Proceeding into Unit 2, students were introduced to new forms of technical writing. The first section of Unit 2 presents us with the proper procedures for writing a formal report proposal and peer review process. The second section highlights the professional networking website LinkedIn, and introduces techniques on how to create an ideal professional profile, and how to best use it to improve one’s professional network. The third section of Unit 2, tasked us with creating a formal report outline and progress report memo in preparation to complete the formal report.
Formal Report Proposal
The beginning of Unit 2 introduces the concept of the formal report proposal. This section of Unit 2 required us to draw on our own personal work or community experiences to determine an inefficiency or deficiency within that setting. With this inefficiency in mind, we were tasked to investigate, analyze, and recommend an action plan based on our own independent investigation. My experience as a community pharmacist, I noticed that more and more patients have been reporting that they are unaware of where to properly store and dispose of old and unused medications. Based on this experience, I decided to write a feasibility study to investigate whether there would be a need for a medication waste handling campaign to educate the public and introduce dedicated medication waste containers that can be provided by local pharmacies to the public.
Peer Review
The peer review process involved us partnering up with a team member from our team to review each other’s formal report proposal. For this task, we helped each other identify different areas for improvement within our writing. Based on feedback provided by Angie, I was able to recognize that there is a need for more focus and consistency for my proposed method of data collection. Her feedback also helped me recognize that I need to determine whether injectable devices will be investigated as part of the study as a separate category to medications. Her feedback and suggestions have allowed me to critically evaluate my own writing and thought process on how I should next approach my formal report.
LinkedIn Best Practices
The second major component of Unit 2, consisted of us researching and proposing techniques for best practices for using the professional networking platform LinkedIn. This unit helped highlight techniques to create an ideal profile, such as using a proper profile picture and creating an engaging personal summary. It also made me aware of the importance of actively making an effort to join professional groups and create connections with industry professionals. I have had experience in creating a LinkedIn profile in the past, but have not recognized how powerful it can be as a platform for generating new professional opportunities. This research assignment made me realize that I can better utilize LinkedIn as a networking platform by joining professional groups and making more connections with industry professionals, as well as, creating a more engaging personal profile that tells a story as opposed to just a list of past experiences. In regards to the writing component for this assignment, I recognized the need to avoid using imperative verbs to make my writing more reader friendly to change my writing from a command to suggestive tone.
Formal Report Outline and Memo
The third section of Unit 2 is an extension of the formal report. In this section we were tasked to write a formal report outline and progress report memo. This section introduced structure to the formal report and challenged us to think about the questions that we want to ask our population of interest. The challenge for this section was ensuring that the questions designed for the survey do not ask personal questions that would have the participant reflect on any personal issues and to avoid introducing leading questions that can negatively frame the question. The instructor’s blog proved to be a valuable resource for completing the questions for the survey and ensuring they followed these rules.
In conclusion, Unit 2 has introduced new challenging forms of technical writing and has made me aware of areas in my own writing that I can improve upon. With that in mind, I am excited to proceed to the final units of the course and continue to strengthen my technical writing abilities.