Dear Future English 304 Students:

In just one fast semester I have learned many things in Business Writing that will carry over for a very long time. In the beginning of the semester when you have a different chapter (or sometimes a few) to read before your next class, tough it out because the reading doesn't last long and the rest of the semester is spent doing the client-based project which is really enjoyable. I would definitely recommend reading the chapters because there may be a pop quiz the following lecture on the reading. But regardless of the pop quiz, the book is very informative and gives plenty of examples for when it comes time do to the resume, memo, follow-up, and other writing, as well as preparation for interviews, or how to write a proposal. As far as the writing goes, I would recommend doing it well. Not only will you get a good grade, but this is your opportunity to write a resume and have it looked over by a professor that is more than willing to help you make it look as good as possible!

On to the more interesting aspect of the class, the client project. This is where you get to put all of the reading to use (so yes, the reading is there for a purpose). Choose your group wisely, it will make the world of a difference, especially because of the amount of time you work with your group throughout the semester in order to complete the project. Also, make sure to document all that is done, whether individually or as a whole because you never know if/when you may need to refer back to it. Stay on top of things: if you complete assignments according to the schedule that has already been planned in the syllabus, everything should run really smoothly.

Just like in any class, keep your work and try to keep it organized as best as possible. Several times throughout the semester you will need to refer back to notes or completed assignments as you work on the project or create one of your three portfolios. Take advantage of the blogging and the portfolios, as well, because they are good things to keep in mind when creating your e-portfolio for graduating!

Good luck and have a great semester!

Meredith Razzolini

Client Project

The progression of the client project has been running smoothly within my group and we have been doing well with what we've been given. There have been the halts/delays in certain aspects at different times, but it was usually because of things out of the group members' control. For the most part I have no complaints about the group. The members who are always present have done a great job at dividing up the work evenly, doing their part, and even helping out others.

Our biggest challenge is having to wait for responses from the members of the team before moving forward with different ideas for the project. So in between a lot of busy work, there is a little bit of down time where nothing can really happen until we hear back from them.

The key to these sorts of projects is to make sure to stay on top of things. Plan everything out ahead of time. Give each person a job. While doing so, record all that is being done to avoid any later discrepancies. There is always one member of the group that you can't rely on, so be prepared for that when dealing with assignments and with things that may need to be turned in or looked over. It is important to go into group projects with an open mind, patience, and being prepared to work.

Dual Coding and Advertisements

Upon looking at the advertisement, I first noticed the statement, "WE BELIEVE." From there, I looked up and read "PRACTICE LIKE CHAMPIONS." The reason it occurred in this order was because I first looked at the center of the picture. Then, while reading the "WE BELIEVE," I noticed the red font above it, which is why I read "PRACTICE LIKE CHAMPIONS" second. After reading, I was looking at the picture and trying to figure out what it was.

In my opinion, this message primarily processes language. The short phrases in all caps really attracted my attention. Despite the strong messages the two phrases get across, the visual displays are also beneficial to the add. The flaw is that it takes a minute to figure out what the picture is. After determining the doorway with the "PRACTICE LIKE CHAMPIONS" above it and then the separate wall outside of the door with the "WE BELIEVE," it is a very cool advertisement because it makes me think of a team that uses an old locker room and goes out on the field and is successful. The players may not have the best facility or equipment, or whatever, but they have passion and desire to win and it is shown on the walls of the locker room.

Miscommunication

Part of my job as a coxswain is to be very good at communication. I have to be able to communicate with my rowers so that each individual knows and understands what is needed to be done and when. It's also important to have effective communication to allow them to be motivated by what I am saying. No matter how hard you practice or how much experience you have, there will always be times when your communication skills are ineffective or confusing. While the four other coxswains and I are continually practicing our communication, our coach is a different story. Although he thinks he is being clear. A lot of times, we would have to be in his head to understand what it is he actually wants.

