that consolidates all of
that data accurately into one central repository. This is a time consuming, manual process right
now.
4. Ensuring right sizes for social media graphics

Honestly, I think the biggest challenge I face right now is creating content that fits all social
networks. Also, because I create so much visual content, making sure that a graphic will meet the
different "recommended sizes" of each social network is a significant pain point.
5. Keeping up with the ever-changing world of social media

Probably the biggest challenge that I experience as a social media manager is keeping up
with the latest updates of each social media platform because each update would impact our
social media process. For example, when Twitter limited auto-cross-promotion of the same
content/tweet on different twitter accounts, we had to think fast and act fast because some of
the twitter accounts we handle won't have anything to post because of this. And don't get me
started with YouTube Analytics, which changes almost every month. But you know, some of these
changes are necessary and most of it we're thankful that it happened.
How do we overcome this? We have a good leader on our social media team, Vengreso
CEO Mario Martinez Jr. who keeps us focused on what we need to do to find a solution... we
meet. we plan. we execute. AND this is important... we are also fortunate to have a great social
media tool, E clincher, who was able to adapt to these sudden changes. That's it.
6. Adopting a unique platform-specific approach

There are many challenges to daily social media management, but so many of them can
be bundled together under the problem of creating meaningful content that ignites a spark with
audiences across various social platforms. When you think about it, content that’s bright and
fresh is what captures attention and gets people engaged. Coming up with content that
effortlessly accomplishes this daily can be a struggle, especially once you start considering the
nuances of each platform. The response you get to a post on Twitter might be completely
different than what you receive on Instagram.
Fresh, meaningful content is what fuels interactions, which are necessary for gaining any
traction out of a social media campaign. But how useful content is defined changes between
audiences. Discovering how to reach, deeply engage and encourage audience interaction most
effectively requires a platform-specific approach, even if it’s just in the minor details.
The solution begins with getting to know your audiences on a personal level, not just by their
demographics. Then analyzing each platform separately, followed by looking at them all together
for a more cohesive snapshot of who you’re reaching and who you’re missing the target with.
Too often, assumptions are made about social media audiences, and it results missed
opportunities.
Finally, going all in on varied content strategy – video, podcasts, blogs, infographics,
memes, etc. – until you find what sticks and generates the engagement you’re looking for.
7. Aligning social media strategies throughout different departments

Another problem for any social media manager is getting other areas of the company to
share what is happening in their business. Many do not see their day to day progress as
newsworthy; but, it may very well be for the social media manager.
Social Media Managers often need to push to be invited to meetings for business
development, operations as well as the more obvious sales and marketing meetings to be able
to find opportunities to both help these other areas but also generate strong content for social
channels. So many aspects of a business (from a company recycling program, the product launch
date or even a new hire) can be essential and relevant for social media.
Getting team leads thinking of their ongoing business progress as potential social media
posts take time but can be fun for everyone involved once you get that ball rolling. I have found
that training employees from other business groups can help this.
My tip: push to get yourself invited to the meetings for each business sector and keep
reminding teams of what could be social media relevant.
8. Staying up-to-date with latest trends on a daily basis

Social media is continually changing, so one of the biggest challenges can be staying up to
date with everything daily. This can be changes to one of the platforms, such as Facebook
introducing a new algorithm or function, a client dealing with a community management issue
or even just daily trending events in popular culture that warrant a reactive social post. Given
how quickly space is evolving, this is almost a full-time job in itself and becomes a real balancing
act alongside the more day to day tasks. Reactive content and posts are the other tricky bit of
the job to balance, given that these often need to consider client sign-off time and design
resource means they are always keeping you on your toes.
9. Balancing the daily tasks

As a social media manager, one of the biggest problems we face is balancing #allthethings
that need to get done in a day. From scheduling social media posts, to creating graphics, to
writing captions, to sending client reports - it can be tough to know which tasks to focus on. One
thing that's helped me is time blocking. I create my client content in batches, and I work on
specific tasks at specific times. This helps me stay super focused on what needs to be done, but
it also allows me to do more with the time that I have. Since I'm spending my time block tuned
into a particular task, I'm actually able to accomplish more in that higher concentration state.
. 10 Sorting across the most engaging content

Sorting across the most engaging content which can be scheduled for the social media
pages is the big challenge for Social media managers today. With tons of content being published
and shared across the social media platforms, it is hard for the managers to predict which content
will be most engaging among their brand followers.
Social media managers need to practice with many sets of updates among their social
media followers to test which post will be engaged by most of the followers. Now the organic
decline in social media post is one more challenge among the managers.
11. Getting to know your audience

While social media managers have metrics for engagement, too often that extends only
to company posts. But real engagement with your audience also involves getting to know them
by interacting with them in the conversations they are already having on social media as well.
And that takes time and commitment to do so! You can't just try to do 15 minutes of social
listening per day and check the box on having been working on engagement.
1. Limited social media budget

