The skills required to complete assignments in unit three may have been the most unexpected, yet most applicable in any of my courses: writing with a You-attitude, business letters, and all that encompasses drafting a formal report. The formal report draft and a link to the peer review is attached below.
You-Attitude
In the You attitude assignment, I learned to avoid “I”s or “We”s at the start of a memo, letter or peer review, take the reader out of the sentence by avoiding “You”s, avoid imperative verbs (commands), and to limit the pronoun “You” to the introduction and conclusion only. This was an incredibly helpful assignment as it would not have crossed my mind to integrate a “You” attitude when writing formal letters in order to respect my colleagues, employers, or other individuals I may come across where formality is essential. Since this assignment, I have applied it when writing emails to professors and I know I will continue to use this skill set in all future formal writings.
Business Letters
As an individual who normally accepts situations worthy of writing a complaint letter without becoming agitated, this assignment was new. I was able to apply a “You” attitude to my writing, and I enjoyed pretending to write from a different perspective. The challenge was to find something to complain about and reply with a letter that I would like to receive.
Formal Report Draft
The decision to settle on a topic was difficult because there were so many avenues and approaches I could take. In addition, the decision to write this proposal stemmed from a passion for migratory bird conservation, not from an area of expertise, this implies a lot of background research. The more I researched, the better I understood the topic, which thus took the direction of my proposal in multiple angles before settling on the final decision that is most feasible and focused. In the formal report draft, I was only able to include the background research while I waited for as many survey participants as possible to achieve a higher sample size. This is because my research question was malleable to the information I could find, and as the research topic changed, so did my survey questions.
Since I have been exposed to writing scientific papers, my writing has always been research-based. However, surveys and interviews exposed me to new territory which set me on the ground running before I learned to walk. I learned how to effectively formulate survey questions, and how to ask these questions in a positive manner. This challenge was unexpected, but was an experience that I highly appreciate as I would not have had this opportunity in my field of study. It is relevant, novel and will be highly applicable in my future endeavours.
During data collection, I realized how difficult this could be given my limited presence on social media platforms: a direct result of my decision to maintain a private life. As a result, I had to revise the proposal by cutting out the federal level as no one I reached out to holds a position at the government level, and individuals I have emailed at the government level did not reply to my email. As for the length of the proposal, I realized there was much to cut down from as the research itself on the effects of migratory birds, in addition to existing examples from the (now) 2 levels relevant to bird conservation (Grassroots campaigns and Businesses) would take up to 15 pages, single spaced and including relevant figures. I would have to further concentrate this information and ensure all information is considered relevant to this formal report.
Peer Review
After many peer reviews, what to look for, such as “You” attitude, sentence structure, grammar, has become less arduous to identify and comment about. The peer review gave me insight into how my data should be presented, and what format could make it easier to read. Although I had not yet included primary data in my formal report, peer reviewing another individual’s has given me a better understanding as to how I can better deliver and analyze my own.
What I Learned
This course went beyond the learning goals in the syllabus, as not only had I applied the lessons to my writing, I also had to focus on time management when I had other competing priorities to tend to. Although I take more time than I expect to complete assignments, I manage to finish on time, knowing that I have completed this assignment with my best effort. I know I will finish this course with more confidence in my formal writing skills.