Workshop 1

• Communicatie
• HBO
• Studiejaar 1

Written Communication workshop 1

Learning Objective

Today's workshop should provide you the answer to the question "What is Written communication?" while also preparing you to create an effective writing outline to create a solid text structure. This will be assessed by the end of the workshop by means of a short quiz & practical writing activity.

What do you think Written Communication is?

Structure 

In writing, structure is the order in which ideas are presented. Additionally, it includes the way ideas are linked together. The kinds of paragraphs and way you write paragraphs are extremely important!

Style

In academic writing, style generally refers to the formality or informality of the text. You must be consistent in your writing style and use appropriate language for the intended audience. 

Language

This refers mainly to the mechanics of the writing (proper grammar, spelling, punctuation, capitalization, etc) but also the correct use of vocabulary and English language norms.

Tone

This refers to the writer's voice/attitude: is the writer formal, casual, scared, happy, or mad? In creative writing, tone is much more varied than academic writing. Your tone should always be unbiased in academic writing. Arguing a point must be done in a professional manner with ideas supported by sources rather than personal opinions or feelings. Some assignments may call for a specific tone (an exception to the rule).

Example of written communication 1

Example of written communication 2

What things do you need to consider when writing copy or content for a website? Discuss in pairs & write down your answers.

What things do you need to consider when writing an advertisement? Discuss in pairs & write down your answers.

Written Communications Task

You will write a 500 word essay focusing on the latest social media trends & developments in the tourism industry. You can choose to write an explanatory or argumentative essay. We will mainly use class time to work on this but you may want to write/edit/proofread parts in advance in order to participate more effectively in each workshop. This task used as a writing tool to strengthen your writing skills only; it is not required.

Do we need to take a 5 minute break?

YES

NO

Step 1: Brainstorm

Break up into groups of 3 or 4 students, discuss the difference between an explanatory and an argumentative essay. Next, discuss the most popular social media trends & developments related to (sustainable) tourism. Choose one student to write down the group's ideas on the whiteboard.

Time: 10 minutes

Step 2: Begin outlining

Work together with a partner to begin working on filling in the outline uploaded in Teams (download it first). Decide on a trend/development for each body paragraph and whether you will write an explanatory essay or an argumentative essay. Upload your updated outline with your name in the outline folder on Teams.

Time: 20 minutes

What now?

UPLOAD YOUR OUTLINE INTO THE WORKSHOP 1 FOLDER FOR OUTLINES!

Begin the preparation for workshop 2 (check Moodle)

I feel confident in my understanding of written communication.

YES

NO

Kind of

I can write three body paragraphs with one main idea each by next week.

YES

NO

Hopefully!

Remember:

“By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.”

-Benjamin Franklin

Preparation for next week

Watch-

1. Paragraphing video (skip first 34 seconds / watch until approximately 3:50

2. Introductions + Conclusions video (skip first 34 seconds / watch until approximately 3:55)

Write-

1. Make a start & upload your current outline on Teams if you haven't (essay topic, title, suggestions for main ideas for body paragraphs). We will continue filling in the outline during workshop 2 and continue from there.