How to make people LOL by Sara Neiman

We all have our favorite comedy shows. Saturday Night Live, MadTV, South Park, Family Guy, The Office, and, my personal favorite, the Soup. True, the actors and comedians do make these shows hilarious, but where do the performers get their material? Answer: the writers!!

Here are some helpful tips on how to write interesting, yet funny written material:

1. Choose a setting. Make sure it’s original!

2. Don’t make your sketch too long. Around two minutes is just right.

3. If you are trying to get a TV show to buy your sketch, don’t put in anything too expensive, like a helicopter. With the economy as it is, most networks are on a budget.

4. Keep the characters in the sketch to a max of about 3.

5. Act out your skit aloud! It may sound totally different out loud than in your head.

6. Make your characters and situations come to life! What are they wearing? What are their names? It will help the sketch become more relatable to your audience.




Here is a funny SNL sketch that we, as bloggers, can relate to. :)



Remember these tips and you are well on your way to writing those hilarious sketches for that adorable Andy Samberg! ;)


Works Cited:
http://www.writerswrite.com/journal/may02/hornung.htm
http://www.writerswrite.com/journal/jul99/luff.htm

Tips On How To Analyze Your Reader by Alex Bean

This is a crucial step in writing. Through high school and our younger years we may not use this like we are supposed to, but as we make into our college years and the real world we must do it properly.

So you must be able to write towards your audience and analyze how they will perceive your writing before they read it. This way you are more likely to get things across to your readers.

If your are writing to your boss you already know your reader, but if you are writing to someone else who you have never met there are a few things you should take into account to help you.
Company they work for
Position in the company
Responsibilities regarding the subject

Once you have looked at all of these factors you can sit down and put yourself in that person’s shoes reading what you wrote them. This could mean adding more information or removing unnecessary information. Just by doing this simple step you can fix your writing greatly, and hopefully in this process it will benefit your overall goal since the audience will feel more comfortable and informed from what you have written.




References
Walter Oliu, Charles Brusaw, Gerald Alred. Writing That Works. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2007

how to be persuasive in one’s professional writing

Persuasive writing is a good way to get your point across, and to get people on your side. Because lets face it not everyone agrees with each other. If everyone agreed with each other what kind of world would that be? In order to be persuasive in your writing you need to know the purpose of what you are arguing, and all the information on what you are arguing about. Next you will need to know about your reader, and how they think and feel about the topic. if your reader is very religious you might want to take a religious approach on a paper about abortion. Use there interests as your strong points when writing a persuasive paper. Another thing that is a must do in writing persuasively you must be clear. If your message is not clear then no one will know on what your point is and where you stand on the situation. another tip in writing persuasively is be sweet, simple, and to the point. No one wants to read a bunch of gibberish in a paper. They want there facts straight simple and be able to make there opinion and if your paper is a good one they will have the same opinion as you.picture citation

"www.instantdisplay.co.uk/st_persuasive.jpg". Instant Display Teaching Resources. 4/20/09 .

Graduating? Never Fear, Help Is Here!!!

So many of us are graduating from college soon and that means applying for jobs. Don't worry though, Emilee and I have put together a fail-proof list of things you can do that will help you get a job.

Podmolik. Mary E. "Post-college job plans," Chicago Tribune 16 Mar 2009. Web.13 Apr
2009. http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/content/education/chi-college-grads-jobs-mar16,0,3449584.story?page=1.

Gillet, J. “Congrats graduate – good luck finding a job,” San Francisco Chronicle 14 Apr
2009. <http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/04/13/MNB116EAPE. DTL>.

Writing a Resume by Blake Dudkewic

One of the most important pieces to getting hired at your "dream job" is a professional resume. Many times an employer will judge the person as unintelligient by a sloppy or unprofessional looking resume. In today's day and age, technology has enabled us to take the easy way out of writing resumes' with computer programs and software, but if your a little old fashioned here's a list of tips to help you on your next resume'.

1. Use title's and headings that match the job you want.
2. Use design that grabs attention.
3. Create content that sells.
4. Quantify and use power words.
5.Sell the benifits of your skills.
6.Create an image that matches the salary you want.
7.Tweak your cover letter to look unique.

If you want a more detailed explanation of the tips below you can click on the link below.

http://www.free-resume-tips.com/10tips.html

Formal or Informal? That is the Question! By Jessica Pfaff

After college many of us will move into the workforce and after landing our “dream” job we might be put in a situation when writing reports is part of our everyday routine. Reports don’t seem that difficult or confusing to write but many people including myself stress out about deciphering between formal and informal reports and the differences between the two. Knowing these differences is key since formal and informal reports are completely different.

