C768 Technical Communication

Introduction:

For this assessment, you will write a paper dealing with multiple aspects of communicating with different audiences. With any kind of communication, you need to understand your intended audience. Often, the same idea needs to be modified when presenting it to different groups.

Main Scenario Setting:

Your company is considering the implementation of a technology solution to address a business problem. As a member of the IT team, you are asked to select a solution to address the identified needs. You must then uniquely inform two audiences in the company aboutwhat the solution is and its benefits. You will create two artifacts communicatingthat information tailored to meet the needs of each of the following groups:

• Audience 1: executive leadership of the organization, such as the CIO, CFO, etc.
• Audience 2: cross-functional team, including members from IT who will be implementing the product

Audience 1:
The executive leadership of an organization includes the key decision makers and visionaries. A new idea presented to them should be formatted quite differently from other levels of the organization.

Audience 2:
A cross-functional team includes representatives from a variety of departments in a company. Each of these individuals has their own expertise and primary areas of focus. Presenting ideas to this group requires an understanding of the different backgrounds how to communicate to everyone.

Choosing a Solution:
When considering what IT solution to write about, your degree emphasis and personal experiences will come in handy. For this task, the solution you write about could be a mobile application, new dashboard for data analysis, in-line security appliance, VPN single sign-on interface, or a more robust Storage Area Network (SAN). So, based on your background, consider solutions that are IT related.

Formatting the Task:

Your submission will need to be a single document that you professionally format. Use a cover page, Table of Contents (TOC), and page numbering to start. Be sure that you clearly label each section with headings that match the TOC.

C768, Technical communication

Author’s Full name, Including Middle Initial

Table of Contents

1. Internal Communication Artifact. 4
2. Fact Sheet Artifact. 5
3. Writing Process Analysis for Each Artifact. 6
4. Audience Analysis for Each Artifact. 7
5. Sources. 8

A.    Internal Communication Artifact

What to do for this section:Create an email or memorandum for Audience 1 providing concise information about your solution and its benefits to the company. Be sure to include how the solution solves a business problem.

Remember: The Learning Resource Lesson 14 has information that might help you with this section. Be sure to analyze the audience and what approach makes the strongest case for your recommendation. Also, address the best way to create this type of document including length, style, headings, and salutations/closings. The email or memo needs to be formatted correctly and provide a clear description of the product and the following:

• An introduction of yourself.
• A description of the product/solution.
• How it will benefit the organization.
• What it will take to implement.
• Basic cost estimate.
• Time specific outcome statement. What do you want from them?

Fit that all on one page so be concise. J

1. Passing Rubric Requirement: The professional email or memorandum aligns with the needs of company executives, is professional in tone or style.

B.     Fact Sheet Artifact

What to do for this section: Create a graphically-oriented fact sheet for Audience 2 communicating essential product and implementation information about your solution. Include the following points in the fact sheet:

• description of product and how it solves the business problem
• rationale for implementation (remember your audience)
• summary of implementation phases
• graphic aids that supplement product information or implementation plans

Remember: Review Lessons 6 and 9 in the Learning Resource for information on creating a descriptive fact sheet with graphic aids. The layout is crucial and must be balanced and pleasing to eye. Use columns or textboxes for formatting. Include specific details about how the product implementation and support might affect the organization as a whole. Use headings so the reader can find the important points quickly. Use graphic aids effectively to convey information that, for example, might be difficult to describe in words.

Note: If you use graphics from the Internet you’ll need to cite them.So, to cite a graphic you include a figure statement under the image. It should include a figure number, title (in italics), photographer (if photo), year (in parenthesis), and where it was retrieved from.

Passing Rubric Requirement: The fact sheet aligns with the needs of the cross-functional team, addresses each of the given points.

C.    Writing Process Analysis for Each Artifact

What to do to for this section: You must describe the three stages of the writing process and how you used those to create your artifacts. Information about the following writing stages can be found in the Learning Resource in Lesson 1:

• planning
• multiple drafting
• revising and editing

Remember:Break this into two parts, one for each artifact. Then include the following:

Artifact 1: Start by answering, “What was this document, its purpose, and the audience it was written for?” Then provide details for these writing processes:

• Planning – Write a sentence or two about what is the planning process? (Helpful information found in the Learning Resource Lesson 1.). Then you would describe how you went about the planning process for your memo/email and audience 1.
• Drafting – Same approach as above – what is the drafting process and then how did you use it for the first artifact. Be sure to look at the LR Lesson information to include in your response.
• Revising – Same as above.

Artifact 2: Respond to the same prompts as above but this time for the fact sheet and audience 2.

Passing Rubric Requirement: The description of the writing process addresses each of the given stages of the writing process for each audience.

D.    Audience Analysis for Each Artifact

What to do to for this section: You must describe the characteristic of each attribute below as it relates to each of the audiences. Then, describe how that unique characteristic affected the way you created the artifact for that group.

Remember: You need to address each attribute for each audience. You should have a total of 10 bullet points when finished.

Audience 1: Start with a brief description of the first audience. Then create a bulleted list for each of the 5 required attributes:

• Subject knowledge
• Position in the organization
• Personal attitudes
• Reading style
• Types of readers (primary, secondary, international)

For each attribute, discuss two things:

• How you would describe (a sample characteristic) the audience based on the required attribute.
• How you leveraged this knowledge in creating the first artifact.

Audience 2: Respond to the same prompts as above but this time for audience 2 and the second artifact.

To make your responses more relevant refer to Learning Resource Lesson 3.1 for important information about these attributes.

Passing Rubric Requirement: The explanation addresses each of the given attributes for each audience.

E.     Sources

What to do for this section: If you have not quoted or paraphrased material disregard this section. If you did quote or paraphrase material, you must reference it with an in-text citation in the document and a full citation in this section. We recommend you use citations that conform to APA-formatting.

Tip: Great APA site: https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/01/

Passing Rubric Requirement: The submission includes in-text citations for sources that are properly quoted, paraphrased, or summarized and a reference list that accurately identifies the author, date, title, and source location as available.

1. Professional Communication

What to do:  Your submission must be created with proper professional clarity, organization, and mechanics. This isn’t just grammar but the overall quality of what you’re presenting.  Are paragraphs well-formed and contain industry-based information?  Does the material flow in a logical pattern and are the headings easy to locate?

Passing Rubric Requirement: Content reflects attention to detail, is organized, and focuses on the main ideas as prescribed in the task or chosen by the candidate. Terminology is pertinent, used correctly, and effectively conveys the intended meaning. Mechanics, usage, and grammar promote accurate interpretation and understanding.

Note: Your submission must be your original work. No more than a combined total of 30% of the submission and no more than a 10% match to any one individual source can be directly quoted or closely paraphrased from sources, even if cited correctly. Use the Turnitin Originality Report available in Taskstream as a guide for this measure of originality.