Unit 3, once again, proved ENGL 301 to be an “intense writing course”. Several late nights were spent meeting deadlines, but I’m happy with the work I’ve produced. I started to gain confidence in my writing. I paid a visit to the UBC writing center with a paper of mine from last semester, hoping to get some advice. I was surprised at the positive feedback I received. The staff member said a lack of confidence is common with many science students and that he couldn’t see any glaring issues. I had written myself off as a poor writer years ago. Now, I write faster and doubt my ability less. I still may never be a great author, but at least I will be more proficient in professional communication.
Unit 3 started with the “Writing with the You Attitude” assignment, which I found particularly interesting. I appreciated the honest assessment of the human psyche and why it’s important to write for the readers benefit. The document highlighted that people are ego-centric and usually concerned about their own interests. This may seem pessimistic, but in reality it’s the nature of communication. Writing with a You Attitude makes it clear what’s in it for the other party, so that they don’t have to interpret how it affects them. This makes for more efficient communication, which has implications not only in business communications, but personal as well.
We immediately put the You Attitude to practice in writing a memo to Evan Crisp, a student who wrote a professor asking to be admitted into a class. The assignment was to evaluate Evan’s email and to give him suggestions on how better to communicate with a “You Attitude”. Through reviewing Evan’s email I was able to identify elements in my own writing that I could improve upon.
The business letter assignment was entertaining. I didn’t have a specific interaction to draw upon, so I had to be inventive. My letters were loosely based on an incident where I disputed a traffic ticket. The complaint was fictional and probably unrealistic, but it was true to the underlying theme of the assignment. The letters were productive in practicing writing with a “You Attitude” and a professional tone.
The final project began weeks ago when I picked the topic, but it was finally time to begin writing. As was suggested by Professor Paterson, I may have been too ambitious when choosing the Garibaldi at Squamish development proposal. I had to narrow the scope of the research to make a more feasible work load. Creating the climate modelling and GIS figures were especially time consuming. Fortunately, I was able to draw upon experience from other courses and they turned out pretty well. In editing I had to focus the paper and keep my audience in mind. The report is directed to the Squamish Lillooet Regional District’s Director of Planning and Development. While I wanted to provide some background information, in case someone not familiar with the project reads the report, I still needed to keep in mind that the Director would already be familiar with the projects history. As a result, much of the introduction was cut. The first draft is quite long (2000 words) and I still have some sections to add before it’s a cohesive report, but it’s a good start and I look forward to finishing the final draft.
My peer review of Ilanna’s first draft went well. I’m getting better at critiquing my peers work. Writing with a You Attitude has helped my reviews sound less condescending. A positive tone in a review is important, but often difficult to achieve and I’m often self-conscious of sounding conceited. Focusing on how the critique benefits my peer, gives my writing a more helpful tone and less of a negative one.
Finally, I began searching for jobs as part of the application assignment. I’m looking forward to this assignment because my résumé is 5 years outdated. Now with more experience and education, I have a lot to add. I also look forward to doing some research into to the job market. I’ll be applying to these same types of jobs this time next year, so this will provide some excellent practice.
I really appreciated the feedback I got during unit 3. Professor Paterson highlighted a few sentences that I could improve upon. There are several persistent bad habits in my writing, such as ending sentences with two letter words. Also, trimming unnecessary words for concision continues to be a problem. Ilanna had some great advice in her peer review of my formal report. Specifically she noted a lack of content on the financials of the Garibaldi at Squamish project. The first draft focuses on the suitability of the terrain for a ski hill, but I need to develop the financial feasibility more. Ilanna’s review was mostly positive though, which was reassuring that the report is headed in the right direction.