So, what distinguishes a formal report from an informal report? The answer lies surprisingly, not in the topics of formal reports, but in the expectations of the audiences for the reports. The audience for a formal report expects a methodical presentation of the subject whereas the audience of an informal report knows a lot about the subject already so not as much background information is needed. Also readers for a formal report are often two or more audiences and an informal report is written for a specific small group of readers or a single reader.

Format is the key between writing a formal or informal report. Formal reports are split into different sections. The front matter contains the background information about the subject. The main text reveals the introduction, discussion, and conclusion of the report. The back matter portion includes the glossary and references to provide any secondary information needed to all readers. Informal reports are much easier because they are broken into introduction, body, and conclusion.

By remembering these few very important parts of formal and informal reporting no stressing is needed when your “awesome” boss asks for a report! Good luck!

Sources:
http://www.writing.engr.psu.edu/workbooks/reports.html
http://educationfuture.info/yahoo_site_admin/assets/images/memo.335170817_std.jpg
Walter, Oliu, Charles Brushaw, Gerald Alred. Writing that Works. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2007

What do I get my grandmother?!?! By Rhyan Eberhardt

Do you ever struggle trying to find a gift for your grandmother? Your mother? Your cousin? Or anyone else you may know? Is your computer loaded with tons of digital pictures and you can't figure out a creative way to organize them? Well, Photo Story is just the thing for you! (No, I'm not a salesperson but, thanks for asking!)

Photo Story is precisely as it is named, it is a story made through photos. Photo Story is an application which was created by Microsoft and is used to create stories or picture shows with one's digital pictures. A Photo Story is made and personalized through different effects, music, transitions, and even narration by one's own voice. A great thing about Photo Story is that once a show is made, it can be burned onto a DVD or even a CD, which makes for a great gift idea for anyone!

I know some applications for different computer services can be difficult to understand, especially for the "technology-challenged" group of people (myself included). For this reason, I have posted an easy tutorial video on Photo Story 3. Enjoy!



Works Cited:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Photo_Story
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fTt5WMHYSsE

How You Can Be a Great Presenter! by Sara Neiman

The heat from the spotlight burned Jessica’s already flushed cheeks. Stammering over her introduction, she dropped her note cards- her lifelines. She bent over picking them up only to find the audience staring at her, blank expressions on a few faces, condescending smiles on others.

I hate presentations! She thought.

Ever been in Jessica’s shoes? I know I have many times. Although public speaking may be one of the top fears most people have, it can be mastered and become easier over time.

Here are some tips to help in your future public speaking and presentation endeavors:

-Take 4-5 deep breathes from the pit of your stomach to relax you.

-Remember the audience is on your side. They are glad it’s you up there are not them.

-People are more likely to learn when they are in a comfortable, relaxed environment. Try to convey these aspects by being comfortable yourself…or at least faking like you are.

-Smiling helps!!

-Practice, Practice, PRACTICE!! Good preparation and rehearsal will reduce your nerves by 75% and increase the likelihood of avoiding errors to 95%. (Source: Fred Pryor Organization, a significant provider of seminars and open presentation events.)

-If using visual aids, such as a PowerPoint, keep the slides fun and interactive.

-Avoid having too much information on your PowerPoint. It’s there as reference point not to make the presentation for you.


Remember these helpful tips next time you find yourself talking in front of a big, scary audience; who are, by the way, people just like you!


HAPPY PRESENTING!!


Works Cited:

http://www.businessballs.com/presentation.htm

He's confident and happy!!

TIps on how to Write Clearly by Alex Bean

It is very simple to write clearly as long as you can understand what you are going to write about, don’t figure this out as you are writing do this before you begin to write.

To help you write clearly you can
 Use a diagram, or flowchart
 Read all requirements
 Ask a friend

If you do these tips early in the writing you are more likely to use them in the writing, don’t wait until your done and then do this, if you do it may not be very effective. Try to keep all your notes also so that you can review them later to make sure you have covered topics you need and want to cover.

Always know your reader, so you want to know what type of audience you will be writing to and you should also understand their basic knowledge of the subject.
When writing use words you would normally say. Don’t use jargon, cuss, slang, words out of context, so follow basic fundamentals. Remember what you type people will read and can judge you on.

Always give the important items to be covered the most room and place them first.

You should also always place things in a logical order so that people do not get lost.

You need to always tell people what is fact and what is opinion, this way people have the correct data.

