RE: Teaching a practical business writing class and looking for professional rubrics

["Leonard C. Porrello" <Leonard -dot- Porrello -at- SoleraTec -dot- com>]

What Wendy said plus the following problems:

_General Style, Usage, and Grammar_
Using the active voice when the passive voice is called for
Using overly verbose/flowery language that's trying to be clever
Confusing quantity with quality
Accidentally shifting voice or register
Trying to use a $5 word where a $500 word is needed
Misusing comprise/compose, affect/effect, or/nor, etc.
Misusing commas, colons, and semi-colons

_Ethos_
Failing to define and address the target audience/Self-centeredness
Calling a professional writer a "wordsmith" or referring to writing as
"wordsmithing"
Thinking of oneself as a good writer without having been published or
gainfully employed for several years as a writer
Failing to write so as to capture the interest of someone who isn't an
immediate family member or being paid to evaluate ones writing

_Business Specific_
Failing to realize that all business writing is marketing in some way,
shape, or form

Leonard


-----Original Message-----
From: techwr-l-bounces+leonard -dot- porrello=soleratec -dot- com -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
[mailto:techwr-l-bounces+leonard -dot- porrello=soleratec -dot- com -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- c
om] On Behalf Of voxwoman
Sent: Monday, August 17, 2009 12:20 PM
To: Rob Hudson
Cc: techwr-l List
Subject: Re: Teaching a practical business writing class and looking for
professional rubrics

Passive voice
Overly verbose/flowery language that's attempting to be "scholarly"
Using marketing-speak when they should be presenting "just the facts,
ma'am."
Using a 500-dollar word where a 5-dollar word would do.

-Wendy

On Mon, Aug 17, 2009 at 2:56 PM, Rob Hudson <caveatrob -at- gmail -dot- com> wrote:

> Hello Everyone,
>
> I'm putting together a business writing course for undergraduates and
> wanted to survey the professional community about rubrics, or criteria
> lists, for various business and technical writing assignments. I
> figure that since you are all professionally experienced, you might
> have good insight into what you'd like to see from new
> technical/business writers.
>
> To ask it another way, what are the most common mistakes or problems
> you see from new writers in the workplace? I can back those ideas into
> criteria for assignments.
>
> I want to stay in touch with the professional world as I move forward
> in this class.
>
> Thanks,
>
> Rob
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