Business Writing Exercise
This week we’re going to discuss techniques in getting and giving useful criticism, so it might be tempting to put off today’s assignment until you’ve read tomorrow’s article. I’d recommend that you go ahead and do your best job now, and then try again after you’ve read the week’s lessons. See what changes, what gets better, and what gets easier.
The actual assignment, though, is to critique one of your own documents. Pick something you’ve written recently and write a short analysis of the document’s quality and craftsmanship.
Start by reading through your document, and then write one to three paragraphs of analysis on each of the following topics:
- Clarity of communication – organization, transitions, good introduction and conclusion, etc.
- Effectiveness of the message – strength of the argument, connection to the reader, etc.
- Elements of style – punctuation, grammar, sentence structure, etc.
Refer to or quote the document where appropriate.
If it’s a document you can share, link to the original. If it’s a document worth rewriting, fix the problems you identify and then link the revised draft. Even if you don’t want to do that, share your critique on the discussion board. We can all benefit by seeing other writers’ analysis, just as much as by seeing their work.
