Try-It #3: Rhetorical Awareness & the Reader-Centered Approach

You can use the online texts, any notes that you have, and the available course pages in Canvas for help as you work on these questions. You can also talk to one another. 

What You Need to Do

Find a free, publicly available example of technical or professional communication online. This example could be a user manual, simple set of instructions, proposal, short report, government or business form, or even an assignment from another class. In other words, you can Google an example or select one from your personal experience.

Be sure to read this week’s readings before beginning this activity. Next, read the example you have chosen thoroughly to familiarize yourself with it. Once you have finished examining the example, answer the questions below about it.

How This Activity Connects to the Course

This assignment is designed to help you understand the connection between rhetoric and the reader-centered approach to technical writing.

Remember that all workplace writing is meant to be persuasive in one way or another. In other words, any piece of writing that is public-facing – designed for public consumption – is meant to persuade the reader of something. A proposal attempts to convince its readers that the idea it covers is the best one possible. A recommendation report tells its readers “here’s the solution to your problem.” Even a resume argues, “I’m the best person for the job. Hire me.”

Assessment

Canvas automatically marks your work Complete when you submit it. All you have to do is TRY the activity. It’s okay if you make mistakes. Recognize however that if you have not put in an effort to do the work, I may remove the Complete mark.