Environmental Communication

According to Wikipedia...
Environmental communication refers to the study and practice of how individuals, institutions, societies, and cultures craft, distribute, receive, understand, and use messages about the environment and human interactions with the environment. This includes a wide range of possible interactions, from interpersonal communication to virtual communities, participatory decision making, and environmental media coverage. Environmental communication as an academic field emerged from interdisciplinary work involving communication, environmental studies, environmental science, risk analysis and management, sociology, and political ecology.

Today we looked at examples of REPORTS.

The primary goal of a report is to inform. It is a synthesis and summary of complex issues to be read by an audience (large or small, broad or narrow) with potentially different backgrounds. Reports can advocate a desired action, as well as report findings; they can be used for outreach campaigns, to get funding, or as a press release.

Audiences can include: general public, experts, stakeholders, the press, internal workers, or subordinates.

When looking at reports, we first considered the general layout.
How is the information presented? Are there pictures, side bars, boxes, maps, a highlighted message statement?

Next, we used the introduction (or first paragraph) to determine the intended audience, main message, effectiveness, the call to actions.

A. General assumptions: If there are numbers or statistics, the intended audience may be scientists, or people who are somewhat more technical. The report (or press release example we looked at) may have an emotional appeal, intended for the general public to get them hooked and engaged.

Press releases:
-get right to the point (front load message early in the document)
-immediately let you know what the focus is
-captures the audience with emotional appeal
-sometimes a call for action

B. Sidebars or boxes are used to summarize information, or to include information that did not fit into the text but is important.

C. Framing: say what you are going to tell your audience, tell them, and then tell them what you told them

D. ABC: Always Be Closing: always have a purpose for writing!

E. When presenting information, you want to make it exciting and interesting. If the audience is mixed, you want a presentation that they can absorb and invest in. It is crucial to make complex content more interesting.

F. Many times reports answer the following questions: What is the main consequence? If nothing were done, what would be the outcome? What's the worst possible scenario?

G. With mixed audiences, lead with your $money$ statement.

Report analysis activtiy
Read the introduction of the document...
1. What is the main message/ purpose?
2. What is the target audience?
3. What assumptions do the authors make about the audience need?
4. How does language communicate these decisions/ assumptions?
Additionally, we addressed the following questions:
Is there a call to action?
How effective are titles and headings?
What is the audience expectation?
How does the use of images enhance the message?
Does the report clearly state a problem? Do they suggest a solution?

*For an excellent example of a report read: Evaporative demand, transpiration, and photosynthesis: How are they changing? [Week 3 Discussion Forum: Reports- EGU conference abstract]

Take away message:
When writing reports, it is important to consider how language used affects your audience. Additionally, assumptions affect the effectiveness of your conclusion and presentation.

~Lydia Leclair

Communicating your message, writing with style

Resumes
Activity: Resume from former Bren student and Josh were examined by class to draw attention to key elements that should be present in our resumes.

Important info learned from the examination of the resumes:

• Highlight one’s specialization, leadership activities, and relevant training
• Do not use paragraphs in resume- instead use bullet points
• Listing sports related activities/participation is not generally done unless it is used to highlight your leadership skills (i.e. team captain) and/or your ability to work in teams. However, it is necessary to carefully frame sport(s) involvement to make it relevant to job posting. Could potentially give you an edge.
• Account for at least the last five years of employment/volunteering- it is not necessary to account for a gap in employment if it was over five years ago.
• Use verbs such as led, directed, managed, etc. when summarizing your role at previous job.
• Emphasis constantly should be changing to fit job applications
• Under the skills and interest section do not list office suite and ability to use browsers as skills- instead list specific computer programs (relevant to job posting). Use words such as: advanced skills, expertise, advance proficiency, familiar with, etc. to notify employer of your skills.
  

Activity: After resume examination the class spent approx.10 minutes to review a class mates resume.

Cover letters

Activity: Cover letter from former Bren student was used as an example on how exemplary cover letters should read.

Important information learned from examining the cover letter:

• All good cover letters should have strong opening sentences.
• Highlight within cover letter one’s graduate work, strong leadership skills, strong writing skills (i.e. proposals that were granted funding), professional experience, and team member qualities.
• Keep consistency throughout cover letter (i.e. formatting, etc.)
• It is not recommended to use strong language such as “If you agree I am a strong candidate…” as it might come across to employer as too aggressive.
• Giving resume reviewer a specific time frame to when best contact you should not be done.

