Welcome to the e-course
O R I E N T A T I O N S E S S I O N
Good morning! My name is Veronica, I am the course instructor.
You are about to start a course on writing skills, where you will:
-Receive basic information related to email.
-Review structures, tenses, communication topics.
-Improve your business writing style.
-Practice your writing through weekly assignments.
-Obtain feedback and online help with doubts and problems.
M E C H A N I C S
Every Wednesday you will find a new session in your mailbox.
Ideally, successful content analysis and completion of "homework" will take
an average 1.5 hours per week.
Each session is usually divided into 3 segments =
(1) FEEDBACK
(2) BRIEF
(3) ASSIGNMENT
(1) Feedback from a previous assignment is posted individually, with
comments and corrections on your work.
VERY IMPORTANT ! : Please do not send your assignments as attachments.
(2) The brief contains communication tools; topics ranging from grammar and
verb tenses to functions and vocabulary.
(3) Each session's assignment is related to the brief. The usual deadline
to submit your work is anytime on the following Monday.
TODAY'S ASSIGNMENT
At this point we would like to hear from you, and that is why I invite you
to submit a "Participant's Profile" - a short text about yourself.
Some guidelines :
-Introduce yourself
-Include details about your work, as well as family and interests if you
wish.
-Comment on special needs, writing tasks you encounter at work, what you
would like to find in this course, etc.
This is a free-style, informal task. However, the main idea is not only to
get to know you, but also check your English level.
Please send this information to me, as a simple email message, no later
than Monday, March 16th This way we will be able to begin session 1 on Wed. 18th
Thank you for enrolling in the e-course. I look forward to hearing from you
soon!!
Regards from your electronic teacher.
Veronica
@-->---
@--->--
Smell the roses...
e- COURSE
SESSION 1
(2) BRIEF 1 = WELCOME TO CYBERSPACE!
Even though you might already be familiar with internet and all its secrets, this first brief
is about general conventions and practices.
WHAT IS NETIQUETTE
Quite simply, "netiquette" is internet etiquette -- the informal rules of behavior for the
internet. Following are some examples of widely accepted guidelines for e-mail activities :
(1) Don't use capital letters, unless you mean shouting.
(2) Don't assume that your intentions will be understood -- remember that
there is no body language or facial expressions to indicate your intentions. Careful use of
"emoticons" can help.
For example =
:-) = smile (humor, happy, encouragement)
:-( = frown (sad, disapproval)
%-) = crazed (working too much)
:-o = oh, nooo!
:-* = kiss
;-) = wink (kidding or joking)
:-))))) = emphatic smile
(3) Don't use written accents.
(4) Don't include the ENTIRE contents of a previous message you are
replying to.
(5) Do include a quote or introduce the topic at the beginning of your
posting.
(6) Don't make statements that can be interpreted as official positions of
your organization or offers to do business.
(7) Limit the number of attachments you send; some people think it is rude
to overload your partner/ correspondent.
E-MAIL ACRONYMS
BTW = by the way
OTOH = on the other hand
OIC = oh, I see
IMHO = in my humble opinion
ROTFL = rolling on the floor laughing
RTM = read the manual (implies don't ask a stupid question)
E-MAIL JARGON
flame, flaming = verbal attacks
screaming = a message written in all caps
snail mail = traditional mail
posting = a message sent via e-mail
to mail, to post = send a message
STYLE AND ORGANIZATION
Five questions you should ask about a text you write :
- 1. How well does it achieve its purpose or convey the message? (Are you
in fact offering, suggesting, disagreeing, presenting an argument, etc?)
- 2. Are all the tenses right? (A major source of misunderstandings!)
- 3. Is there agreement between subject and verb?
- 4. Does it contain unnecessary words, sentences, or information?
(Spanish speakers tend to overuse language and sometimes clarity is not
achieved.)
- 5. Is it polite and politically correct? (words/expressions like
'please', 'perhaps', or 'he or she' are vital nowadays.)
(3)ASSIGNMENT 1 =
SIMULATION GAME = "SUPPLY SHRINKAGE"
DIRECTIONS
Read the story below and try to solve the problem.
STORY
These days the buzz word in your company is "downsizing". Everybody speaks
about budget cuts. However, the ship is not yet sinking; it's only about
limiting certain supplies.
PROBLEM
You can only "save" six items -- two from each group. Look at the lists and
decide which are the ones you will keep for your area, department, etc.,
and which you will leave.
