ENGL 301_ Sidney Singh

Unit 3 was an opportunity to further enhance and polish the technical writing skills taught throughout the course. The bad news and complaint letter was similar to a role play exercise. It required students to create and inhabit the perspectives of a disgruntled customer and a seasoned customer service representative. The exercise also highlighted the importance of the “you” attitude in formal written correspondence. It may be emotionally satisfying to point fingers when something goes awry but maintaining a professional tone is key to resolving conflicts.

The current Creative Writing Student Association (CWSA) Interim Director is anticipating the formal report. She also provided me detailed feedback on the survey. These additional notes helped in polishing the questions and making it user friendly. The respondents of the survey include students from a variety of different Creative Writing degree programs. It was a pleasure watching members of CWSA support this initiative.

The results from the survey influenced the research for the formal report. For example, the results from question 7 highlighted that members were not visiting the CWSA Sandbox course. The CWSA Sandbox is akin to an online newsletter; it contains information on the CWSA and reminders of recent events. I reviewed the websites of other student organizations at UBC for inspiration on alternative communication methods.

The organization of the report was inspired by the guidelines in the textbook and examples in the Instructor’s Blog. Instead of writing large chunks of text the report contains sub headings when needed. Philip, my peer reviewer provided excellent suggestions on the report’s structure and organization. This advice will inform the revisions to the report.

Philip produced a well research report on the effects of sedentary work on computer science students. My peer review consisted of strategies to enhance clarity to showcase the report’s research. It will be great to read Philip’s report after it is completed.

It has been pleasure learning techincal writing throughout this term and I look forward to submitting my Formal Report, Applicaltion Package and Web Folio.

Enclose.Formal Report Draft _Sidney Singh ENGL 301

The second module included a variety of assignments such as the LinkedIn related memo, the formal report proposal and another peer review. These assignments were posted on the Team Forum where groups members were able to read and interact with each other’s work. Below are my reflections on the aforementioned assignments in greater detail.

The LinkedIn best practices memo highlighted the importance of research. Every online article outlined how to utilize LinkedIn for networking. For example, the article written by Joe Fields recommends to publish posts “2-3 times a week but no more than 30 times a month.” It is fascinating to see there is concrete research on the best publishing frequency on LinkedIn. This demonstrates the power of modern technology in professional communication. LinkedIn has a plethora of interesting features and allows users to view analytics, and connect to other users through posts, tags and direct messages. I will consider using LinkedIn in the future.

Writing a formal report for CWSA is an exciting new experience. It did sound daunting at first but following the instructions in the course textbook helped. The proposal and report outline introduced me to new technical writing formats. These assignments helped  refine the structure of my formal report. As of today, the two surveys are currently under review by the CWSA Interim Director. One survey is intended for the entire CWSA student body while the other is exclusively for the CWSA Social and Executive Committees. These Committees are quite large therefore a survey was the best means to reach them given the time constraints. This is an excellent time to produce the report as there will be an official CWSA meeting on recruiting new volunteers in April. The report will also include secondary research around increasing participation in organizations.

The peer review for my proposal was helpful and brought forward important questions. It highlighted areas of confusion in my writing. Peer reviewing Noah Saini’s proposal was an opportunity to practice writing structural feedback along with technical suggestions. I aimed to provide helpful suggestions and ask pertinent questions. For the next peer review editing out imperative verbs will help in achieving a professional and supportive tone.

The team forum has been beneficial to my learning for module 2. Reading and reviewing examples in the instructor’s blog and the work of peers highlights different approaches to technical writing. Every member of Team Potluck makes excellent contributions that speak to their own expertise. Going forward paying attention to peer review structure, minimizing pronouns and imperative verbs will help my technical writing.

Revised Report Proposal -Sidney Singh

Peer Review of Proposal-Noah Saini

Formal Report Outline-Sidney Singh

Works Cited

Fields, Joe. “10 Tips to Boost Your LinkedIn Presence in 2021.” Social Media Today, Industry Drive, 7 Feb. 2021, https://www.socialmediatoday.com/news/10-tips-to-boost-your-linkedin-presence-in-2021/594649/.

