Harty Part 4 part 2

Oliu, Brasaw, and Alred - Visuals

Plan all your visuals before you begin to write so that you have an idea about what will be going in and where. The types of visuals you might use are tables, graphs, drawings, charts, maps, and photographs. Include in the text why you have inserted the visual. This will help for clarity with the readers. Make sure that all the information in the visuals is accurate. This could destroy the success of the document. Consider what not to include in your visuals (such as arrows or boxes around text etc.). Make sure to define all terms and acronyms that appear. Also, units must be pointed out. Visuals must be readable and captioned if necessary. Number the diagrams for reference within the text. Finally, do the visuals stand out? You may want to leave enough white space so that the visuals pop off the page.

Tables - These are good for displaying numbers and specific data in a small amount of space. It is easy to compare different things because the info is in rows and columns. The table must have a title that is descriptive of what it displays. Boxheads are the subheadings which are split into different columns. Stubs are the categories that run in the other direction and when their rows cross the columns of the boxheads they create cells. Cells are where all the data is stored. Lines of separation are called rules and can make a table easier to read. If borrowing information from another source your table will require a source line for citation.

Graphs - These are more visual and easy to understand than tables but are less accurate and often need a table to accompany it. The different types are line, bar, pie, and picture. The line graph compares to figures by placing points on vertical and horizontal axises. You need to watch out for visual distortion by compressing the scale of the two different figures. The bar graph can incorporate data and eliminate the need for a table. The pie chart is a break down of percentages. Picture graphs are popular in presentations because of the entertainment value. 3-D bar graphs typically cause confusion and are harder to read.

Drawings - Consider the perspective and the proportion. Should be the same as someone looking at the object. Make sure to label drawings if necessary. Some types are explodes and cutaways which are things that pictures cant do.

Photographs - When thinking of including them consider the cost of printing and the quality of print. Should the image be in color? Is it necessary for the reader to understand'?


This segment basically advices the use of clipart going through the motions of selecting prompts from a software program. It is a little insulting.

David Ewing - Strategies of Persuasion

"Depends on the situation"
There are basically two ways to go about a persuasive argument. You can carefully examine both sides or you can get straight to the point. It is self-defeating to follow a set prescription.

1.consider if your views(the content) is a problem for the reader. This is the same as the lesson on delivering bad news. The situation must be dealt with empathy and tact.
2.Is the reader prepared for change? Similar to the first rule, you must prepare your reader for what you will tell them. Deal with these situations like you would oral communication.
3.Credibility can either be given or acquired. Given credibility comes from things like your title while acquired cred is gained from the writing by showing facts and thoughts. Credibility can also be borrowed by citation.
4.Present both sides and acknoledge the shortcoming of your idea. This is an example of candor and will connect your more with your audience.
5.Never conclude with maybe, give a definite opinion or nothing will happen
6.Put your strong points first if the reader is uninterested or your strong points last if the reader is interested. This is just a theory because it has had inconclusive results in research but still something to consider.
7.Don't just appeal to their logic, it will not persuade.
8.The reader must associate with the people giving testimonials or they will not work.
9.Be wary of using exagerations or sensational statements because you may lose your reader
10.Tailor the presentation to the attitude of the reader. If they are a fan of something, also be a fan of it.
11.If you mention someone in the writing, consider how they are related to anyone reading it and what the effects might be.

Think of readers as real people

Philip Kolin - Proposals

Some quick guidelines to think before writing are the you are a problem solver, your audience is a skeptical one, research your topic, make sure the proposal is feasible, and the appearance does count.

Internal - usually meant to improve the efficiency of the company. Consider what office politics might come into play. It is organized into an introduction, background, plan, and conclusion. Quantifiable data is preferable to generalizations. make sure the context is known.

Sales - These are more external proposals and the reader should be viewed as even more skeptical. The two main concerns of the reader are 1. does this meet my need and 2.how does this compare with the competition. Write these with the "you attitude". That means talking directly to the reader and having their best interest in mind. It is organized into and introduction, description of product or service, timtable, costs, qualifications, and conclusion. Costs must be accurate and be sure not to underestimate them because it could come back to haunt you. Also, do not misrepresent your qualifications. The conclusions should have some "call to action" and let the reader know what they need to do next.

Richard Johnson - Style

Style can be considered the tone and phrasing of your writing as well as the flow. Good style cannot however hide a lack of content or can ruin good content. There are three main kinds of style: plain, middle, and grand. Most proposals will be written in a plain style. This starts with plain sentences. remember the parts of a sentence: subject, verb, and comment. There are a few guides to writing plain sentences.

• the subject is what the sentence is about
• the does is the subject
• action in the verb (active language)
• subject early in sentence
• no nominalizations (when verbs become known and make long unnecessary words)
• avoid excessive prepositional phrases
• eliminate redundancy (not too many modifiers)
• Sentences should be breathing length (best to vary length)

The next step is to make plain paragraphs. There are four types of sentences that make these up. Transition sentences are ones that make the flow smooth. Topic sentences are a statement sentence that usually come at the fron of a paragraph. Support sentences include the reasoning for the topic such as if/then or better/worse. Point sentence are to restate or reinforce the topic and usually come at the end. There are two methods to make plain paragraphs. One is to line up similar subjects so that paragraphs are more focused and less bumpy to read. The other is the Given/New method which provides something the reader know with something new that they don't. This was developed becuase it was found that people make stronger connection with associations.

Passive voice is not always bad. it can be used when the doer is not really important or the subject itself is the most important part of the sentence. It is also good for a variety in the writing.