PURCOM Communication for Various Purposes Flashcards
(14 cards)
There are several types of written communication discussed in this section: electronic mail, memoranda, letters, reports and papers. Professionalism and effectiveness in written communication depends on choosing the best type by which to express a subject, and then following basic guidelines for conveying your message to the recipient.
Written Communication
Electronic mail, or e-mail, is appropriate for short, rapid communications. It is not effective for conveying large amounts of information or complex information. Because e-mail is quick and easy, it is sometimes mistakenly considered informal. And certainly, when you correspond with friends, informality is acceptable. But in other circumstances, e-mail should be
formal and professional.
Electronic Correspondence
A memorandum, or memo, is used to communicate specific information, usually within a department, or organization. It is more formal than an e-mail, and can be used to transmit more information– up to a page or two. Still, the information you convey should be relatively straightforward and uncomplicated.
Memoranda
Letters are the means of formal, professional communication with others outside an organization. Sometimes, letters are used within an organization to formally present a secondary document, such as a committee report. Letters can convey more detail than a memo, and should always be used to introduce a resume.
Letters
One of the most frequent forms of written communication that you will use to complete assignments in your courses is the report or paper. The format for particular assignments will often be given by a professor, but below are the basic elements of a report and guidelines to follow for writing a paper.
Reports and Papers
include simple telephone calls, interviews for class projects or research studies, and informal and formal presentations. Having a clear idea of what you want to say or ask is essential to effective oral communications.
Oral Communication
Telephone contact between forest and natural resource managers and the general public or client groups is very common. Throughout your career, you will need to answer incoming telephone calls politely, even when conversing with a disgruntled individual. When contacting other individuals by telephone, consider these steps.
Telephone Conversations
Often ____________ are required for class projects or qualitative research studies. If you plan on conducting a qualitative research project, coursework in qualitative research methods will be necessary. Because of the complexity involved in conducting qualitative research interviews, this section of this manual will discuss conducting an interview for a class project only. Some guidelines for conducting basic interviews for class projects follow
Interviews
____________ can either be informal (for example, a class presentation or a short presentation at a meeting) or more formal, such as a presentation at a workshop or conference. Similar guidelines apply to both types of presentations.
Presentations
A _____ is a convenient way to present data. Separate tables (numbered in the order of their first appearance) should be used for all but the simplest tabular material. Every table should have an informative title, which should make the tables intelligible without reference to the text. Rows and columns should be clearly identified. Most word processing packages have utilities to construct tables, and with a little practice a table can be customized by merging cells, using a combination of no, regular, or bold lines, changing column widths, etc.
Tables
is simply a device to present data. Various types of graphs are utilized to convey various date. The table below provides guidelines for choosing the best graph to illustrate your data.
Graphs
A ___ is a spatial method of communicating information about a
project, process, travel route or idea. The key word is spatial: how something is distributed in space or how you get from location A to location B. Getting from A to B can be described either through a map or through a set of steps, as anyone who has used MapQuest or Google maps knows. For some people, the map showing the route is a more effective way to communicate than the stepby-step instructions. Some spatial information is just best communicated with a map, and, depending on your audience, a map can provide effective context.
Map
Is an integral component of formal, professional communication. Although perhaps most strongly associated with written work, citation is important in oral and graphic communication also. If you use a quotation when giving a presentation, or copy a graph onto a PowerPoint slide, you must credit the original author. Likewise, if utilizing a chart or table from a book within your paper, even if you have added some information, you must reference the original creator of that chart or table. The purpose of citation is twofold. First, it references sources and ideas or words attributable to others and
documents the research process. Second, it enables a reader to find the original work and words being referenced. If the author of a paper has paraphrased someone else’s idea, the reader may want to see the original sentences. The reader might also want to consult the original source to understand the context of the a particular quotation. Thus, citation must provide all of the details necessary to find a referenced piece of literature. Different disciplines employ various citation formats. For example, the
humanities typically use footnotes, whereas the natural sciences typically use parenthetical references. Citations are utilized within the body of a paper and they are also listed at the end of a document in either a Bibliography or a Works (or Literature) Cited.9
Citation
When you do not cite your sources, or keep close track of your research process, you run the risk of plagiarizing. Plagiarism is presenting someone else’s ideas, work, or words as if they were your own. Plagiarism includes copying from a source without citing it, using the same words
without using quotation marks (even with a citation), or improperly paraphrasing (re-wording) another’s work. Always cite sources you consult. You must attribute words, ideas, interpretations, information, and knowledge that is not your own to the appropriate author or
source. The College does not tolerate academic dishonesty. The penalty for plagiarism may be a grade of zero for a particular assignment, or failure of a course. The ESF policies on academic dishonesty are covered in the Student and Judicial Handbooks and in Academic Integrity @ ESF.10 Students are expected to read and understand these policies. Below are links to other
webresources about plagiarism, even unintentional plagiarism (i.e., improper paraphrasing).
Plagiarism
