The correspondence piece for this course consisted of a mock persuasive letter. This letter achieved the course outcomes:

1. analyzing and producing writing genres according to the rhetorical situation of workplace contexts(the targeted audience was the president of a hotel chain)
2. creating professional documents that use plain English principles.

To achieve the rhetorical situation I wrote as the general manager of a fitness company selling my product to a hotel chain in hopes they will implement them into the hotel gyms. Throughout the persuasive letter, I utilized and furthered my understanding of Ethos, Pathos, and Logos. I also used the AIDA method in hopes of successfully persuading my audience. Creating this document was a little challenging because I had never written anything like this, but I will need these skills for working in an educational setting. I pushed through by using different methods such as AIDA and the professor’s lecture to better my understanding.

Persuasive Letter

Bad News Memo

The bad news memo touched on these 2-course outcomes: “analyze and produce writing genres according to the rhetorical situation of workplace contexts”, and “create professional documents that use plain English principles”. This document also incorporated a rhetorical situation to practice various skills. The rhetorical situation consisted of me writing as an employee at an insurance corporation that has to deliver bad news to all the other employees via a memo. I used English principles such as AIDA and the ones outlined in the professor’s lecture which consisted of the:

1. Start with a buffer/common ground
2.  State what was asked for, if there has been a request
3.  Give details of the reasons you can’t do what the other person wants, without saying “no” directly
4.  Offer an alternative/sweetener, if possible
5.  Close on a constructive note (don’t refer back to the refusal or bad news)

This document was beneficial to my professional development as I will need to send memos in the future when I have a team of people that will work together regularly.