Unit three of English 301 began with learning how to write with a “You-Attitude”, progressed with writing professional communication on both ends of an issue, and finished with writing and peer reviewing the first draft of the formal report.
We began the unit with learning how to write with a “You-Attitude”, which was primarily used to offer constructive criticism in a non-offensive manner. I found this particularly challenging as my natural writing style could be construed as standoffish or even rude. I quickly realized how many aspects of my writing conflicted with “You-Attitude”: I often used imperative verbs, I would critique other’s work without offering solutions, and my tone overall was not always friendly. Learning how to write with a “You-Attitude” has helped my writing improve and will lend me credibility in the workforce.
Collecting data for the formal report was a new challenge that involved surveying UBC food vendors for what kind of single-use disposable items that they use – cutlery, takeout containers, plates, bowls, cups, etc. Simply collecting the data was a lengthy task that had me interviewing workers at multiple locations around campus. In order to adequately represent all food vendors in a statistically significant manner I had to carefully choose which food vendors I would survey. I ended up choosing five vendors out of a possible 44: Pacific Poke, Starbucks, Agora Cafe, Ike’s Cafe, and Bento Sushi. I collected samples of any plastic items, weighed them at home, and constructed approximate yearly plastic usages by weight based on the store’s hours and average hourly customers. This final piece of data is shocking – thousands of kilograms of plastic are used at each food vendor each year. I’m truly appreciative of the skills learned here that allowed me to discover this data and I’m optimistic when thinking about how I can use these skills in the future.
I found the process of writing the first draft of the report difficult and challenging. I found myself often rewriting passages because I wasn’t writing with a “You-Attittude”, but more often still was rewriting passages to increase readability and conciseness. Since the beginning of this course I have noticed that I add in extra words and sentences when they are not needed, and in this formal report I have been striving to reduce this textual bloat. Writing the first draft of the report has been a rewarding experience because it is easy to see the improvement in my writing style. My writing has gotten more succinct, professional, and readable, and I’m excited to see how well I will be able to craft the final draft of the report.
Reviewing the draft was much easier than previous peer reviews because of the experience gained with writing with a “You-Attitude” and in reviewing other’s work in general. I was able to read through the report draft and immediately identify use of pronouns, imperative verbs, inconsistencies in tone, and informal speech. The peer review process has given me an appreciation for others work and allowed me to be a better self editor along with being a better peer editor. I have been lucky to have dedicated and intelligent teammates with professional and inspiring writing styles, and I’m happy to say that reviewing their work and having them review mine has made the quality of my work substantially better.
I have included a link to the draft of my formal report below. Thank you for taking the time to read my thoughts, and I look forward to presenting the final draft of the report.