One example occurred recently. Each coxswain was in a four and we were doing what's called seat racing. This is when the boats race each other for a specific distance to see which boat is the fastest. Often times when seat racing occurs, coxswains are only allowed to steer and not talk to create the fairest racing possible. Prior to racing the coxswains asked our coach if we were able to talk. He responded with he didn't care, so long as we were all doing the same thing and that we didn't call moves. So therefore, the coxswains came together and decided that we would say the stroke rating the girls were at and the distance they had completed in the race. Then we told the rowers that it was up to them to take moves at certain times, since we couldn't call them. After seat racing was over, Coach was mad at all of the coxswains because we allowed the boats to take moves during the seat race, causing it to be unfair and therefore not allowing him to make any decisions on who won.

The aftermath of this problem was that we had to do another day's worth of seat racing, in which nothing at all was said by a coxswain or a rower. This is an example that occurs quite frequently between Coach and coxswains in which he thinks he is being clear, but instead is being vague. It is partially due to miscommunication, but it could potentially also qualify as misinterpreted as well, which stems from poor communication.

The miscommunication could have been prevented by further inquiring about the rules of racing. The coxswains knew what we were and weren't supposed to do/say, but we didn't know what the rowers were supposed to do/say.

Mock Interview Reflection

My interview was originally scheduled for Monday morning, so over the weekend I looked over my resume and typed up a cover letter to go along with my resume. I also looked over the daily grade assignment we did in class that were common questions asked during interviews. Therefore, I felt pretty prepared for my interview.

I wasn't too nervous. More than anything, I just don't like the feeling of being unprepared. But for an interview, there really is only so much you can prepare for, since you don't know what to expect during the interview. The fact that I had prepared to the best of my ability beforehand helped to calm my nerves, as well as knowing it was just for practice and to get experience.

The question that threw me the most during the interview was when I was asked if I had any questions. I wasn't sure if it was good to ask questions or not, and if so, what were the right types of questions to ask. Therefore, I responded by saying I didn't have any at the moment, but that I was looking forward to see what all I could learn from the "internship" I was interviewing for.

If I could do the interview again, I would bring my resume, cover letter, and some questions in a folder to look more professional. The questions would help me in case I found myself in a similar situation, so that I could ask intelligent questions about the job opportunity, etc.

I learned to remain calm and act confident because that goes a long way and even if you are nervous, often times the interviewer won't catch it. Overall I think it was a very good experience and a good thing to practice. The more times you practice, the more comfortable you will be doing it.

Presentations

This week during class, everyone gave a presentation on a topic of their choice. There were a lot of interesting topics done, but the three I really enjoyed were the Gatorade presentation, the preparing for a speech presentation, and the wild horse racing presentation.

The Gatorade presentation was interesting because it is such an everyday product that has a lot meaning behind it. It was interesting to find out about the history of Gatorade, such as when, how, and why it was made, as well as learning about all of the things that go on behind the scenes of the actual drink, such as the GSSI.

The presentation on preparing for a speech presentation was one I would have never thought of doing, yet it is a great speech idea, especially if used for a class, such as comm. It gave a good outline on things to remember to do and it was broken down for each part of the speech. I actually realized I didn't have a closing for my speech when I was listening to this one. The information was really well presented.

The wild horse racing and the dairy cow speeches were both very interesting to me in the sense that neither of these two breed the animals for showing. Instead the animals are taken from the wild and are used. The wild horse racing stood out a little more than the cow one because the horses are literally taken from being wild and put into a ring without there seeming to be any sort of transition phase. Although I do feel bad for the horses, probably scared out of their minds, I think it would be very entertaining to watch and the rodeo itself seems to be a lot of fun.

Canada, Eh.

As I sit down at the computer for the first time since Thursday, which is a long time for me, I realize that our blog is a free topic, which is somewhat nice seeing as I'm on my last hour before the blog is due. The assignment said to write about any current event that we choose, but I don't really know what to write about. I have been in Canada since Thursday morning for a rowing regatta (a race/competition, if you will) and have hardly had any time to turn on a tv, let alone get on the computer. Therefore, I am currently a little behind on what's going on in the world. I have heard a few things here and there about topics such as the debate on Friday , trying economic times, and the plane crash involving DJ A.M. and Travis Barker... but that's about the extent to which I know what is going on.