Activity: Class spent the last minutes of class reviewing classmates cover letters


-Grizelda Soto

Job Applications: Writing Samples

October 1, 2009

When composing a writing sample, highlight what the job announcement is actually looking for.

Pick out key verbs and mimic them in your resume (coordinate, organize, etc.)

Get a sense of the size and location of the organization.
- Switched and evaluated job announcements.

Look at mission statement and pull out key words/phrases to show that you live by the company’s image and contribute to their cause (personify the image).
- Switched and evaluated writing samples for applicability.

What to do when writing sample argues a strong point of view – frame as committed to the issue, can include a statement at the beginning of the writing sample stating the purpose of the paper and desired outcomes for the audience.

Resumes: example of a unique layout; highlight your education first in bold; strong verb usage (coordinate, outreach, develop, oversee, implement, established and maintained – indicate management); brief descriptions.

TAKEAWAYS
- Carefully review job description – highlight and pick out words, influence app materials.
- Personify the company you are applying for – visualize yourself as already having the job.
- Classmates are a great resource for writing/editing.

Bring and review cover letters and message statements on Tuesday (post to Gauchospace) .

--Katie Riley

Targeted Communication

Considering the people who will read your writing- In terms of applying for jobs

Need to understand your topic and discover your message

To get a job: (1) know somebody, (2) targeted communication- what do you think they are looking for?

Assess your target

Imagine what a day in the life of your audience members looks like- what type of language is most effective for them? Where do they live? Why are they reading your job application? How much time/emotional energy do you think they are going to invest? What drives them, what’s their passion? What keeps them up at night? How can you solve their problem? How might your audience resist?

Plan to write to someone very busy so make your point clear and concise.

Do the thinking for them, make the connections, and make it easy for the reader.

Two sides: not just the audience, also the speaker/writer. How do you affect this communication?

Think about relevant stories you have to tell, maybe to come up in the interview; things that will connect you to the other person.

Consider your role in information delivery

What unique expertise and experience do you contribute? What is your purpose for communicating information? What do you share in common with your audience? What are your desired outcomes? What stories you have that might be relevant?

Presentation skills

Be prepared, know the content and respect your audience. Answer/consider/respect all questions.

Chris Costello: Addresses a big problem. Makes it understandable.

Job Application

It must be, at a minimum, readable and concise. In addition, it should be compelling and relevant to job. Looking for someone with expertise in the area. Conclusion is what they read first. Represent yourself accurately.

9/29/09 - Linda Halabi & Laura Hamman

ESM 440: First day

September 24, 2009 ---- Class #1 - SDM

When writing and/or presenting, it is extremely important to do an Audience Assessment -

Ask yourself:

· Who is my targeted audience? (Are they scientists? Policy makers? Co-workers? etc.)

· Why are these people listening to me talk/reading my report? What do they want? What do they need?

· What is the purpose of what I am writing? What is my desired outcome?

· What action do I want from the audience? (i.e. do I want people to support a policy? Or do I want people to donate money to my non-profit? What do I want audience to do/feel as a result of my writing/presentation?)

Also important to develop your BRAND:

For example:

· Create a blogging site and get a url address

· Consider making your Facebook page look more professional- post important articles you have read, your thoughts on important environmental issues etc.

· Use your Facebook page (status section) to post things about your job or what your career goals are

· Get onto Linked In

· Be aware that companies DO look at these pages/sites and may see your pages!

2 Books for the Class:

(1) slide:ology – The Art and Science of Creating Great Presentations (by Nancy Duarte)

(2) The Art of Possibility – Transforming Professional and Personal Life (by Zander and Zander)

< both should be on reserve in the Bren library >

Highly Productive Writers - What are their strategies?

· They write constantly- very disciplined

· Writing is a part of their daily ritual/ routine

· One successful writer said he writes for 4 hours every day about anything – doesn’t matter the topic – as long as he is writing for those 4 hours

Monica’s take on that strict/disciplined approach is that it is important BUT at the same time:

* “You should really go with whatever works for you” *

Some studies say: “people who procrastinate don’t do well in school”

BUT this is actually not always true!!!

