TCT Chapter 5: Ethics in the Technical Workplace

• 3 categories of ethics:
  • Personal
  • Social:
    • Rights
    • Justice
    • Utility
    • Care
  • Conservation

Luntz "The Ten Rules of Effective Language"

• 10 rules of effective language:
  1. Simplicity: Use Small Words
  2. Brevity: Use Short Sentences
  3. Credibility is as Important as Philosophy
  4. Consistency Matters
  5. Novelty: Offer Something New
  6. Sound and Texture Matter
  7. Speak Aspirationally
  8. Visualize
  9. Ask a Question
  10. Provide Context and Explain Relevance

Parsons Ethics in Public Relations: A Guide to Best Practice excerpt

• The four decision steps:
  1. Research
  2. Plan
  3. Implement
  4. Evaluate
• The Potter Box

Ruff and Aziz Managing Communications in a Crisis excerpt

• Stakeholders (ex.: parent company, shareholders, brokers, suppliers, customers/clients, staff, banks, contractors) and non-stakeholders (ex.: emergency services, regulators, analysts, local authorities, communities, media, government, trade associations)
• Handling the situation before, during, and after the crisis (have a plan in place)

TCT Chapter 4: Working in Teams

• The four stages of teaming:
  
  1. forming
  2. storming
  3. norming
  4. performing
     
     
• Team roles:
  
  • People-oriented roles:
  • Coordinator
  • Resource investigator
  • team worker
• Action-oriented roles:
• Shaper
• Implementor
• Completer/finisher
• Cerebral roles:
• Monitor/evaluator
• Plant
• Specialist
  
  
• Virtual teaming strategies:
  
  • Develop a work plan and stick to it
  • Communicate regularly
  • Hold teleconferences and videoconferences
  • Build trust and respect
  • Keep regular hours
    
    

Jalajas and Sutton "Feuds in Student Groups"

• Five negative roles:
  
  • Whiner
  • Martyr
  • Saboteur
  • Bully
  • Deadbeat
    
    
• Preventative and corrective strategies:
  
• Preventive:
• Make the division of responsibilities clear
• Don't blindly accept problems
• Don't take responsibility for happiness of others
• Corrective:
• Reopen discussions about responsibilities
• Confront the troublesome character
• Reduce contact with the character
• Don't let a Saboteur be responsible for editing or typing papers
• Do all editing and typing together

TCT Chapter 3: Readers and Contexts of Use

Reader guidelines:

1. Readers are “raiders” for information
2. Readers are wholly responsible for interpreting your text
3. Readers want only "need-to-know" information
4. Readers prefer concise texts
5. Readers prefer documents with graphics and effective page design

Kinds of readers:

• Primary readers (action taker)
• Secondary readers (advisers)
• Tertiary readers (Evaluators)
• Gatekeepers (Supervisors)

International and cross-cultural communication:
Be particularly aware of communication that crosses nations and cultures. You want to avoid cultural chauvinism, but you must be aware of applicable national and cultural differences.

Contexts of Use:

• Physical context (the physical environment of the audience)
• Economic context (relevant economic issues)
• Political context (the current social/historical situation)
• Ethical context (the issues of right and wrong at personal and cultural levels)

TCT Chapter 8:Organizing and Drafting

• Introduction (six possible moves)
  
• Define subjects
• State purpose
• State main point
• Stress the importance of subject
• Provide background information
• Forecast content
  
• Body
• Cause and Effect
• Comparison and Contrast
  
• Better and Worse
• Cost and Benefits
• If...Then
• Either/Or
• Chronological order
• Problem/Needs/Solution
• Example
  
• Conclusion (five possible moves)
  
• Make an obvious transition
• Restate your main point
• Restress the importance of subject
• Look to the future
• Say thank you and offer contact information

Press Release Readings:

• Audience is media personnel
• Formal language
• Newsworthy information
• Front-loaded (first sentence is crucial)
• Written in 3rd person
• Basic press release structure
• FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
• Headline
• Location
• Date
• Initial paragraph
• Body
• Conclusion
• Company info
• Contact info
• ###

TCT Chapter 17: Letters and Memos

• Letters are external; memos are internal
• Format
• Header
• to
• from
• date
• subject
  
• Introduction
• subject
• purpose
• main point
• background information
• importance of the subject
  
• Body
• need to know information
  
• Conclusion
• restates main point
• thanks reader
• looks to the future
  
• Signature (for letters only)
• Types
• Inquiry
• Response
• Transmittal
  
• Claim
• Adjustment
• Refusal 

Purdue OWL Memo Information:

• Audience and Purpose
• Bring attention to/solve problems
• Action-based
• Purposes
• inform
• persuade
• Have a specific audience
• Keep in mind tertiary readers
  
• Parts
• header
• to
• from
• date
• subject
• front-loaded
• brief introduction
• only information needed to take action
  
• Format
• header = 1/8 memo
• opening, context, task = 1/4 memo
• summary, discussion = 1/2 memo
• closing, necessary attachments = 1/8 memo
• 1-2 page total, single spaced
• left justified
• no indention
  
• line break between paragraphs
• heading clarifies content of segment
• document is front-loaded