Reading Response Week 4
I thought the chapter about writing and rhetoric was valuable. It showed the complexities of writing and how there is so much to consider. There is obviously more to consider than content and grammar. When writing for JetBlue I should think about it as a rhetorical situation considering: the reader, the writer, and the text thus creating the context. I should consider the reader's knowledge, experiences, memories, expectations, feelings, and desires. Understanding my reader would really benefit in helping my letter or press release to be read positively. As for the text I need to really consider my words, images, and form. I think of the JFK example where he says "Ich bin ein Berliner" and if said out of context it has a completely different meaning. I think Luntz' 10 Rules to Communication can be helpful when considering the text.
The audience I am addressing are passengers of JetBlue Airlines that were effected in anyway by the operational problems experienced in Febuary due to the winter storms. From the different videos and blogs I read in response to the JetBlue crisis, I get the consenses that no one was happy about the situation. Most people were frustrated and angry at the miscommunications and overall time delay that they experienced (observed in both posted video and the one at the bottom). At the bottom of this page is a link to a video of a women and man expressing their frustration about the miscommunication of the experience. It is obvious how disappointed and discouraged they were while talking to the crewmember.
Most passengers just wanted to get to their location whether it be home or somewhere not in an airport. As viewed in the posted video, the passengers were tired, cold, and obviously ready to leave the airport. I intend to address the audience with a sympathetic and honest tone. Also, really focusing on compensation would be a good idea so that passengers do not feel like they were completely taken advantage of. Also, I think it is important to really awknowledge the horrible experience that they went through. Apologizing is important, but it is equally important to state why you are sorry. I think keeping those things in mind, my intent to persuade customers how sorry JetBlue is, how it fully intends to improve , and how important their concerns are will be achieved their my letter.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YnnJeV-Gtas&mode=related&search=
Comments
Audience is Important
Yes, I also agree that the reading was important. The audience you are addressing completely matters. For example, whe speaking to a group of college aged individuals about technology you would not say the same thing as when speaking to a retirement community. Different individuals have varying fluency of English and that is something that must also be considered. I think a cautious, yet confident tone should be used when writing to an audience that is angry with you. Reiterating apologies can never hurt. I also agree with you when you comment on Luntz's 10 Rules to Communication. For me, that is the single most helpful document yet in this project. I think he does a great job of explaining things and giving examples. Your video was interesting to watch since it directly showed customer's reactions when speaking with a JetBlue employee. Lastly, I believe compensation is key. I think those who took the time to write in a letter should be compensated even more than those who did not.
Response (4)
I feel that same way you do about acknowledging and showing the client that you feel their pain for what they had to go through. Being able to do this gives the client/passenger a good feeling and shows them that you and JetBlue are really trying to take care of this in a professional and serious matter. This also states that you are not going to let it happen again. I think that taking a shot at the feelings of a passenger is a good way to go because it does not seem as though you are trying to "blow them off"
Corporate Communication
Your video shows what many of these audience documents are revealing - one of the big problems here was poor communication through the JetBlue infrastructure, which meant that airline attendants and personnel were often just as confused as customers. We have been saying all along that a big problem here was communication, but this was a communications breakdown at all levels. Attendants were often as in the dark as customers, yet were forced to be responsible for confused and angry people. Their lack of knowledge only further angered customers, as this video reveals.
reply
I also agree that one of the biggest problems JetBlue had was the miscommunication through the company's infrastructure. JetBlue did not pass the communication efficiently to its personnel and this is what caused the chaos the customers found themselves in. In most news reports and youtube videos you can see that the customers refer to the crisis as "the JetBlue hostage crisis", and this is because they did not know at all what was happening at the time. Also, JetBlue did not announce what the solutions to the problem was, and this is why the customers waited so long. In my personal opinion, communication is a very important thing in a company as well as between people. Poor communication can lead to misunderstanding which could lead to lots of problems in the near future.
reply to reading response
I also thought that the chapter on rhetoric context was also valuable. I thought you made some great points in regarding to the reader and appealing to them. Though you are trying to understand your reader, I think should think about being more general. By general I mean a letter that will suit everyone, because each person has a different background. I think you will have a good letter, due to fact you understand what the JetBlue customers went through on that horrible day. Your letter should be fine, you have a lot of good points to use.