English 420Y - Business Writing Online

Our team was really productive this week. Everyone was on top of their work and made sure to get it done on time so the next person could work on their part. Ultimately our final draft was done with a lot of time to spare; this allowed us to have plenty of time to make final adjustments. In addition, our group communicated very well via the wiki, updating what they have been working and commenting on the work of others.

This week wasn’t as productive as last week. We had some communication problems that kind of let everyone in doubt of what was going on. However, we were able to get the necessary work done and successfully complete our second draft of the brochure. Again, my main task for the week was to make sure that our design was correct and that everything was formatted correctly. This proved to be a challenge because we ended up deciding to change the size of our brochure and add another two more panels.

I think that our brochure has effectively been able to pull on the heartstrings of the readers, creating the right amount of emotional appeal. Within our brochure we try to appeal the people’s better nature by trying to get them to volunteer and show them examples of why they should contribute and what they will get out of such an experience. Part of this was achieved through the use of photographs, which are depictions of the event and past volunteers.

Our group was very productive this week. We all worked very hard to get our first draft done on time and I think we all contributed equally. However, we had one problem this week. Nick had some personal issues that affected his work, although I believe that the group responded very well to the situation. Everyone was understand and all stepped up to complete the necessary work to complete our brochure. Stephanie and Nick were in charge of the text, while Rachel and I were responsible for the design.

I found this weeks reading to be very helpful. I will definitely reference back to these two chapters when revising our brochure for the second draft. I agree that the use of pictures help convey the message of the brochure, or any document, when used appropriately. However, I feel that many people do not take this into consideration when creating their documents. The misuse of photos is often counterproductive and confusing to the read, ultimately detracting from the effectiveness of the document. I think the uses of photographs in our brochure were used effectively.

This week has been a struggle for our group. We are finding it hard to coordinate everyone’s schedules. In addition, we haven’t come to a decision on when or how we will have our group meetings. Part of the problems have been a result of two of the members from our group going on holiday this weekend, myself being one of them. I have tried to jumpstart our project by creating part of our Gannt chart for the other members to finish.

The brochure I found was for Flora Marathon that took place in London on April 22 of this year. The front of the brochure uses a bright yellow background that attracts the eye and makes the brochure stand out. The graphics on the front panel use two shades of green, a complimentary color to yellow, that make that the brochure aesthetically pleasing. The graphics themselves depict several silhouettes of runners, cyclists, babies, the Tower Bridge, and a rhinoceros.

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I welcome your comments and suggestions. Thank you.

Having read the Thompson Handbook, I have a greater understanding for the importance of context and knowing your audience. Choosing how you address your audience can ultimately effect how well you are able to reach them. Using these tools will prove to be helpful in the jetBlue case. In the jetBlue case we are addressing customers that are extremely frustrated with the company so it is very important that when addressing them you use the right tone, and understand how they are feeling. If you fail to acknowledge these things, you could upset these customers even more and lose future business.