To finish up always remember the three R’s, review, revise and rewrite.

Sources
http://som.flinders.edu.au/FUSA/SACHRU/PEW/writing/tipwrite.htm

Happy "IM-ing!" By Jessica Pfaff

Everyone knows what instant messaging or “IM-ing” is and lots of companies use it in their day-to-day operations when communicating with their fellow employees; however few people realize that even though this may be a more casual approach to communication it still needs to have an overall professional tone and format.

Tips for Employers:
1. Employers should define acceptable behavior and identify prohibited electronic conservations.
2. Employers should reserve the right to review all conservations between all employees.
3. Employers should create an electronic communication policy describing what can and cannot be done and the protocol taken for violations to this policy.

Tips for Employees:
1. Employees should not use instant messaging at the workplace for casual or personal conservations. NO GOSSIPING!
2. Employees need to be careful what they send as well. Pictures and inappropriate text should not be sent. Many employees might see your comments as sexual harassment or feel their are in a hostile work environment.

Instant messaging has proven to be helpful in a business atmosphere. Its quick technology helps many get quick answers to general questions and helps to inquire about current work tasks instead of using face-to-face interaction. By keeping these easy tips in mind both the employer and employees at a business can use instant messaging in an effective manner. Happy “IM-ing”!

Sources:
http://www.boston.com/jobs/nehra/112805.shtml
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080603120251.htm
http://www.johnsimonds.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/03/dilbert%20video%20conferencing.jpg

I wanted to be a ballerina! by Rhyan Eberhardt

Do you remember when you were little and people would ask us what we wanted to be when we grew up? Our replies were usually either a ballerina, an astronaut, the President, or a firefighter. Those were the good ol' days. Unfortunately, that same question gets much more difficult to answer as time goes on. To help us out, here are a few tips and good ideas I have put together to prepare us for a job search:

• It's a good idea to have a plan; a path to your future career choice.
• Perfect your resume. (Note: If you are having difficulties writing and preparing your resume, I have an earlier post related to resumes and cover letters.)
• Get a list of references and letters of recommendation together
• Do research on the field of work you want to get into. Make sure you're making the right choice.
• Attend a job fair. I know job fairs don't sound like they will be the funnest event to attend, but give them a try because they could hold the path to your future career.
• It's a very good idea to prepare for a job interview. (Note: My very first post was about job interview tips.)
• Be as prepared as you can be. Learn about the company and see if it's right for you.
• Most importantly, whatever you choose to do, make sure it makes you happy!
  

Works Cited:
http://www.collegegrad.com/ezine/01prep.shtml
http://jobsearch.about.com/cs/careerresources/a/jobchange.htm

Document Collaboration Using Wikis By Ryan

You are proably sitting there thinking your self what is a "Document Collaboration Using Wikis?" If you weren't thinking that I bet that is whaty you are thinking now.
According to Wikipedia.com Collaborating software is "Collaborative software (also referred to as groupware or workgroup support systems) is software designed to help people involved in a common task achieve their goals. Collaborative software is the basis for computer supported cooperative work."
A Wiki is is a collection of Web pages designed to enable anyone
with access to contribute or modify content, using a simplified markup
language

Now that you know what a wiki and what document collaboration is you now need to know how they are used the business world today. Companies have groups that work on projects for the cmpany and financial statements and various other task. What they can do is put up there documents using a wiki and each member of the group can put there input in on the document. A perfect example of this would be this blog that you are reading. Many group members each contributing to the goal of providing information on how to use professional writing in you busness career.

Wiki -." Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. 13 Apr. 2009 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wiki.

Collaborative software. 13 Apr. 2009 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Collaborative_software.

Shut Up and Listen! By Sara Neiman

How many times have you sat in class for an hour and a half only to leave not recalling anything the professor said? Or has one of your friends ever told you a boring story while you zoned out only have them calling your name trying to get your attention? Yea, me too.

Fortunately, I am going to give you some tips on how to bring your so-so listening skills to A+ effective hearing and comprehension abilities.

1. Use eye contact and positive body language. Avoid looking at your watch, cell phone, or other people around you. Showing the person that you are listening gives him or her respect while also helping you to pay attention.

2. Ask questions. Inquiring about the discussed subject matter helps both the listener and talker stay engaged in the conversation. However, avoid answering a question with another question. This may make you appear to be aloof or with hidden motivations. No one appreciates a sneaky person.

