Before taking ENGL-2116, I did not have much experience with professional and technical

writing. I had never written a formal memo, a formal letter, or set of instructions. I also had little
experience with document design. Attending class, reading the assigned material, and completing
the assignments increased my knowledge of technical writing.
Throughout the semester, I attempted to think critically about my work and apply what we
discussed in class. When making revisions, I took suggestions into account to improve my
professional writing.
Infographic
Before my presentation, I revised my infographic to include only the information that would
be included in my presentation. By cutting down the amount of information, I was able to
prevent the infographic from becoming too long with too much text. I included a chart, graphics,
and text boxes to break up the amount of text in one location. By separating the text and using
headers, I made the information more manageable for the audience to read. When revising the
infographic, I took into account the elements of document design that we discussed in class.
Research Report
When writing my research report, I assumed that my audience would have little knowledge
about the amount of women in computing and what is currently being done to increase the
amount of women in the field. I attempted to provide detailed explanations of the current
situation, factors that contribute to the small amount of women in computing, successful
programs, and possible solutions to the lack of women in the field. Throughout the paper, I
provided statistics from scholarly sources to support my position on the issue.
When revising my research report, I mostly changed grammatical errors. Having a lot of
grammatical errors in your professional writing can make the audience question your credibility

as a writer. By fixing the errors, I built up my credibility as a writer and made the paper easier to
read. Having less grammatical errors adds to the professional tone of the research report.
Set of Instructions
For my instructions, I assumed that my readers would have basic math knowledge, such as
addition, division, and comparing values. I attempted to break down the binary search algorithm
into manageable steps, so that the reader could follow along despite their understanding of the
algorithm. I created a basic example of this algorithm that addressed the different outcomes that
can occur. Using tables helped the audience visualize the algorithm and the mathematical steps
that were calculated during each step. In order to reach an audience unfamiliar with my topic, I
used basic vocabulary and defined any terms specific to computing.
Revising my set of instructions was difficult. I feel that the process was broken down into
manageable steps, so I chose not to change how the process was laid out. I improved the design
of the instructions by making sure that the edge of the tables were not cut off. During the revising
process, I attempted to provide more details and explanations that would help the audience better
understand how to use the algorithm.
Memos and Letters
When creating my memos and letters, I attempted to mimic the design of the examples in the
book and PowerPoint. I used spacing and headers to help readers quickly locate information. In
all of the documents, I used a professional tone. Each document included an introduction, main
point, and conclusion. I attempted to be clear and concise.
I revised my memo to a coworker to make the information more clear. Before, I did not set a
deadline for the decision on a solution to the issue. The reader may wonder when a decision
would be made, so I created a deadline and added it to the memo. I also fixed a grammatical

error in the letter of complaint to make the letter more professional. In the future, I will
remember that all memos that are printed should be initialed.
Annotated Blogs
When creating my blog entries, I attempted to make the information easy to read and
relevant to my research report. I used headers to divide the information, so that a reader could
easily locate information. During the summary section of the blogs, I used a professional tone to
explain the main topics of the articles. For the analysis section, I used professional language and
attempted to unbiasedly evaluate the information provided by the article. The reflective section
was a little less professional because I was describing my reaction to the information and
whether the information would be useful in my report. I chose not to revise my blogs because I
feel that they are easy for the reader to read and well-written.
Rsum
I wrote a rsum for one of my other courses. After discussing the components of a
rsum in class, I revised my rsum to the appropriate style. Employers spend very little time
actually reviewing an applicants rsum. I revised my rsum to make all of the information fit
on one page instead of two. I also updated my skills to include programming languages that may
be required for certain jobs.
Conclusion
After taking this class, I have a better understanding of professional and technical
communication. I have heard about communication in the workforce, but nobody has ever
discussed professional communication in great detail. Before this class, I was not aware of how
to create documents that may be used in the workforce, such as memos and letters. The most
experience that I had with professional writing was writing research papers for other classes. I

now understand that communication is very important in the workforce. Using a professional
tone, using active voice, and attempting to be clear and concise is very important. People are
very busy and may not be an attentive audience. Communication must be concise and the
document must be designed so that information can be easily found. Overall, this course helped
me to improve my professional communication skills and better understand communication in
the workforce.