Tutorial – Page 3 – Pros Write

Amateurs need explicit knowledge — not platitudes

Bydr.kim August 9, 2012September 13, 2012

I shared my position on the use of short lectures in a writing class a couple of days ago. But I told only part of the story from the video lecture-tutorial + teaching note that will be published in the Journal of Organizational Behavior Education. The amateurs in my courses depend on me to make a professional’s tacit…

Dr. Kim's Philosophy

Lectures in a writing class. Oh my!

Bydr.kim August 7, 2012September 13, 2012

Today, I am correcting proofs for a teaching note that will soon appear along with my lecture-tutorial on tone in Journal of Organizational Behavior Education. The paper explains the teaching philosophy behind use of video lecture-tutorials like those I have been posting here at ProsWrite. (Click on the tab to view the complete collection on…

Mastering Mechanics

The video tutorial on punctuation

Bydr.kim August 5, 2012June 8, 2013

Research has clearly established that the vast majority of US business readers notice only two punctuation infelicities — even in formal documents. Today I am sharing a video tutorial to help those amateurs who struggle with the two issues that elicit the most negative attention: comma splices: using a comma to mark a sentence boundary sentence fragments:…

Managing Style

The video tutorial on word choice

Bydr.kim July 28, 2012June 8, 2013

Because I have had to keep my administrative hat on a lot recently (I am working toward an August 1 deadline for a university report), it took a while to get the video tutorial on word choice complete. It was designed to help amateurs think about the choice of vocabulary in workplace documents thoughtfully, intentionally, and strategically….

Focusing on Readers & Writers | Other Stuff | Platitudes

Beyond platitudes for leadership communication

Bydr.kim July 23, 2012August 30, 2012

Julia Williams, President of the Professional Communication Society (and one of my favorite colleagues) has negotiated a deal to offer a free eLearning course on leadership communication to IEEE members. Details are available in Julia’s Monthly eNotice. IEEE offers 3 CEUs (or professional development hours) for successful completion of the course. I created the content for…

Developing Content

The video tutorial on graphics

Bydr.kim July 21, 2012June 8, 2013

A couple of days ago, I made the point that, although professionals today need to communicate visually in workplace documents, most amateur writers have little relevant experience. If you are working on online graphics, check out amCharts, a small Lithuanian company, which was featured in Smashing Magazine a few years back. The graphic above is a still version of a JavaScript sample. …

Organizing Content | Other Stuff

The video tutorial on paragraph unity

Bydr.kim July 18, 2012June 8, 2013

Pros know that chunking related text in their documents makes it easier for readers to get their message. Writers have been using visual signals to create textual chunks since the ancient Greeks. The photo is a page from Ælfric’s Grammar, written in the second half of the 11th century, with large initials and both Latin and Anglo-Saxon script. I found it…

Managing Style

The video tutorial on conciseness

Bydr.kim July 15, 2012June 8, 2013

My last post argued that the use of prescribed minimums does our students a disservice. They learn to fluff up their prose to make documents longer. When those students enter the workplace, their prose style is entrenched. That means, as a writing teacher who attempts to build a bridge between school and work, most of…

Organizing Content

The video tutorial on transitions

Bydr.kim July 12, 2012June 8, 2013

No time to write much here until I finish some tasks related to my day job. So I’ll get right to it. Today’s brief video tutorial focuses on how to use transitions to guide workplace readers through a document. Small words make a BIG difference. Related articles Amateurs suffer from directile dysfunction (proswrite.com)

Focusing on Readers & Writers

The video tutorial on audience

Bydr.kim July 10, 2012June 8, 2013

Here (finally) is the tutorial on analyzing a workplace audience. I’ve been distracted for a few days, playing nurse for my 17- year-old son after oral surgery. Whew! More later . . . Related articles Pros don’t settle for platitudes about audience (proswrite.com)

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