Purpose

This assignment will familiarize students with the direct writing approach and plans for positive messages whether electronic or paper-based. First, students will learn how to format a business letter based on paragraph sequence. Second, students will use the direct strategy for writing paragraphs. Positive messages are routine; they help workers conduct everyday business. Such routine messages include simple requests for information or action, replies to customers, and explanations to coworkers.

Messy Conference Rooms

You are the HR/office manager of Enspired Learning, an educational services company that occupies the third, fourth, and fifth floors of a seven-story office building at CSULA. During the past few weeks, some of your managers and employees have left your three conference rooms in a mess after their meetings. You have noticed food wrappers on the floor, partially consumed soft drink containers, food crumbs and scraps on conference room tables, white boards not erased, whiteboard markers without caps replaced, dried-out markers; chairs from other rooms not returned, and chairs not put back in place around conference room tables. Because clients often visit your offices, you want the conference rooms always to look clean and well organized. You also want the rooms to be presentable for each new group that will occupy them. You decide to write an appropriate letter to each department manager, as well as to create a small poster (letter size) to hang on the wall of each of the rooms. Be appropriately specific in the things you ask people to do. Write the letter to Jim Baily, one of the office managers. Use the CSULA address.

Skills

The purpose of this assignment is to help you practice the following skills that are essential to your success in this course / in school / in this field / in professional life beyond school:

MLO 1: Identify communication barriers to strengthen verbal and written communications

MLO 1: Articulate the tone and clarity of a message through using courteous expressions, bias-free and professional language.

MLO 3: Employ expert writing techniques and professional business language.

MLO 2: Assess strategies to help communicators over individualism and collectivism attitudes to prevent miscommunication

MLO 1: Compose direct and indirect messages that inform, deliver persuasiveness, and convey formality and sensitivity

Knowledge

This assignment will also help you to become familiar with the following important content knowledge in this discipline:

Critical thinking

Business communications and writing skills direct approach

Techniques related to editing, revising, and proofreading skills

Tasks

Define the activities the student should do/perform before completing the assignment.

Review the Direct vs. Indirect ApproachLinks to an external site.

Review positive letter sample

Read topic assigned in class for positive letter assignment

Make up any address and contact information for the writer

Create opening paragraph

Create the agenda sentence and action paragraphs

Create body paragraphs

Create closing paragraph (include contact information)

The preferred font style is Verdana 10 points and 1-inch margins

Submission Format

Please submit your assignment by uploading a Microsoft Word Document. PDF file or Google Doc links are not allowed.

Time Frame

The assignment must be on time and submit by the due date before 11:00 PM (PST)

Late letters will be penalized 10% per week and up to seven days from the due date.

Criteria for Success

Make-up company and block addresses of writer

A Date

The name and address block of the recipient

The RE or topic

The salutation

The opening, agenda, body, and closing paragraphs

The closing salutation

The signature block

The word count is 300 words on one page. The count begins in the introduction paragraph and ends in the closing paragraph.

Grammarly score before and after revision. See example Grammaly-Sample-1.doc