Therefore, my current event will instead be about the reason I don't know what's currently going on. As mentioned, Thursday morning 10 rowers and 2 coaches from my team left Clemson for Canada. We drove to Atlanta, flew to Buffalo, NY, and then drove to Welland, Canada for a Rowing Regatta. Welland isn't exactly the most beautiful or affluent of places, but the canal that we rowed on was beautiful and the people there are as nice as can be. We had a warm welcome from local teams and the venue we rowed at was great. Thursday and Friday were spent practicing and preparing for our races on Saturday. On Saturday we raced two fours against a few other colleges and Clemson came in both first and second. (My boat was the first place boat). Then, later in the afternoon, the two fours merged into one eight and raced again, resulting in another gold. It was our first race of the season and a great way to start it off. We have a lot of work ahead of us, but we are all proud of where we are for now and we have an idea of how hard we need to work before our next big race, which is in the end of October in Boston.

After a long day of racing on Saturday, Sunday was our day for a little fun before traveling home. After a delicious breakfast at a local restaurant, we turned into huge tourists and visited Niagara Falls, which was fun to do. I have family from Buffalo, so I've been to the falls a few times before, but it was still fun to go with the team and check it out.

All in all, it was a great weekend. Unfortunately, it's back to reality and there is a long week of work ahead of me.

Cover Letters

I found the first article interesting when it described how often the cover letter is skipped over and Hiring Managers instead go straight to the resume. At first I didn't believe it, but as I read further and found that the resume is self-driven, while the cover letter is more about the company and what targets are for it. But after reading some of the different articles I was confused on what exactly I should be doing with cover letters because some of the other links, including the example of a cover letter, seemed to be about the individual and a somewhat summed up version of their resume in paragraph form.

After reading the different articles on advice that was given about writing cover letters, I still wasn't really sure what to believe and what not to believe. While some links were telling me one way to write them and when to write them, other sites were telling me otherwise. Therefore in some ways I agree with some of the advice given. I would tend to think that you'd want to state what you want to do in the company or what you want from the company while still including assets and accomplishments that may stand out to the potential employer. Incidentally, I disagreed with some of the advice given. Most specifically, I thought the postscript technique was very strange. I feel that if I had written it on my cover letter and an employer was to read it, that they would think my work was unorganized and that I didn't want to take the time to incorporate it more appropriately into the interview.

The checklist is very useful because it essentially encorporates all of the other articles into one bulleted list of important things to remember to put into the cover letter. Then, if for some reason, I needed more info on what one of the bullets was referring to, I could refer back to one of the articles.

If I were to incorporate something that I hadn't previously thought of into a cover letter, I think the testimonial is an interesting and potentially helpful idea, if it is actually something companies would be interested in reading. If I understand it correctly, it's a more detailed way of having a reference. Instead of talking about myself, I could have someone share their opionion on why I would be a good candidate.

How to Handle Interviews

The interviewing process is something that you can only be so ready for. No matter how much you prepare, there's always a little element of surprise involved. Regardless, there are many ways to make the process run as smoothly and comfortably as possible. The first article I chose was the article giving advice about answering the toughest interview questions. The article taught me that there are no right or wrong answers to the questions. Instead, it gave advice on how to best answer them, such as answering with confidence while still being humble and having some research done prior to the interview to help you sound knowledgeable and prepared. The part of the article that I benefited the most from was the part referring to the "where do you see yourself in five years" question. I learned that instead of specifics, that saying general hopes, such as growth, is an appropriate answer.

The second article I read pertained to dealing with interview stress. I chose this one because the ability to feel calm and confident in an interview can completely affect how smoothly the interview runs. Stress is inevitable before any interview, so the article gave a few techniques and pointers on how to keep the stress to a minimum and with whatever stress is present, what to do about it. I learned from the article that a few seconds of silence should not be thought of as awkward and that nothing has to be done to avoid it or prevent it. Let it happen because it shows confidence in the interviewer and that they're not feeling awkward and pressured to talk, as well as giving a few seconds to regroup and refresh thoughts.

How's It Gonna Be?