The definition and peer review assignments taught me the importance of  professional feedback. For the definition I experimented with a few words before choosing Botrytis Cinerea. The term had enough nuance and history to support a parenthetical, sentence and expanded definition. I also experimented with the structure of the expanded definition.  My reading context was a customer asking questions about the winemaking process. The reading context informed my approach to writing the expanded definition. Botrytis Cinerea had to sound enticing to the customer. It was vital to include examples of wines that use botrytized grapes and the folk story. Editing and rewriting the definition  gave me the opportunity to learn more about Botrytis Cinerea which is much appreciated.

The peer review process proved to very beneficial. In creative writing courses it is required that students provide feedback letters on their peer’s work.  In feedback letters it can be challenging to provide critique without sounding harsh. The textbook and handout illustrated how to provide professional and polite feedback. It taught me how to clearly state the perceived error and politely make suggestions for revision. This includes using the word “would” when recommending suggestions in order to make feedback sound less confrontational. These instructions informed my peer review. The goal was to provide clear and precise feedback for my partner Ms. Lea Ang Salamanca. I hope she found my suggestions helpful.

Ms. Salamanca’s peer review highlighted both technical and structural issues in my definition. Her suggestions were helpful and they informed my revision. I added additional edits to my definition in order to enhance clarity. Peer reviewing a definition allowed me to practice writing professional feedback. I will apply the lessons I learned in this exercise to my creative writing feedback letters.

Revised Definition

Revised Definition of Botrytis Cinerea

Peer Review of Botrytis Cinera

Peer review of Botrytis cinerea

To: Noah Saini

From: Sidney Singh

Date: September 21, 2021

Subject: Re: ENGL 301-Writing Team Inquiry

To: Noah Saini

From: Sidney Singh

Date: September 23rd,2021

Subject: Re:ENGL 301-Writing Team Inquiry

To: Erika Paterson

From: Sidney Singh

Date: September 20th, 2021

Subject: Application Letter

Dear Dr. Paterson,

I hope this email finds you well. I have written and posted my letter of application on my UBC Blog as instructed in the Course Schedule.

My letter outlines:

• My experience as CWSA Secretary and how it shaped my technical communication skills
• My strengths as a student
• My unique approach to learning

The letter is attached at the bottom.

Please advise at your convenience.

My Best Regards,

Sidney Singh

Encol.ENGL 301 Sidney Singh Application Letter

1958 Main Mall,

Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z2

September 20, 2021

Department of English Language and Literatures

Vancouver Campus

397 – 1873 East Mall

Vancouver, BC Canada

V6T 1Z1Tel 604 822 9824

Subject: Letter of Application for Writing Teams

Dear Prospective Group Members,

I believe I will be a valuable asset for your writing team.  I am a Creative Writing student who has written over 100 pages of material. Furthermore, I have developed technical communication skills during my time as CWSA Secretary. Below I will outline my experience in further detail.

As Secretary I was responsible for creating comprehensive meeting minutes. Last year the CWSA board decided to revise their constitution. This required close listening skills  and  taught me how to take efficient notes. I used Robert’s Rules of Order to ensure the  meetings were conducted in a professional manner. All meeting minutes were presented to the CWSA chair. My time as CWSA Secretary allowed me to develop valuable writing skills such as clarity and precision.

I know it is imperative to be punctual and studious in both school and work. This will allow us to work collaboratively as a team. I completed three UBC distance education courses before the pandemic. I know to check my email consistently and read online modules. My internet savvy will be an asset for the team when completing assignments.

I learn by asking a lot of questions. It is important to clarify information with others in order to verify if they understood. In my experience miscommunication creates confusion in group settings. I also like to do extensive research on topics that interest me. I believe I must learn the facts before forming an opinion on a particular topic.

If you are interested in recruit me to your team, feel free to contact me by email at sidney@ssidney.com.

My Best Regards,

Sidney Singh

ENGL 301 Sidney Singh Application Letter