3. Avoid making assumptions about what the person is talking about. Because most people can listen quicker than most can talk, it can be easy to misinterpret the talker’s choice of words. This is especially important when having a discussion with someone you disagree. Listen to everything the person has to say, taking it at face value, then, once the person has finished, try to understand the idea they are trying to convey as a whole.


With these quick listening tips, you are well on your way to getting that A in class because you paid attention and having more friends because you didn’t rudely stare at them while you were thinking about something else.

Writing International Correspondences - Hayley O'Mara

Language barriers are an issue for all of us. Florida Gulf Coast University has an abundance of exchange students, and what we need to know is that the skills we will learn here will seriously help us in the work force. Countless jobs include dealing with people international, but it is important to know how to deal with the differences in cultures. When speaking through the internet it is extremely easy to take things the wrong way. Here are some key points on how to avoid those awkward situations.

• Some countries (such as America) like to make e-mails concise as politeness not to waste the other persons time. However, other countries find this a way of showing a dislike for the person.




• Avoid using American "sayings". They too can be easily confusing and what is worse your reader can not look them up. In short, use language that is most likely to be found in a dictionary so your reader can look up words they do not know and will have a better understanding of your letter.

The best way to guarantee you a successful international correspondence is to do research on the culture of your reader. The more you understand the person as a whole, the higher your chances are for mutual understanding.

http://www.cartoonstock.com/newscartoons/cartoonists/jlv/lowres/jlvn463l.jpg

Writing That Works, Walter E. Oliu, 2006

Professional Writing Humor By Ryan Lee

Professional Writing Humor

Writing humor professionally can be a lot of fun. It can be a great way to relieve stress, or it could be a fun way to have a good time with your peers. In the business place humor is in memo's and e-mails. Some people go as far as to have a website devoted to writing humor. Now there job is not to write humor they have real job's like me and you. They could be a manager a nuclear weapons training facility. Such as this man John Kinde he is that manager and he runs a website that is devoted to funny one liners.

"John has devoted considerable time to the study and mastery of humor skills, and he also leads the improv comedy troupe I joined earlier this year. He employs a variety of rules and methods for coming up with funny lines, but his techniques are so well internalized that it’s hard to detect that he’s using a rule-based method at all, even if you watch for it."

John loves humor he even went as far as creating a website for it. he has contest for his co-workers and anyone else willing to participate in them. Recently he had a contest for one liners on his website, and the theme was "what life has taught me". The winning post was “No matter how sexy your spouse is, at some point you’re going to have to talk with each other.”

If you like to have fun in life and make funny observations about life then maybe you should be like John and start your own website. Some day someone could be doing a story on you about your funny website.

Pavlina, Steve . "Humor: How to Write Funny Lines". 4/6/2009 .

Find the Right Career So You Don't Become Ill!!!!! by Rhyan Eberhardt

When you look into the future, where do you see yourself? A doctor? A waitress? A receptionist? We will all need to decide our careers at some point in our lives. To some, the thought of doing one thing for their entire life is frightening. (That's me). For others, they seem to have everything planned for the next 10 years.
I have put together a few ideas for us to keep in mind as we attempt to narrow down our career choices.

• We need to learn about ourselves. What are our values, our skills, our interests, our personalty traits. We can learn about ourselves by taking a career test, which will list occupations which may be suitable for us.

• Another option we have is to visit a career development professional, who will help us evaluate our interests, skills, values and personality. Then he or she will show us how all these things play into choosing the right career. We can find a career development services at a local library, college or university.

• We will end up with a list of potential career choices. Obviously, we will not be able to pursue ALL of those career options. Now, we need to do some research. We should gather all the job information that we can, such as a job description, the demand for people in that field of work, required job training and education. We can even do more research by conducting interviews with people who are already working in that field.

• Now, we should be ready to make an educated decision about what career we should choose.

Work Cited:
http://careerplanning.about.com/cs/choosingacareer/f/right_career.htm

Writing Courteously by Alex Bean

When writing a business letter you want to use a positive tone and be straightforward and not beat around the bush with your subject. Since you are addressing the reader directly you should consider yourself as the recipient so that you may see what it feels like to receive that letter. If you use a negative tone it may cause the reader to not want to deal with you or your company anymore.

You should be formal in your writing, so no contractions. Examples
>Don’t use do not instead.
>Can’t use cannot instead.

You need to always identify yourself and also say if you are representing a company. This way the reader knows exactly who they are hearing from. It makes it more personal. Include any important location information or telephone numbers within the letter also.

