spring 2015 4860 writing strategy
TRANSCRIPT
#OUJ4860
Writing The Strategy
Here are things I would include in any professional report. You should too….
• Have a title page.
• Include a table of contents.
• Include an executive summary
• Include a title for each section.
• Number your pages.
• Each section should start on a new page.
• Number any appendix you decide to use.
Let’s talk language• No “I” or “We”
• Yes to your team’s name or agency name. That brand repitition matters.
• Full mention of the name first, then you can use an acronym.
• Dan Farkas Interactive (DFI) provides great solutions for any business.
• DFI from this point out.• For the sake of this project, ditch contractions.
• Hammer SVO.
• Shorter and more powerful sentences are better.
Let’s talk source citation
• Include the date.
• Have a reference page.
• If there’s a link, I would include it.
• I’m not going to grade you on reference formatting, I just want to know you have references.
Let’s make an argument
• Claims must have support. Otherwise, they have no value.
• Don’t do this: Beef prices have a great effect on the fast-food industry.
• Do do this: Beef prices have a great effect on the fast-food industry as they account for 21% of costs (Franchise Help, 2014).
General writing ideas
• Be very specific with your statements
• Show that your statements are credible, not just guesses
• Give examples
• Define key terms
Ideas for writing
• There is no magic formula.
• Start with an executive summary that shouldn’t exceed one page and probably be less.
• Outline the research steps I gave you. The research should be most of the report.
• Create objectives. These shouldn’t exceed a page and probably be less than that.
Ideas for writing• Document programming strategies, connecting the
research to your ideas.
• Include a list of activities, explaining how the activities connect to the evidence-based research you’ve collected. You can cite back to your own report in this circumstance.
• Design samples (not the full product)• Budget, in terms of time and hours.• Activity calendar.
• The evaluation should link back to the objectives.
• Draft a brief conclusion, never to exceed one page.
General writing rulesthe farkas five.
• When in doubt, be professional
• When filling out an request for proposal (RFP) follow the rules to the letter.
• You don’t want to give away all your complete details in the pitch.
• You don’t want to be too vague.
• When you figure out the Golden Mean, let me know.
So what will you turn in and how will I grade you?
So what will you hand in?
• A complete communications plan.
•Research
•Objectives
•Programming (Ideas and the content)
•Evaluation
So how is farkas going to grade you?
• 75 points research
• 50 points programming
• 50 points for objectives and evaluation
• 25 points for team evaluation and in class work.
So how is farkas going to grade you?
• Research
•Did you follow the steps?
•Did you ask the right questions?
•Did you talk with the right people?
•Did you follow this PP presentation?
•This is inherently a bit subjective.
So how is farkas going to grade you?
• Programming
• Is everything aligned?
•Is the timeline viable?
•Is the budget within reason
•Does it meet the client’s needs?
So how is farkas going to grade you?
• Objectives
•See the slides on objectives. Did you fit that criteria?