COM 140 Discussion Questions

Week 1 Discussion 1

• Due Date: Day 2 [post to the Main forum]
• Post your response to the following: Respond to Social Media Will Change
Your Business at www.businessweek.com/go/08/blog by addressing the
following points:
• For what audience or readership do you think the article was written?
• What is the purpose of the article (to entertain, inform, persuade, or
a combination)?
Explain your answer.
• How do the writers organize information in the article? What purpose
do you think they had in mind with this structure?
• What is the tone or expressive style of the article? What effect does
this tone produce?
• Ask for more information regarding areas of disagreement when you
respond to your classmates’ posts.

I have been totally blown away after reading “Social Media Will Change Your Business”. I had no idea
the bloggers could have such an impact on big business advertising. While at first glance it appears as
though the writer’s targeted audience is the everyday “Joe Reader”, it could be argued that his intended
audience was actually the big business mogul. His purpose seems to be to inform and persuade the
everyday reader he is addressing while inciting and warning big business about the necessary and
inevitable use of blogs in advertising. There is even a hint of fear for the media writer who may utterly
disappear into the world of blog advertising and reporting.

The writer has organized his thoughts into blog format including dates and times into his structure,
as well as using the first person point of view most commonly found in blogs. My belief is he did
this in order to show how powerful the blog type format can be. There also seems to be a slight
mocking undertone to his format and his word usage. His tone, overall, can be taken as aggressive and
opinionated, but also informed. The writer’s tone has stimulated my interest on the topic of blogs
being used in advertising, as well as their seemly inevitable replacement of the mainstream media
writer, and piqued my interest to get more involved in reading blogs and seeing them for what they
really are.

Even though blogs seem to be taking over I believe there still is a place for the mainstream media writer.
Some people will still look to the more structured and professional feel of the magazine writer for
knowledgeable information versus the opinionated ranting of the everyday blogger.


Week 1 Discussion 2

100 word minimum!

Due Week One Day Four (Thursday) Main Forum

Post your response to the following discussion question by clicking Reply.
After you have completed your answer, post your response by clicking the Post
Message button.

Please respond to the following question in paragraph form:

Recall a writer [any writer: newspaper writers, screenwriters for movies, magazine
writers, travel writers, tech manual writers, etc.; do not limit yourself to novels]
with whom you have felt rapport as well as a writer with whom you have felt little
or no rapport.

[Please Note: “I am not much of a reader is not the correct answer!”]

What made the difference?

Provide suggestions for building rapport between the writer and readers of written
communication.

Ask for more information as you respond to your classmates’ posts if you are
unfamiliar with the writers mentioned.

NOTE: Responses should be at least 100 words of substantial and
meaningful content worthy of discussion. Also, correct grammar, spelling,
punctuation, and capitalization applies. You must answer all parts of the
question to earn full credit.

Piers Anthony has to be the most brilliant and accomplished fantasy writer I
have read. His Xanth series is just about the greatest series of books ever
published. His novels are very fun to read and are chocked full of puns to
keep the reader entranced. Almost every novel in the series has a different
main character even though generally everything else is the same. The
novels are based in a fictional magical land where most humans and some
part humans have a magical talent. I think that all these elements have
made his books a pleasure to read and I will continue to read as long my
copies hold out.

Gene Wolfe and his Book of the New Sun series is just about the most boring
and dull books I have ever read. It was pure torture to read those books
and if it wasn’t for my own mother suggesting the books I would never have
read the second book. Even though this series of books is known as his
most highly regarded and best known works, I found the books extremely

hard to read. They are all about the journey of Severian, who became an
apprentice torturer after his exile from his guild. His use of archaic language
and words never before invented made his book hard to read for me, along
with his supposed translation from the main character’s language into
English. I will never read these books again.

One thing a writer should keep in mind when trying to build a rapport with
their readers is your audience. Another is your materials and the publication
you use; also the language you use is important for establishing your
rapport. Your materials and the language you use to communicate your
story need to fit your publication and your targeted audience or you will lose
rapport with your readers.


Week 3 Discussion Question 1

Due Date: Day 2 [Main] forum

Post your response to the following: In what ways are purpose, audience, tone, and content different
for interpersonal and business communication? Provide specific examples to support your answer.

Consider your own experience as you answer this question. If you have not worked in a business
environment, you may ask a friend, parent, or other adult about his or her experiences.