I believe that there are many challenges a social media manager faces in their day-to-day
operations. I suppose the first one is probably internally always having to fight for more budget
and resources, as the job of a social media manager might not be as highly valued as it should be.
That aside, a social media manager is always challenged with creating or curating or finding
content that is going to truly engage his or her audience and drive the results that's the company
social media program is looking for. Unfortunately, or fortunately, if you are a multimedia
content creator, the content that is needed is becoming overwhelmingly visual, and not just
photos or even videos, but creative visual storytelling through stories. Of course, every social
network algorithm becoming more and more pay to play over time creates an increasingly tricky
atmosphere for social media managers to operate in, challenging them to be more creative and
collaborative in the content they create.
2. Keeping up with the unwritten rules

I would say that keeping up with the rules, especially the unwritten rules, is the biggest
challenge. On Facebook, it’s how to make sure your content gets seen by your friends and
followers, as it’s hard to keep track of the algorithm. On Twitter, it’s how to keep track of the
follow and unfollow limits and what number of each in what period will trigger a locked account.
Related to that is the ebb and flow of followers. When you wake up to find your twitter account
has lost 150 followers, that’s a pain point.
Discussion:
1. Explain social media’s role in technical writing.
Pasig Campus
MODULE 17
WEEK 17 – Staying Secure in Digital World

Cyber Crime Cases
Cyber Crime Technology
How to be Safe in Cyber Space
OBJECTIVES:
1. Secure students’ own cyberspace by following the safety and security against
cybercrime; and
2. Produce an advocacy campaign on safety and security against cybercrime.
3.
Here are our top 10 tips to stay safe on social media:
1.Use a strong password. The longer it is, the more secure it will be.
2. Use a different password for each of your social media accounts.
3. Set up your security answers. This option is available for most social media sites
4. If you have social media apps on your phone, be sure to password protect your device.
5. Be selective with friend requests. If you don’t know the person, don’t accept their request. It
could be a fake account.
6. Click links with caution. Social media accounts are regularly hacked. Look out for language or
content that does not sound like something your friend would post.
7. Be careful about what you share. Don’t reveal sensitive personal information ie: home address,
financial information, phone number. The more you post the easier it is to have your identity
stolen.
8. Become familiar with the privacy policies of the social media channels you use and customize
your privacy settings to control who sees what.
9. Protect your computer by installing antivirus software to safeguard. Also ensure that your
browser, operating system, and software are kept up to date.
10. Remember to log off when you’re done.
5 Rules You Should Always Follow to Stay Safe on Social Med ia

1. Privatize your social life
The first step is to go through your social media apps (and not just the ones you use the
most) and change your personal profile to private. Making your profile private is the easiest way
to ensure that anyone who wants to interact with your posts has to at least be a friend or follower
before seeing what you post. You get to be a gatekeeper for your own safety this way. Otherwise,
you’re exposed to the entirety of the internet at any moment.
Every social media app or website has different privacy permissions, and some have more specific
options that allow you to tailor which posts are shared even among your followers and friends.
Take the time to go through them all, and you can be confident that you know who is seeing your
posts.
2. Share your private information intentionally

Even basic personal information may lead to more private information for hackers or
would-be identity thieves. By posting your birthday, where you live and work, or even your last
name, you can leave a thread that hackers and scammers can follow: Consider not sharing that
information on social media (your real friends will know your birthday anyway, right?) or keeping
your account private. Some people even use a middle name as their last name on social media
for even more security.
Part of protecting your privacy online means staying on top of your passwords, too. When
was the last time you updated your passwords (because you have more than one, right?)? If
keeping up with several passwords seems too daunting, consider a password manager: Password
safety is not the sort of thing you want to risk.
3. Avoid posting your location

While it may be fun to brag that you’re at the hottest new bar in town, do you want
everyone who sees your post (or their friends, clients, etc.) to know where you are at that exact
moment? Something as simple as posting your vacation location or pictures could potentially
lead to dangerous situations: Scammers, predators, and other problematic people could be
watching tourist check-in spots and popular venues on social media for potential targets.
Not every person seeking your location is out to get you, per se. But at the very least, by avoiding
posting your location, you won’t have to explain to your boss why you seemed so full of energy
while you were out on a Thursday night but somehow acquired the infamous 24-hour flu on
Friday.
Apps such as Facebook, FourSquare, Instagram, Snapchat, and Twitter may have
convenient options to check in at venues or show that you’re part of a massive event, but think
about who may be lurking in the background before you post.
4. Do a business account checkup

A business account’s social media safety is as important as that of your personal accounts,
if not more so. If you’re running a business account, you’ll want to stay public, but businesses
should still be wary of strange messages, repeated friend requests from duplicate accounts, and
odd names accompanied by long number strains.
Be mindful about who you do business with on social media and what information you share
across those networks. While you might be delighted at receiving a message about a fantastic
offer or business opportunity, it could also turn out to be a scam. As the adage goes: if it sounds
too good to be true, it probably is.
5. Treat your online life like your offline life