Try not to overdue your kindness where it comes off as fake or insincere. Examples
>Avoid certain sweet phrases
>Avoid false praise

It is key to not come off as fake, if you do then the whole point of the letter may be ruined.

You should also start off with the good news first so that you pull the reader in, then they should be more aware of the entire letter and fully understand the point you are trying to get across.

Within the last paragraph of your letter always begin a complimentary close so say thank you in the paragraph.
To wrap it all up use a sincere closing. Examples
 Sincerely
 Cordially

You may not like the situation you are writing about, but if you use a positive tone and follow this basic outline the reader will be more likely to consider your topic. It is a very easy thing for anyone to master.

References
http://www.howtowrite.info/writing/how-to-write-a-business-letter/
Walter Oliu, Charles Brusaw, Gerald Alred. Writing That Works. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2007.

Electronic Resumes: Selling Yourself, Internet Style by Jessica Pfaff

In today’s world technology has become a major part of our daily lives. Most of us can’t go a day without text messaging, e-mail, or the internet. In the business world, especially, technology is used for many things. Communication with employees and customers, making business deals and other aspects can now all be done over the internet with no face-to-face meetings or contact. In order to stay current with the new waves of internet communication we need to become accustomed to selling ourselves for a job without ever meeting with an employer. The first step in doing this is making an electronic resume that will wow the internet business environment.

Here are a few guidelines when creating your electronic resume:
1. To increase your chances, focus on nouns, not verbs. Searches are done by key words and phrases that describe the skills and core work required for each job.
2. Keep the design layout simple.
3. Use labels or keywords.
4. Place the most important keywords towards the beginning of the résumé. The program may have a limit to the number of items it will scan for and it usually starts at the top of the document.
5. Put your name first and contact information on a separate line.
6. Minimize use of abbreviations, except the more common ones like BA (Bachelor of Arts).
7. Use Common language.

Below is a list of reasons for when it is appropriate to send an electronic resume:
1. When you need to forward your résumé to networking contacts or recruiting professionals through e-mail.
2. When you need to post your résumé in many databases with the hope that employers or recruiters will look at it.

Good luck nailing that job!


Sources:
http://www.oakton.edu/resource/stuserv/netjobs/resumes/guidelines2.html
http://www.oakton.edu/resource/stuserv/netjobs/resumes/index.html

How your field of study can help you in writing by Emilee Seltzer

In college but not an English or Journalism major? A career in technical writing is possible! In fact, a background in a specific technical field would be much more beneficial to you if technical writing in that field is of interest to you. Why?

Let's start off with an example of a field that is in high demand: Information Technology. If you are studying IT, you have a leg up on any of the competition for technical writing. Since you already have much knowledge and interest in the subject, writing in that field is not only easier, but enjoyable, too! Your knowledge of this subject puts you at an advantage over someone who has no background on the subject because you understand it.

Here is an example that shows exactly why majoring in a specific technical field is vital. If you are in Consumer Electronics, most of your job would be explaining complex ideas to both technical and nontechnical audiences. For the nontechnical audience, aka the average person, writing instructions manuals are most obvious. Your job is to use your knowledge of Consumer Electronics and explain the complexities in easy to understand terms and directions. When writing for technical audiences, most likely your colleagues or somebody else in your field, you can use proper field terminology and be much more concise, as you do not have to break things down, since your audience is already familiar with the field.

There are many majors and fields of study with possibilities of a career in technical writing. Here, I have compiled a short list of majors with that possibility.

• Finance
• Information Technology
• Robotics
• Engineering
• Biotechnology
• Chemistry

A career in technical writing could be right for you! I would suggest talking to a trusted professor or advisor about the possibilities out there for technical writing in your field.

www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Technical_writing

When to Write Casually and When to Get Serious by Blake Dudkewic

Many times in today's day and age, people get confused on when they should write casually and when they should use proper business writing. You should not write to your boss or potential boss in the same manner you write to your friends in text messages. With that in mind, I have composed a few tips to help you determine when to write casually and when to use a proper business style writing.

1. Determine the Audience: Many times it would be more correct to have improper grammar and spellings if your writing to an audience at a rock concert or a skate park. You should be able to determine if it's the time and the place for slang or professionalism.

2. Writing to an Unknown Reader: There will be many times where you will have to write a letter or memo to someone who you have never met. In this instance, you want to be as professional in your writing as possible. Mispellings and grammatical errors will have the reader judging you as a person from your writing.

Determining if you should write casually or professionally is all common judgement. My personal tip would be if your unsure about the reader and how they would accept your casual writing, just write as professional as possible.