This portion of my portfolio highlights some of the work I completed for the Writing for Business and Government course I enrolled in during the Summer of 2015. The documents included in this section are a business memo and business letter, which I had to revise using both the Rhetorical Triangle and the RTAA Formula for Correspondence. Analyses of each document can be found below.
The Rhetorical Triangle is made up of three persuasive strategies: logos, pathos, and ethos. Logos uses logic, facts, or truth. Pathos appeals to an audience’s emotions. Ethos communicates the speaker or writer’s character, credibility, and authority. The RTAA Formula for Correspondence required me to (R) Establish RAPPORT, (T) Influence THINKING, (A) Ask for an ACTION, (A) Leave the audience with a positive ATTITUDE about me, about my request, and about the institution that I represented.
The Memo
This section contains two documents. The first is a memo from June Caldwell addressed to her supervisor requesting an explanation of the delay in her Merit review. The original memo (bottom-left Scribd window) can be viewed as more of a rant to her supervisor for not completing her review in a timely manner. The overall tone of the original memo is quite hostile and doesn't do a good job in persuading her supervisor to complete her review any time soon. In the revised memo (bottom-right Scribd window), the tone is much more professional, and will be received by her supervisor in a more positive light.
The Letter
This section also contains two documents. The first is a letter that was sent in response to a previous correspondence from Dr. Fred Reynolds, who inquired about an unexpected charge increase to his account for a relative staying at the Final Seasons Nursing Center. The original letter (which can be viewed in the Scribd window to the bottom-left), was a bit too detailed and didn't answer Dr. Reynolds' question directly. The revised letter (bottom-right Scribd window), was straight to the point. I was able to revise the letter to detail the most relevant information, which the Administrator, Ms. Hitchcock, could then relay to Dr. Reynolds.