Mitch Hedgberg couldn't have said it any better when responding to a very similar question in a job interview by saying he'd be celebrating the anniversary of being asked that question. In other words, other than the celebration, there's not much else I know. I'm not much of a planner. I'd rather do what needs to be done for the time being and worry about the rest later. Call it procrastination, if you wish, but that's just the way I am and that's the way it's going to be. I've also never been the type of person who knows what they want to do with their life since age four, especially considering I've changed my mind three times since my freshman year. But given where I am today and if I were to decide right now, this is a rough sketch of what it'll be like... (although, I personally don't like thinking of myself as 30. Not ready for that yet)

In ten years, I would like to be a Clemson graduate. As excited as I will be to be finished with college and schooling, I also would like to attend a graduate school to become either a sports psychologist or child psychologist. I love athletics and have been involved with them for years. I also love working with/helping people. So I feel as though the sports psychologist goes hand in hand with those things. I also love children and have always been able to relate with them and understand them. I've been a camp counselor, coach, and have many young children in my extended family. No matter which career I end up in, I hope that i wake up everyday enjoying my job and wanting to go to work, rather than dreading it. Yes, I admit, I would like to have money. Who doesn't? But as long as I am well enough off to where I don't have to worry about money being to tight and can live comfortably, I'm happy.

As far as my personal life is concerned. I would like to have someone in my life, whether we're getting married or are already. I also would like to have at least one kid by then. I look forward to working, but when I have children I hope my husband and I are stable enough financially so that I can stay at home and raise them. I hope to be healthy, fit, happy, and that I am still close with my family and closest friends who all mean a lot to me. I don't have a specific city, state, or even region of the U.S. that I want to live in, but it would be nice if I'm somewhat close to my family.

These next ten years will make a big impact on who I'll be for the rest of my life. My education will ultimately determine which job I get and my job will determine where I live and how much money I make. Who knows, somewhere in there I may meet my "Mr. Right". But for now, I'm just going to focus on getting through my undergrad here at Clemson and having a good time doing so in the process.

web 2.0

I thought the title was very interesting. Prior to watching the video, it had caught my attention not only because of the way it looked, but also because of what it said. I formed an opinion on what I thought the video would be about, which was that the web was bringing "us" together. Although, once I began watching the video, I realized that there's more to it than that. The web is essentially using us. Many aspects of our lives are now being conducted via the internet, whether it is research, communicating, or even shopping.

Many of those who are now entering the workforce have grown up using the internet and other modern forms of technology, so the concept isn’t entirely new. Businesses are recommending knowledge in many programs and machines and often times those currently entering the workforce have already acclimated to this new way of doing things. In many ways it provides an array of options and availabilities that were not present before, such as enabling people to find information about jobs, posting resumes on websites so that companies are able to search for/and find potential employees.

For the individuals already working, there are many forms of communication available within the internet. Once established with jobs, people can use video, chat, blogs, websites, and wikis to communicate and inform clients, co workers, and etc. Companies aren’t limited to specific regions or groups of people, but instead, can extend their network globally and bring together people more easily and quickly than ever before. Unfortunately, for some older generations, they are now having to forget old ways of communicating, such as letters, and learn the techniques of emails instead.

With the new technologies available today, it is apparent that things are changing. Ways of communicating, researching, and working that have been done for years are now transforming into something new altogether. A whole new language is emerging with different definitions and meanings that have never been around before and people are adapting to these changes and getting rid of old habits and ways of doing things. When they say that we’ll have to rethink everything, it is pretty literal. Even given the examples they gave, rhetoric is changing with the new language developing. Even love is changing. People are using the internet to find their potential matches these days. What doesn’t it do for us?

Intro blog

I'm Meredith Razzolini.
This is my third year at Clemson and I'm a coxswain on the rowing team here. I don't always enjoy waking up at the crack of dawn for practice, but because of it I've seen some beautiful Clemson sunrises out on Lake Hartwell and they make it totally worth it.
I'm originally from Alpharetta, Ga and have one younger sister, although everyone always thinks she is older than me (probably because she got all the height). My family is the most important thing to me.
I love being outdoors, such as hiking, going to the pool/beach, or playing yard games. Yard games are the best. Along with being outdoors, I love sports. I can be somewhat competitive, but who doesn't like to win? My two favorite sports to watch are football, of course, and hockey.
Most of all, I love to laugh and have dance parties, and luckily both happen often when I'm with my friends.