Group 1: scissors - fax paper - pencils - labels - coffee - stapler - soap
Group 2: glue - telephone - air conditioning - photocopies - water
dispenser - toilet paper - envelopes
Group 3: e-mail - hole punch - newspaper and publications - tape - tea -
printer - lunch tickets
FOLLOW-UP
Write two memos to communicate and justify your decision : one to a
superior, and the other to a subordinate.
That's all for today -- enough for a first session?
Remember the deadline to reply your assignment : Monday March 23rd.
Have a good week!!!
Regards from your electronic teacher,
:-)
Veronica
Pause for thought...
"The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step."
e-course
SESSION 2
(1) FEEDBACK 1
Nice to start a new session. In order to start working on common mistakes let's have a look
at the following grammar checklist for reference.
GRAMMAR CHECKLIST
A few rules to remember :
-Present Perfect (HAVE + PAST PARTICIPLE = "I have written...") is never used with an
expression of finished past time.
e.g. "We have received a copy of the financial report *last Thursday*." (It is a mistake!)
-Generalizations do not take the article "the" in English.
e.g. "Managers will be informed by interoffice memos." (And not : "The" managers or "the"
interoffice memos.)
-Numbers included in a formal or semiformal business text, are preferred in written form.
In particular those that do not exceed two words.
-Positions such as "engineer", "architect" and "manager", and departments or places like
"head office", "purchasing department" or "factory" are usually not written in capitals.
-Contractions and abbreviations are avoided in *formal* writing. Full forms like "I am",
"it is", "cannot", and the like are preferred.
(2) BRIEF 2 = PHRASES I
Phrases to begin and conclude a text, and to give opinion -- with different degrees of
emphasis.
ORGANIZING THE STRUCTURE
T O B E G I N A T E X T
Firstly,... / First,...
I would like to begin by ...ing (e.g. "saying", "showing", etc.)
I would like to make a few remarks concerning...
To begin with,...
TRANSITION :
-- Secondly,... (Thirdly,... and so on)
-- Then,...
C O N C L U D I N G / S U M M A R I Z I N G
In conclusion,...
In short,...
To sum up,...
To summarize,...
In brief,...
Finally,...
G I V I N G O P I N I O N
NEUTRAL AND STRONG OPINIONS
I think...
I believe...
I consider...
In my opinion/ view,...
As far as I am concerned,...
As I see it,...
TENTATIVE OPINIONS
It seems to me...
I would say that...
I might think that...
(3) ASSIGNMENT 2
Use expressions from today's brief to elaborate on ONE of the following topics :
(about 200 words / 15 lines)
1- paper qualifications or experience
2- honesty or diplomacy
3- private or state-run companies
Have a great week! And post any doubts you may have.
Best regards,
:)
Veronica
"We can grow a field of hope from a little seed of imagination."
e-course
S E S S I O N 3
Welcome aboard!
BRIEF 2 = PHRASES II
Phrases to express agreement and disagreement with different degrees of emphasis.
A G R E E I N G
TOTAL AGREEMENT =
I entirely(*) agree with... (*) absolutely, completely, etc.
I am of the same opinion.
I couldn't agree more.
I am fully in favor of...
I entirely approve of...
I endorse...
PARTIAL AGREEMENT =
I would tend to agree with...
I would not be entirely opposed to...
With certain reservations, I would support...
D I S A G R E E I N G
TACTFUL DISAGREEMENT =
To a certain extent I agree, but...
You have a point there. However,...
As it stands, (*) I'm not sure I can agree with...
(*) Without substantial changes, etc.
To be quite frank, I am opposed to...
I feel I must disagree with ...
STRONG DISAGREEMENT =
That is not feasible.
I disagree with ...
I don't agree at all with ...
I am opposed to...
I think ... is out of the question.
ASSIGNMENT = "Short And Bitter Sweet"
Read the following text on "teamwork", and do the follow-up exercises.
One of the most important functions of a manager is to build a team which will perform
effectively and contribute to the success of a business. The art of team-building has been
studied by many people, but possibly , the most interesting work on the subject was done
by Dr. M. Belbin. His original insight has been to identify the individual roles which are
crucial to a successful team. He argues that while individuals in a management group have
their formal job titles - accountant, designer, marketing director, production manager,
etc. -- they also perform a variety of "personality roles" : the ideas person, the
organizer, the diplomat, and so on.