Stay aware of what you put out into the world on social media, surround yourself with
good people, and make safety and privacy part of your routine. You can live your life and share
it with others, but recognizing the risks involved may prevent you from sending the wrong thing
out to the wrong crowd. You don’t have to be afraid, but you can be safe. If you wouldn’t engage
in a conversation with a shady stranger at the grocery store, don’t do it through a social media
messaging, either.
Cybercrime, also called computer crime, the use of a computer as an instrument to

further illegal ends, such as committing fraud, trafficking in child pornography and intellectual
property, stealing identities, or violating privacy.
5 Popular Cybercrimes to Effortlessly Protect Your Computer and Data Against its Impact
1. Phishing scams. Phishing is a practice of a cybercriminal or hacker attempting to obtain sensitive
or personal information from a computer user. ...
2. Identity Theft scams. ...
3. Online Harassment. ...
4. Cyberstalking. ...
5. Invasion of privacy.
What Are Some Examples of Cybercrime?

• Hacking into personal accounts.
• Hacking into work databases.
• Breaking into competitor databases.
• Various forms of internet theft and fraud.
• Schemes/scams based on fake websites.
• Various credit-related thefts.
Malicious Software (Malware) tops the list of computer crimes as it enables cyber crime on a
massive scale. Malware can be of different types like Trojans, viruses, worms and any other ow
to protect yourself against cybercrime
1. Use a full-service internet security suite. ...
2. Use strong passwords. ...
3. Keep your software updated. ...
4. Manage your social media settings. ...
5. Strengthen your home network. ...
6. Talk to your children about the internet. ...
7. Keep up to date on major security breaches.
software that attaches to a computer without individuals being aware of its presence.
Discussion:
1. How can you be safe from any cybercrime despite following all possible safety
measures?
Prepared by:
DR. NENITA D. TANDINGAN

Professor 9/12/20
References
http://www.wikihow.com/Write-a-Rhetorical-Analysis
http://classroom.synonym.com/rhetorical-essay-format-3629.html
http://classroom.synonym.com/introduction-rhetorical-analysis-essay-4266.html
http://www.ocelot.english.vt.edu/?page_id=356

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RIZAL TECHNOLOGICAL UNIVERSITY

WEEK 1 - Introduction to The Course Objectives, Contents, Activities, And Requirements

Technical Writing Defined

It is an audience-centered means of communication that provides a reader with clear and

Why is Technical Writing Important?

Formatting and Language

Principles to Guide Technical Writing

WEEK 2 – Purposes and Properties of Technical Writing

Properties of Technical Writing

The elements of technical writing are: 1. product, 2. developers, 3. audience, 4. tasks, 5.

Academic Writing versus Technical Writing

Uses of Technical Writing

Types of Technical Writing

WEEK 3 – Relevant Laws and Principles of Ethical Communication

Principles of Ethical Communication 

Ethical communication is a type of communication that is predicated upon certain

Ethical communication also assumes that communicated information is always presented

Openness and Transparency

Consideration for Any Potential Roadblocks

Principles of Ethical Communication

1. Be Truthful and Honest

4. Speak from Your Own Experience

5. Consider the Receiver’s Preferred Communication Channel

7. Avoid A Negative Tone

8. Do Not Interrupt Others

9. Respect Privacy and Confidentiality

10. Accept Responsibility

Example of Ethical Communication

Marketing industry: Ethical communications in the marketing industry can include

Ethical Communication in an Organization. In business organizations, communicating

And here are the Don’ts:

WEEK 4 – The Writing Process: Pre-Writing, Writing, and Re-writing Stage

Steps of the Writing Process

Coming up with a topic

Doing the research

Step 2: Planning and outlining

Step 3: Writing a first draft

Step 4: Redrafting and revising

Evaluating the first draft

Redrafting and revising

Step 5: Editing and proofreading

Editing for grammar and clarity

Proofreading for stylistic consistency

Frequently asked questions about the writing process

Expository Techniques in Technical Writing

Five elements of expository writing

WEEK 5 – Communication in Business and Organization

Business communication is the process of sharing information between employees within

What Is Business Communication?

What Are the Different Types of Business Communication?

2. Internal downward communication

3. Internal lateral communication

11 Reasons Why Effective Business Communication is so Powerful

10. Improves customer satisfaction and retention

WEEK 6 – Characteristics and Elements of Business Letters

The elements of a business letter are:

Top 15 Characteristics of an Effective Business Letter

14. Ethical standard. A business letter reflects the image of an organization.

WEEK 7 – Basic and Optional Parts of a Business Letter

Optional Elements for Business Letters