Some people do have the ADAPTIVE SKILL and are able to be highly productive under pressure and last minute (for example, some people can get into a flow and have clarity of purpose even when they have procrastinated or put something off)

Often times for those people, anxiety does not come from actually worrying about producing the final product- instead it is anxiety that is induced from the guilt about procrastinating (the anxiety that results when we feel like we should be doing something and we are not)

BUT in group projects, it is important to consider the other people in your group and make an effort to make deadlines:

· Remember, your group does not know that you have that amazing adaptive skill and are able to procrastinate until the last minute and still produce excellent work

· Group members will most likely get anxious and think you are not doing your work or that you will not finish on-time etc. etc.

EMAIL ETIQUETTE- EXTREMELY IMPORTANT

It is VERY important to initially present yourself well (right from the start); you may never see the person or have a chance to come into contact with them again.

Tips to enhance clarity:

· Be very concise and specific- make it crystal clear what is your purpose for writing

· If you need to meet or talk with someone, give him/her specific times/dates that you are available

· Avoid open-ended questions or comments… for example, do not say “I would like to meet with you some day about something”

· Use short specific sentences- be brief and do not include too much background information

· Use bullet points

· Consider timing: take into account what time or what day you are sending an email. For example, don’t send a bad news email (**) at the very end of the day or don’t expect a follow-up immediately on a Friday afternoon etc.

· Know what your expected outcome is so you convey the message the you want.

· Any more than 2 back and forth emails is too much- - if your aren’t accomplishing your goal of your email, suggest communicating verbally

(**) Guidelines for bad news messages

1. Focus on the issues/facts and do not make it personal.

a. For example, if you or someone has missed a deadline, do not give excuses or get overly angry- stick with what you need: I need an extension, I need you to get it in by tomorrow at noon etc.

b. Another example: Make it as neutral as possible: “We were expecting this data from John and because he has left his position, we are not able to get it. I suggest we do X, Y or Z.” DO NOT WRITE: “John quit his job and now we are screwed and have no data…

2. Write when you are CALM- avoid personal attacks

3. Government could care less about flattery (general rule of thumb)

4. Professors/ people in academia tend to care about politeness/flattery/thank yous etc. (as a general rule)

5. Avoid unnecessary comments (Example: poppyseed bread)

6. Avoid using tones or showing your emotional baggage

7. Can cc. someone who may be involved – given that so-in-so is out of the country, what do you think? Could you help me?

8. Don’t over-communicate

9. Main person you are writing to is in the “To” address line. Everyone else is you can cc. Or you can BOLD/ underline the person’s name the message is directed to…

10. Don’t c.c. a supervisor when he/she doesn’t need to be involved…- very “snarky”

11. Consider the entire track of the email – If you forward a message, INCLUDE THE RELEVANT PARTS not pages and pages of old messages.

12. Use the SUBJECT line to try to state the point of email. For example, if today is a due-date of a big report, use SUBJECT line to say “Report is Due Today”

13. PROOF-READ - don’t make mistakes !!

Generate positive outcomes from bad news messages:

1. Consider the human element – what can I send to get the response I need? Remember there is a human being on the other end of the email.

2. Only use humor where possible/appropriate…

3. End on a positive note- - hope you are having a safe trip, what date could I expect a response?

NEW SYLLABUS WILL BE POSTED ON-LINE

6/4 Class: Wrap Up (and Ship Out)

A Bit of Review
Class Theme: Targeted Communication

• Clearly responding to needs of task and audience
• Have specific purpose
• Audience assessment should be integral in writing process
• writing exercises (see Tariel's blog post)
• Bridget on her presentation tips (see Bridget's blog post): hand drawing slides is especially useful. Tests your knowledge of your slides. Purpose of this practice is to know info so well that you're not thinking about what you're going to say; you're just saying it. Have a conversation with the audience rather than sounding memorized.

Applying good writing strategies to job application

• Job announcement example: Tribal Forester for Santo Domingo Pueblo (Note: the pay scale for this job seems to disgust Monica. Message: an Indian trible is a long way from a tech company.)
• Using job description, highlight requirements that you can actually do
• Underline things that you are not qualified for and see how you can "fudge" them in your cover letter or resume
• Place job description side by side with cover letter and resume to see how they reflect job requirements

Writing a strong cover letter

• formatting tip: | Create header | stationary by | using vertical line key | above return key.| Note: use at your own risk. This technique is not sanctioned by Bren Career Development.