Dr. Belbin's team-role theory states that there are nine key personality types and a
team works more effectively if it has them all. However, a successful team does not
need to be made up of nine members as some people may be more than one personality type.
Thus, a three member team can work very successfully if, among them, the members combine
the nine personality types.
THE ART OF BREVITY
Use phrases from briefs 2 and 3 to answer the following points :
1/ Read this extract from a memo, and write a reply in FIVE
lines.
"Did you say you had something on teamwork the other day?
Could you fill me up with the basics?"
2/ You disagree with the following comment. Write a brief
reply ( about eight lines ), and support your views with
personal ideas or experiences.
"I don't think you can really apply this to every type of
organization. I even doubt whether it'll be useful"
3/ Express agreement ( in about three lines ) to the
following comment.
"This idea about personality-roles seems very interesting
to me."
2.Write a summary of the subject, or state your views on teamwork in a few sentences. You
may include comments from your own experience or ideas.
That's all for the time being! Don't hesitate to post any doubts you may have about the
contents, corrections, or mechanics. Remember the deadline is Monday 6th. Have a nice week!
Electronically yours,
:)
Veronica
"Imagination is more important than knowledge."
---- Albert Einstein
e-course
SESSION 4
Welcome to a new session !!
BRIEF 4 = LINKING WORDS
Words and phrases to connect ideas, sentences, and paragraphs.
A - CAUSE AND EFFECT :
CAUSE : Link words that express reason or cause.
due to (the fact that)...
as a result of...
since...
as...
seeing that...
because...
because of...
in response to...
EFFECT : Link words that express result or effect.
in order to...
so that...
such... that...
so...
consequently, ...
therefore, ...
so as to...
for this reason, ...
thus, ...
B - REINFORCEMENT : Link words that introduce additional information or reinforce a point.
additionally, ....
besides...
in addition, ...
furthermore, ....
moreover, ...
what is more, ...
also...
not only... but also...
...as well
...as well as...
...too
C - CONTRAST : Link words that introduce opposite ideas.
on the contrary, ...
conversely, ....
(on the one hand, ....), on the other hand, ...
in comparison, ...
by way of contrast, ...
alternatively, ...
...instead / instead...
but...
however, ...
in spite of...
despite that, ....
nevertheless, ....
although...
...though
even if...
even though...
SAMPLE TEXT
As a result of studies conducted by Harvard experts, it seems that people appear to be born
to compute. The numerical skills of children develop so early and so inexorably that it is
easy to imagine an internal clock of mathematical maturity guiding their growth.
Soon after learning to walk and talk, they can set the table with impressive accuracy. They
are capable of noting that they have placed for example, five knives, five forks, etc.
seeing that this amounts to perhaps fifteen pieces of silverware. Having thus mastered
additions.
Consequently, it seemed almost reasonable to expect that if a child was secluded on a
desert island at birth and retrieved seven years later, he or she could enter a second-grade
mathematics class without any serious problems.
On the other hand, the work of cognitive specialists -- which has illuminated the forms of
daily learning on which intellectual progress depends -- suggests a different approach.
Since the concept of abstract numbers does not appear to be innate, the truth about this
type of skill is not so simple.
ASSIGNMENT
*HOT AIR BALLOON*
Read the situation and directions below.
SITUATION :
There is a group of remarkable world personalities traveling together in a hot air balloon.
Suddenly they find a problem in the system, and come to the conclusion that, due to weight,
only one person can stay in the balloon; the others have to jump off.
In order to reach a decision, every character has to present an argument explaining why
he/she should be chosen as the most important person in the group, as regards his/her
contributions to humanity.
DIRECTIONS :
Choose a character to represent.
Refer to briefs 1, 2, 3, and 4, and write an argumentative text (in first person) to save
yourself. -- about 10 / 15 lines --
Justify your points. You have to take into account who the other travelers are, so as to
prepare a strategy.
YOUR GROUP: (Select one of these)
ALBERT EINSTEIN
SIGMUND FREUD
EVE ( from the Garden of Eden)
BILL GATES
MAHATMA GANDHI
MOTHER THERESA
LEONARDO DA VINCI
Have a great long week and Happy Easter!!!
;)
The deadline is Monday, as usual. Should you have any doubts, email me and let me know.
Electronic regards,
Veronica
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