1. In the Markel text, respond to #4 and #5 on pages 240-241. Are the letters and email effective? Do the writers reflect a professional tone? If not, how can it be improved? Please be specific and cite the book. Show me you at least looked at the book.
2. Read the following link: http://news.delta.com/ceo-delta-requires-civility-our-planes
It's a letter from Delta's CEO to Delta employees after an unruly passenger put them in the news in a negative light. Discuss if it is effective communication. Why or why not? Would you give him any suggestions for improvement or not?
You can write this in memo or letter format. Please make sure that your answers are clearly marked. You are learning to be technical writers, and part of being a technical writer is making things easier for your readers (audience).
GROUP EXERCISE Form small groups for this exercise on claim and adjustment letters. Have each member of your group study the following two letters. Meet and discuss your reactions to the two letters. How ef-fectively does the writer of the claim letter present his case? How effective is the adjustment letter? Does its writer succeed in showing that the company's pro-cedures for ensuring hygiene are effective? Does its writer succeed in projecting a professional tone? Write a memo to your instructor discussing the two letters. Attach a revision of the adjustment letter to the memo.
Seth Reeves
19 Lowry's Lane
Morgan. TN 30610
April 13. 2013
Sea-Tasty Tuna
Route 113
Lynchburg. TN 30563
Gentlemen:
rye been buying your tuna fish for years. and up to now ifs been OK.
But this morning I opened a can to make myself a sand¬wich. What do you think was staring me in the face? A fly. That's right. a housefly. That's him you see taped to the bottom of this letter.
What are you going to do about this?
Yours very truty.
SEA-TASTY Tom
Route 113
Lynchburg. TN 30563 www.seatastytuna.com
Apri 20. 2013
Mr. Seth Reeves 19 Lowry's Lane Morgan. TN 30610
Dear Mr. Reeves:
We were very sorry to learn that you found a fly in your tuna fish.
Here at Sea-Tasty we are very careful about the hygiene of our plant. The tuna are scrubbed thoroughly as soon as we receive them. After they are processed. they are inspected visually at three different points. Before we pack them. we rinse and sterilize the cans to ensure that no foreign material is sealed them.
Because of these stringent controls, we really don't see how you could have found a fly n the can. Nevertheless. we we enclosing coupons good for two cans of Sea-Tasty tuna.
We hope this letter restores your confidence n us. Truly yours.
Louise and Paul work for the same manufacturing company. Louise. a senior engineer. is chairing a committee to investigate ways to improve the hiring process at the company. Paul, a technical editor. also serves on the committee. The excerpts quoted in Lou¬ise's e-mail are from an e-mail written by Paul to all members of the committee in response to Louise's request that members describe their approach to evaluating job-application materials. How would you revise Louise's e-mail to make it more effective?
To: Paul From: Louise
Sometimes I just have to wonder what you're think-ing. Paul.
>Of course, it's not possible to expect perfect >resumes. But I have to screen them, and
>last year I had to read over 200. I'm not looking for >perfection. but as soon as I spot an error I make >a mental note of it and. when I hit a second and >then a third error I can't really concentrate on the >writer's credentials.
Listen, Paul. you might be a sharp editor, but the rest of us have a different responsibility: to make the products and move them out as soon as possible. We don't have the luxury of studying documents to see if we can find errors. I suggest you concentrate on what you were hired to do, without imposing your "standards" on the rest of us. >From my point of view, an error can include a >misused tradmark.
Misusing a `tradmark." Paul? Is that Error Number 1?