REFLECTION BLOG
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I found it really interesting to read Anca’s review of my definition. It is surprisingly hard to explain a topic that as the author you understand, to a wide audience. I found it difficult to anticipate which concepts would be difficult to understand and how to simplify those. After reading her review and attempting the rewrite, I came to the conclusion that I chose a concept that may have been a little too in depth for this assignment. With that being said, doing the rewrite, with Anca’s suggestions in mind I succeeded in making the definition useful for a wider audience. I think that in my rewrite, I managed to simplify the topic enough that someone with no background knowledge of crisis communication could understand the basic use and definition for Situation Crisis Communication Theory.
When I read my first version, I realized that there were not many examples. The use of real world examples can help give instant context to the reader. I tried to use examples that everyone would know of or understand without further explanation. This was especially true in the ‘when would SCCT be used’ section. I think that the topic os SCCT, is less complicated than the definition makes it seem, in fact it is something that each and every one of us have witness, we just don’t know the specific term. In our age of social media obsession and zero privacy, SCCT is growing in popularity and demand. Those in the spotlight are constantly trying to manage or repair their desired reputation. I think providing examples like Hilary Clintons email scandal, gave context to how often this is used. The hope was by highlighting frequency and examples it could simplify they concept.
I think that in both assignments information was organized in a clear and easily understood way. I did learn that creating a document for and unknown audience is very difficult. As the author, you don’t know the background, demographic or education of those looking at your web page and therefore need to air on the side of caution and over simplify. I think there is a fine line between simplifying and being condescending. You do not want to give the reader the idea that you think you know everything, but at the same time you need to explain a possibly complex idea in a simple way. I also learned that simple does not always mean short. My making my second draft longer, I think I did a better job of explaining the various concepts involved in SCCT. When I began working on simplifying my document, I kept telling myself to tell the ‘story’ like I was explaining it to someone in middle school and I believe I accomplished that.
I really appreciate the feedback I received from Anca and think that her critiques taught me a lot.
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My rewritten definition assignment: definition-assignment
To see my peer review click here