Interpersonal communications differ from business communications in several ways.
My audience for interpersonal communications is generally my friends and family while
business communications are generally my boss’ or coworkers. My tone is also different,
interpersonal communications are informal, full of slang, abbreviations, humor and
emoticons; while business communications are formal, spelling is corrected, grammar
is watched and humor is avoided. The purpose and content of my interpersonal
communications can be anything from “hi mom! How have you been?” to a lengthy message
about starting college or how brilliant my daughter was in her latest school play. Business
communications are usually for entirely different reasons; such as updating my boss on
where I am with the current project assignment, emailing a coworker on schedule changes,
or asking for a raise.

There have been times where I was emailing a friend or family member, who is also a
coworker. In those times I judge whether to write an interpersonal communication or a
business communication on what my purpose for writing is. Company-related subjects are
treated as business communications and I follow all rules of a business communications. I
watch my grammar and punctuation, correct all spelling and avoid humor and emoticons.
Any email done during business hours on company computers can and usually are
monitored or have potential to be seen by business executives. For these reasons, I leave
all personal subjects to personal email boxes off the clock. Even after hours emails to
friends or family sometimes need to take a more professional tone and purpose, such as,
emailing my Mary Kay representative who happens to also be my sister. When I email her
about my customers or potential clients I have a much more professional tone. When I
email her to ask about her kids or update her on my family it’s more informal, spelling is
unimportant along with punctuation, and I am always adding emoticons to my emails to
emphasize my emotions.

Week 3 Discussion Question 2

Due Date: Day 4 [Main] forum

Post my response to the following: What qualities make any form of written communication effective?
Which qualities do I already include in my writing? How can I incorporate additional effective elements
into my written communication?

For effective written communication it is important to know my audience, so
I can use the tone that would most effectively deliver my point. Knowing
my audience is also important for deciding which style of writing to use.
Another important quality for effective written communication is to establish
a rapport with my reader. This allows my audience to see the issue from
my point of view; if I can connect with my audience they will be more
receptive to my issues. Good writing skills are important also, if I misspell
or use inappropriate punctuation or word usage my meaning could be lost,
or even the possibility I may not be taken seriously. The use of inclusive
language in my writing skills is another important quality to have in my
communication. By using inclusive language I will be less likely to offend
anyone inadvertently.
I have used many of these tools in my fiction writing without knowing what
it truly was. I have used what I have learned by trial and error from writing
fiction and poetry into my business communications. I never knew before
how much thought went into writing any business communications. I always
tried to make it sound good, tried not to use any language that may be
offensive. I always asked for help with any extremely important documents
I was writing. I learned by listening and retaining any new ways of writing
what I wanted to say.
As I learn the importance of using the tools I already have more effectively I
will be able to incorporate them into my future written communications.


Week 5 Discussion Question 1

• Due Date: Day 2 [Main] forum

• Post your response to the following: Recall a situation in which someone
was trying to persuade you. How effective was the argument? What could
have made the argument more persuasive?

I recently had a conversation with a friend of mine. She has an opportunity
for me that she really wanted me to take. She gave a very effective
argument. I think what made her argument so effective was simply because
she knew me. She knew just what motivates me. She used a very positive
upbeat tone of voice. She asked me what my fears were, and had a solution
for each one. She had a counter argument for each negative aspect I could
give. Since her opportunity would affect my whole family, she offered to
talk directly to my other half to convince him along with me. Her tone of
voice, and enthusiasm made it very hard to keep denying her opportunity.
Along with all the benefits she gave me if I accept. There were almost no
negative effects if taking her opportunity. I think the only way she could
have been more persuasive was if we were face to face instead of over the
phone.


Week 5 Discussion Question 2

Consider historical or contemporary figures that are or were effective and
persuasive communicators, such as Dr. Martin Luther King, President John F.
Kennedy, First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt, President Ronald Reagan, Dr. Maya
Angelou, President Bill Clinton, Oprah Winfrey, and so on.

Locate and watch a video of a persuasive speech given by one of these
figures (or by another of your choice) before addressing the questions
below. To locate a video, use a search engine such as Google or ask.com
and enter a phrase similar to the following: “Dr. Martin Luther King moving
speech video” “Videos of Kennedy presidential speeches”
“Reagan video clip archives” “Eleanor Roosevelt video address”

Keep it clean!

• Due Date: Day 4 [Main] forum

• Post your response to the following: Which speech did you watch?
What kind of body language did the speaker use to make the speech
persuasive? Provide an example. Would a written version of the message
be less persuasive? Why or why not? How can a writer create a persuasive
message without the use of body language? What word choice and tone did
the speaker use? What was the effect? Did he or she use logic or emotion
to persuade the audience? Provide an example. Did you find the speech
persuasive? Why or why not?

When you post your response, please provide the URL for the speech
you watched.