Cover Letter Introduction

• specifically target company
• shouldn't look like a form letter
• state which group you want to work in or the position you want
• mention master's degree next
• sweet sentence: "...school's rigorous interdisciplinary curriculum, coupled with my professional experience, have provided me with the skills to succeed in a position requiring analytical research, discretionary analysis, and effective collaboration."

Craft your bullet points wisely

• need to work well, shouldn't look like a paragraph
• option: bold bullet titles (truly state of the art)
• have consistency with bullets (not like this). Use colon or periods (em dashes are also pretty badass).
• Market yourself. Use the word "led" wherever possible.
• Employers want strong writing skills so use concrete examples. Example: "Read 80 pages and produced a 2 page summary memo in 48 hours."
• If attaching lots of files, state names of files in email
• Question: What if cover letter bullets are too similar to resume?
  
• Answer: Bullets in resume should be more extensive and highlight/emphasize elements of the resume
• How to beat the resume machine: Machine will be looking for key words that maps to job description. Make sure these words are in your resume and cover letter or you will be TERMINATED (yah, I just saw the movie)
• Keep audience in mind when formatting
• For instance, Oxford is very proper and old-fashioned (hence all the white uniforms at Wimbledon) so anything bold might gravely offend them
• How the goverment operates: bold is better when it comes to bullets. (If the Feds only read the bolded text, why does it take them twice as long to read it?)
• When applying without existing job description: Make cover letter display and wide range of abilities that could apply to a number of positions OR write a cover letter for your ideal job.

Email Etiquette (avoiding the #%$! storm)

• Generate positive outcomes from bad news emails
  
• Most important to consider: What is the audience (person you're on the verge of an email firestorm with) hoping to get out of this
• Give person/ group an 'A' (flatter, praise, suck up, give 'em that "damn right I'm awesome" feeling
• Can't take attitude that you're the only one giving 100%. Have to assume that everyone is giving their best and state this recognition.
• These situations happen frequently in collaborative projects
• Don't take yourself so damn seriously!
• Bold move from Monica: Shows examples from her personal email. Monica, a model of transparency.
• Purpose of Monica's email was to activate many people to solve an ongoing problem created by a single person.
• Words that activate people: "let's pool our collective expertise", "let's work together"
• Look for positives in the negative email
• Use a little humor
• Avoid burning bridges. Important thing is to stay professional.
• Always think about what possible outcomes might come from an email, especially in the long run. How can this help me in the long run?
  
• Sometimes you just have to brush your shoulder off.
• If it's really serious set up a face to face to resolve it.
• Sager shows me his Hooters pen. I give a chuckle. Ah shucks.
• Best strategy: when things get heated then step back. Wait. Deep breath. Clear head. Look at big picture.

Writing for a call to action or outreach

• Problem statement
• Your stance on it
• Very clear message
• Action phrases
• A call to legislative action can serve 2 purposes. The messages goes to Congress but also sells people on whatever stance you support.

Monica thanks the students. No, Monica...Thank you. Thank you.

--Lucas Bare

Authoritative Nonsense: Professional and Creative Writing Exercise

1. Write a short paper (up to 1-2 pages) explaining or describing a topic about which you know nothing.

2. You can explain or describe a concept, how to do something, or how something works.

3. This piece should be written in an authoritative style - pretend that you are an expert on the subject. What you write can be completely ridiculous, but the tone and style must be serious, authoritative, and professional.

4. Do not do any research on the topic.

5. This exercise can be written in 15-20 minutes. However, more time can be spent writing, if desired.

The piece will probably be funny, if not absurd.

Although this is a creative writing exercise, it is particularly relevant to people who practice professional, academic, and scientific writing. It is an exercise in writing in an authoritative and convincing style - even if it is completely ridiculous. By divorcing the authoritative and professional writing style from a real subject requiring any expert knowledge, the writer is required to focus on the qualities of authoritative professional writing rather than being distracted by research, facts, and reality. Additionally, the creative aspect helps develop general writing skill.

Doing this exercise with a group of people is very funny and entertaining...it is also a good way to compare writing styles.


--Tariel Naxon