The first activity of each module will give you the opportunity to communicate your thoughts in a writing journal. You should feel free to think through the readings and relate them to your own experience.
Before beginning this week's journal, please view the following presentation. You can also access a PDF version.Preview the document
After you've finished viewing the presentation, please complete the reading for this module:
Bovée, C. L., & Thill, J. V. (2018). Business communication today (14th ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson.
Chapter 10: Writing Routine and Positive Messages
Writing in Your Journal
For this journal activity, reflect on communication you have delivered – either in writing or orally – and determine how what seemed to be an informational communication was really intended to be persuasive. This can be something as simple as telling your children “it’s late,” when what you really mean is “it’s time for you to go to bed.” In the workplace, you might have written a progress report or an email about a project, giving your manager a list of what you have done, when what you really wanted to do is persuade your manager that you are on schedule and performing well. Even some forms of financial reports, which provide largely factual information, are often used to convince shareholders or the public that the company is healthy and growing.
Using your journal, select one communication and answer the following, writing a minimum of two or three sentences:
What was the communication situation? Who was the audience?
What was the purpose?
Call to action
Motivating decision
Changing attitude
In your journal, please cite and reference the ideas of any materials you read that you used to support your responses. Document any sources included according to APA Style. (Links to an external site.)Follow APA guidelines for formatting. (Links to an external site.)
Submission Instructions
Compose your work using a word processor (or other software as appropriate) and save it frequently to your computer. Be sure to check your work and correct any spelling or grammatical errors before you upload it. When you are ready to submit your work, click "Browse My Computer" and find your file. Once you have located your file, click "Open" and, if successful, the file name will appear under the Attached files heading. Scroll to the bottom of the page and click "Submit."
Evaluation
All journal entries combined will account for 10% of your grade.
Your instructor will review your journal entry and assign a “pass” or “fail” according to the following criteria:
Does it address all parts of the assignment?
Does it represent a substantive engagement with the topic?
Was it submitted by the due date and time?
When you write your entry, do not focus primarily on spelling, punctuation, and grammar. Your focus should be on describing and evaluating your ideas and experiences.
Sample Solution