ENGL 301 is definitely an action-packed course. Through the assignments and peer reviews, I became more aware of the audience. Most of my business written communications are with my colleagues who already know the background and context of the topic discussed and understand the jargon and abbreviations used in the email or document; therefore, I had trouble gauging to what degree that I need to define a term and how much background information I need to provide when I was writing my assignments. Needless to say, I learned a lot from ENGL 301 and saw how my writing transformed from beginning of the course to near the end of the course.
In a brief summary, I learned:
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- How to set up a UBC Blog
- How to define a technical term to non-technical audience
- The process and format for conducting constructive peer reviews.
- The difference between a memo and an email
- How to write with YOU attitude
- How to compose a persuasive complaint letter
- How to respond to a complaint tactfully
- How to compose a formal report proposal
- The standard format for formal report outline
- What needs to be included in a progress report
- How one can use the existing proposal, outline and progress report to draft the formal report
- The best practices for setting up a Linked profile
- How one can rearrange the details on the job application to make relevant education, skills and experience stand out.
- How to create a web folio
I find myself more engaged in learning when I am interested in the topic. This is a strength but is also a weakness in my learning process. I find myself using my time more effectively when learning new topics such as setting up the UBC Blog, creating a LinkedIn profile, writing with YOU attitude and creating a web folio. Because I would spend more time researching on new topics, what I learned is directly reflected in my assignments.
As mentioned above, my strength is also my weakness. For topics that I have encountered before such as composing the complaint and adjustment letters, drafting research proposal and crafting the formal report, I often find myself wasting time trying to recall and compare how it was done before. My assignments are, therefore, affected by my old writing style and can sometimes make my writing feels less concise.
Having effective communication skills is essential in any workplace. I can definitely apply what I learned from ENGL 301 to my work. The main takeaway for me is to always keep the audience in mind and write with YOU attitude. Having the audience willing to read and understand what I want to communicate is the first step in establishing an effective communication.