Reflection on Reading Assignment #5

This weeks reading consisted of two chapters from the textbook.  Chapter eight was about writing proposals and solving problems, and chapter nine was about conducting and documenting business research; both of which I know absolutely nothing about!  I'm not much of a writer or a business man, but there are a few things that stood out and will likely be useful for me to know at this stage of my life.

Problems are a normal and common part of any business, but being able to address and find quality solutions to these day-to-day problems are what determines the long-term success of any business.  For the last 2 years I have been working to get a start-up business going with my father. Two weeks ago we were finally able to get a $500,000 loan.  Now that we have the money things are running very smooth.  The hardest part was finding solutions to all of the problems we crossed along the way.  The book teaches that brainstorming, both in an individual and group setting, can foster creativity and help develop potential solutions to these types of problems.

The brainstorming process includes four basic steps:
        1. Understand: Comprehend the problem and its related issues.
        2. Incubate: Engage in divergent thinking, pondering endless possibilities, to discover                       possible solutions.
        3. Develop: Discover, or uncover, one or more potential solutions.
        4. Refine: Polish, and customize the idea to fi the need.

Creativity cannot be forced.  We need to realize that often times the best ideas only come after long periods of persistently pondering over the problem at hand.  It is usually more difficult to come up with the solution to the problem than it is to implement it.  Brainstorming and developing solutions to problems took the most effort and time for us.    

Reflection on Reading Assignment #4

This weeks reading was about revising and editing text.  Writing errors will damage your effectiveness in the business world, and limit your ability to be taken seriously.  If a document is submitted to a company with many errors, you immediately lose credibility.  The reader will assume that you do not know or care about what you are doing.  If the writing is unclear, then more time is also required to understand what you have wrote.  This could also annoy the reader. And if you writing contains factual errors, the reader may even draw improper conclusions about what you are trying to portray.  Often times we do not realize the errors that we are making when writing or typing a document.  I'm sure we have all received or sent text messages where the message sent or received was no where near what was trying to be conveyed.  Simply rereading what we have wrote can make a huge difference.  Good revision is all about making sure that the message your are trying to get across is clear.  Often times the more simple the message the better it is understood, and the more effective it becomes.  

The book gives four methods for revising and editing text effectively.  Remember the four levels with the acronym DOCS: Level 1 - Review the Design, Level 2 - Review the Organization, Level 3 - Review the Content, and Level 4 - Review the Sentences.  Using DOCS as a rubric for revising and editing will help you to cover all of the various aspects in your writing where errors could be made.

We move through life so fast!  Taking the time to review our work can benefit us not only is writing, but in all aspects of life.  It's also mice to take time slow and enjoy the outdoors.  Check out this fish I caught last weekend!!!

 

Reflection On Reading Assignment #3

For college students like us in M COM 320, chapter seven is going to be the most useful chapter in our student manual.  At our age we are constantly looking and applying for the right jobs and positions that will catapult us into the career of our dreams.  Take myself for example. In just the last year I have applied for scholarships, undergraduate majors, jobs, internships, study abroad programs, and volunteer positions.  Knowing how to properly fill out and submit a proper resume and other job application materials can do wonders for students like us.  Chapter seven gives us great advice on how to properly fill out a resume, succeed in an interview, interview others, and even how to prepare follow-up and recommendation letters.    

In the section about resumes, I really liked what it said about the traditional chronological resume format and listing the more impressive sections first.  My own personal resumes have had no structural format to them; I would just throw words on paper.  Listing the more impressive experiences and accomplishments first will help us to catch the attention of the reader before they get bored and lose interest.  It's definitely something that I am going to apply to my current resume. 

With little to no knowledge on how to properly fill out a resume, my resume looked pretty similar to the resume below!  Well, maybe not that bad.  But now that I have read chapter seven, and made a few changes to my resume, I feel like I'll have a much better chance of success when applying for jobs and other positions where a resume is requested.  The following is an example of what not to do...  

Reflection On Reading Assignment #2

This weeks reading assignment covered a few basic grammatical topics, but its main focus was on composing a professional business document in a clear and organized manner.  The grammatical rules that were covered in the appendix for this weeks reading assignment were much easier concepts to grasp than last weeks.  The readings covered topics like capitalization, numbers, and tense.  I found I actually remembered these topics from elementary school and junior high.  This made for a much more enjoyable grammar lesson, leaving me feeling somewhat smart, rather than dumb and uneducated. 

What stuck with me most from the business side of things, was the idea of using OABC (Opening, Agenda, Body, Closing) when composing business documents.  I remember learning about three of the four components, but I never learned how to include an agenda.  I found this to be very useful.  In fact, today I had to write up a proposal for an experiment that I was going to be doing in one of my biology classes.  I found that using the agenda as a part of the format for my paper made it not only easier for the reader to follow my experimental design, but also for me to write out the experiment.  It was much easier for me to gather my thoughts and put them into writing.  When the agenda is prepared properly, there is a much greater chance the reader will grasp the main concepts of your message as he/she reads through the body of the paper.  I am definitely going to make OABC apart of my writing from now on, I can already see what a difference it makes.     

            

Reflection On Reading Assignment #1

When it comes to school, most people have specific subjects they prefer to study. For me, science and math have always been my favorite subjects. Likewise, people also seem to have subjects they hate studying. Again, for me, English has always been the one subject I hate studying. The last thing I want to do with my time is write an essay or learn grammar. I absolutely hate grammar! While reading todays grammar assignment I remembered what it was I hate about grammar so much.  I hate all the rules!

In English there are so many grammatical rules that make writing difficult and hard to master.  I have always felt that the rules of grammar are arbitrary.  Someone somewhere must have decided that we will do things a certain way, and that's just the way it is.  However, I realize English is also my worst subject, and that is probably why I hate English so much.  I am naturally very competitive, so struggling at something makes me want to veer away from it. Hopefully, by the end of this semester, I will have improved my grammatical skills and gained a greater appreciation for writing.  It is obviously a skill I lack, and one that will benefit me for the rest of my life.  Being able to express yourself and your ideas in exactly the way you want, can be a powerful tool not only in business, but in life.   

If you are like me, when it comes to learning grammar a good place to start would be the 3rd grade. Unfortunately we can't go back in time, so if you're in the same boat,  here is a daily blog I found that gives daily grammar lessons (dailygrammarlessons.blogspot.com). Check it out, it's a good place to start.