"Severn Suzuki" Organization of Children in Defence of the Environment, during the ECO 92 - United
Nations Conference for Environment and Development.

http://www.edutube.org/en/video/12-year-old-girl-gives-moving-speech-un

Severn Suzuki, who is a member of ECO, Environmental Children’s
Organization, delivered a very passionate speech during the 1992 United
Nations Conference for Environment and Development. Severn read from
a prepared speech which she and three of her friends wrote. During her
speech she made eye contact with the stage panel as well as the audience.
I believe the speech written would have been effective, but not as effective.
Her tone was angry and pleading, with many up and down inflections. Her
tone matched her words and made her seem genuine and passionate. I
was extremely moved by her speech. The speech made me cry, for a
while. The speech was also effective cause of its subject. It is a subject I
am already very passionate about. She used many semi-facts to support
her emotion on the subject, such as, “I am afraid to go out in the sun now,
because of the holes in our ozone. I am afraid to breathe the air because I
don’t know what chemicals are in it.” And, “I used to fishing in Vancouver,
my home, with my dad till just a few years ago we found the fish full of
cancers.” The video was made more effective due to the sympathetic
looks on some of the committee members faces showing they were being
moved by her speech. Her speech has definitely motivated me to do more
to protect our planet. To hear it from a 12 year old is very moving. It
was like listening to my own daughter, who is also very passionate on the
subject of saving the environment. You can find Severn’s speech at http://
www.edutube.org/en/video/12-year-old-girl-gives-moving-speech-un.


Week 7 Discussion Question 1

• Due Date: Day 2 [Main] forum
• Post your response to the following: Suggest options for presenting
information to an audience. Which method do you think is the most
effective? Explain your answer.

150-300 words.

There are many options to consider when you want a tool for presenting
information to an audience. Any one method can be useful depending on
your subject and audience. A play or skit is good for delivering a story to
an audience. You could use a news broadcast to impart news to a broad
audience. Using a debate when you have two sides of an important issue
can be useful. Dioramas are useful for project ideas that need a model of
some sort. A speech or oral presentation is helpful when you have a lot of
information to get across in a short time period. You could use a slide show
for a visual presentation of your information. Using two or more methods
can be very effective at presenting your ideas to an audience. My preferred
method for presentations is oral presentations. Oral presentations allow
me to gauge the audience as I am reading thru my presentation and adjust
my tone or words if necessary. I can use my tone of voice and visual body
language to enhance my speech. If I can include a slide show it boosts my
visual aids and is a great help in getting my view across to the audience.

Week 7 Discussion Question 2

• Due Date: Day 4 [Main] forum

• Post your response to the following: What strategies can you use to incorporate effective visual elements into business presentations? Explain your answer.

200-300 words.

       My basic strategy for incorporating effective visual elements into my business presentations are to use simple but effective pictures, many different font styles, easy to understand language, and to not overload my presentation.  Using simple pictures to emphasis words or phrases will help in making my presentation easy to understand and interesting for people to look at.  My use of different font styles, such as, bold or italics will make important words or phrases stand out, so it is easy to pick out at quick glance.  Easy to understand language without it seeming too simple will ensure any audience understands what the point of my presentation is about and will find it easy to connect with my point of view.  Keeping my presentation simple and not overloading it with pictures or words will increase my audience’s interest without leaving them bored during my presentation or confused after leaving.  My overall presentation will be simple, yet visually appealing.  My audience will leave feeling as though they learned something interesting and had a great time doing it.  I want to make sure they will continue to talk about my presentation and what I had to show them long after it is over. 

            

Week 9 Additional DQ for Participation Points

Because there is only one question this week, I’ve included these additional
questions to help with participation points. This is NOT obligatory but
participation will count for those who use it.

Post your response to the following: What additional aspects of business
communications would you like to see in this course? What did you like
about this course? What did you dislike about this course?

I think this course was a very well-rounded course that covered quite
a bit of business communications. What I liked best about this course
would definitely be how the course was handled by the instructor. The
assignments being posted in the course materials, all instructions were very
clearly defined, and the rubic’s were very helpful (once I figured out all that
stuff was there, and how to use it). I definitely believe without the rubic’s I
would not have as well of a grade as I do have. The instructor gave exactly
what was expected for each assignment and that helped a lot. My grade
was falling until I found the joys of the course materials section, something
that is not utilized by my other instructor. What I like least would have to
be the material itself. I actually found it difficult to understand in places
and difficult to recreate. I am more of a creative writer and generally learn
things quickly and without much difficulty. I feel really great to be finishing
this course and am happy with my grade and what I have accomplished.
Thank you, Mr. Curtis.