Professionals must communicate effectively. Their success or failure often depends more on their ability (or inability) to write and speak than on their technical skills or knowledge. Poor writing is probably the most common complaint that employers make about new college graduates.
For these reasons, this class emphasizes communications skills. You are held to the standard expected of an entry level employee. This may be a higher standard than you are used to. As defined in the University Catalog, an 'A' paper indicates superior work and is normally attained by few students. A grade of 'B' indicates very good work. Adequate or average work, the level met by most students will receive a 'C.' Work which meets minimum acceptable standards will receive a 'D' although consistent work of this level will probably result in unemployment.
The primary issue is whether your are communicating information in an effective manner. In college, you often write solely to meet a requirement. In the real world, you write to communicate information. You have an idea in your mind that you try to place in the reader or listener's mind with minimal loss of understanding. To do this, your papers and presentations must be clearly organized and presented. Of course, spelling and grammar must be correct.
Effective communications is hard work and takes practice. While this is not a basic writing class, I hope that I can help you to improve your writing. The following suggestions are only a starting point:
Written communications
Always work from an outline. If you don't know where your paper is going, neither will your reader. An outline allows you to organize the work and to ensure that it is complete.
Do multiple drafts. There is no magic number, but I doubt that any paper which goes through fewer than three revisions (and often more) can reach the desired standard. Leave sufficient time so that you can put a paper away and pick it up a day or more later to see if it still makes sense.
Edit yourself critically. Ask whether your current draft is communicating your ideas effectively. Look for areas of confusion or ambiguity. Make sure that you are using appropriate language. Look for grammatical and spelling errors. Reading the paper aloud may help.
Have other people (friends, classmates, roommates, etc.) review your drafts. Most of us are poor editors of our own work. We know what we meant, so ambiguity may not be apparent. Be sure that your reviewers are sufficiently critical.
Some people have found the Writing Center to be useful; others have not.
Oral presentations
You have to develop your own system of notes. Some people use outlines or notecards. Use whatever works for you. Reading from a script is rarely effective. Transferring the paper directly to 3x5 cards doesn't change the fact that you are reading.
If you read a substantial part of your paper, I will consider it to be an average presentation and will grade it accordingly.
Maintain eye contact.
Don't speak in a monotone.
Dress professionally.
Use overheads, handouts, or other aids as appropriate. Make sure, however, that they help. Don't put too much information on an overhead or use unreadable print.
Recommended resources:
William Strunk and E.B. White The Elements of Style, 3rd Ed. (New York: Macmillan Publishing Co., Inc., 1979). This is the classic style manual. EVERYONE SHOULD HAVE AND USE THIS!
Harry Shaw Errors in English and Ways to Correct Them, 3rd Ed. (New York, Harper & Row Publishers, 1986)
Norman Lewis 20 Days to Better Spelling (New York: New American Library, 1989)
Jay Silverman, Elaine Hughes, and Diana Roberts Wienbroer Rules of Thumb (New York: McGraw-Hill Publishing Company, 1990)
Marian K. Woodall Speaking to a group (Lake Oswego, OR: Professional Business Communications, 1990)
Donald J.D. Mulkerne and Donald J.D. Mulkerne, Jr. The Perfect Term Paper Step by Step (New York: Doubleday, 1988)