Proposal Memo: Assignment
You choose a kind of writing from the table you created for the Analysis of Writing in Your Field project and write a memo that proposes examining that genre in your Recommendation Report.
Your memo will explain your choice, how it will help you in your career, and what you will include in your research as you work on your report. I will review and approve your proposal (or suggest revision). To understand more about the connections among the Major Projects, read How the Major Projects Connect.
The audience for this project is me, Traci. Your goal is to convince me that the kind of writing you have chosen will help you prepare for writing in the workplace when you graduate (or during future internships or jobs). Your memo should persuade me that you have made a good choice and that you are ready to begin more in-depth research.
Project Requirements
Your Final, Finished Draft must meet these requirements in order to earn a B or better in this course:
Check the Textbook
Use this information from Technical Communication to shape your document:
- Crafting a Persuasive Argument, on pages 177–186.
- Guidelines: Revising Headings, on pages 196–197.
- Guidelines: Creating Effective Lists (as relevant), on pages 200–201.
- Guidelines: Designing Easy-To-Read Text, on pages 286–287.
- Using Color Effectively, on pages 300–302.
- Sample Memo, Figure 14.10, on page 377.
- Guidelines: Organizing a Memo, on page 378.
- Information on Research Proposals, on page 425.
- Focuses on a kind of writing from your Analysis of Writing in Your Field project that you have not written before.
- Is a document in memo format created in a word processor.
- Provides a specific subject line for the document.
- Includes the following sections, in this order, in your memo:
- Begins with a clear statement of purpose.
- Provides a brief summary of the information in the document.
- Explains the areas to be studied in your recommendation report, including the ethical issues you will consider.
- Explains your research strategy, providing your initial plan for finding information about the kind of writing.
- Ends with a request for approval.
- Use professional design and formatting that does the following:
- Makes information easy for readers to find and read.
- Emphasizes important information.
- Makes a good first impression as a polished, professional document.
- Use accurate/appropriate grammar, spelling, punctuation, mechanics, linking, and formatting.
Activities Making Up This Major Writing Project
The following activities will all contribute to your Proposal Memo. You can complete all of them, or you can pick and choose. Remember that the Final, Finished Draft is required in order to earn a B or better in this course.
Week of February 11
- Proposal Memo: Generate Ideas about Your Topic (25 points)
- Proposal Memo: Complete an Audience Profile Sheet (50 points)
- Proposal Memo: Outline Your Memo (25 points)
- Create a Proposal Memo: Rough Draft (300 points)
Week of February 18
- Proposal Memo: Check for Content Completion (25 points)
- Proposal Memo: Check for a Strong Subject Line and Information-Rich Headings (25 points)
- Proposal Memo: Check for Professional Design (25 points)
- Proposal Memo: Editing and Proofreading (25 points)
- Complete your Final, Finished Draft* (500 points)
Links to the work for the week of February 18 will be available in Project Module 5: Correspondence, Part 2 (Opens Week of February 18).
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