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The eight videos in this playlist feature Richard, "The Writing Guy," presenting key tips for writing and producing professional-grade proposals and documents.
Whether you are writing a simple memo to your supervisor, completing a lab report or preparing a proposal for a potential client, the principles of basic writing apply. Much of the writing you will be asked to do in the Construction Management program requires that you consider four rhetorical elements.
Purpose - Why the document is being written and its goals.
Audience - Who will read what you have written.
Stakeholders - Who may be affected by the document or the project as a whole.
Context - The elements of the situation in which the document is being written.
Other elements to consider:
Formal vs. Informal English - Formal English should be always be used in communications with supervisors, clients and anyone outside your company. All of your communication--written and spoken--reflects on you and your company. Avoid using slang, even among co-workers, which could be considered offensive. This means being aware of your audience. Avoid any words that could be interpreted as offensive to someone's ethnicity, age, gender, educational background or abilities.
Use of Jargon - Jargon is commonly used in every industry and refers to "the language of the trade." While it is acceptable to use construction jargon when talking to coworkers and supervisors, jargon should not be used when communicating with lay people or clients. If you must use jargon, be sure to clarify your intended meaning.
Appearance - All writing should be professional in its appearance. This means using a standard typeface and font size, good use of white space and proofreading your work.
Plagiarism - Representing another's work as your own is plagiarizing. Given how easy it is to copy and share digital files, you need to be careful and cite your sources. Just because content--text and images--is published on the Web doesn't mean that it is in the public domain and can be copied and pasted into your own work without attribution to its source. Plagiarism at the University of Minnesota is a Scholastic Dishonesty issue and is a violation of the Student Conduct Code.
When in doubt, use a more formal tone.
Source: Purdue Owl
Resources
Resources
University of Minnesota Center for Student Writing - Online and In-Person Writing Help
University of Minnesota Libraries Citation Guides and Style Manuals
University of Minnesota Student Writing Guide - Student Writing Guide (.pdf)
Purdue Owl - Purdue Online Writing Lab Comprehensive Writing Guide
Quick and Dirty Tips - Writing Tips from Grammar Girl
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