V isible S peech a short course in the fundamentals of writing

1. Lesson One Visible Speecha short course in the fundamentalsof writing By Joe Napora

2. Symbols Used in This Program Symbol Key:= Advance to next slide = Return to previous slide = Return to the first slide = Go to Part One = Go to Part Two = Go to Part Three = Go to Part Four = Go to Part Five 1 2 3 4 5

3. What are the different forms of writing? If someone other than you is the audience, then what are the possible forms that writing can take? Below are some of the most common forms that writing can take. NotesE-mailLetters MemosSignsEssays ReportsAnnouncements Other

4. N o t e s Notes can be written to yourself or others, but notes usually depend on an intimate knowledge of the audience. When you write a note, you usually already know the audience; therefore you do not have to introduce yourself to the audience. An example of a note would be a message attached to your phone to remind someone in your family to call your mechanic. Forms

5. Notes, continued Question: Why is it not usually necessary to have an introduction in a note? Answer: It’s because you are the audience as well as the writer. You normally don’t have to introduce yourself to yourself. What are two examples of notes that you have written during the past week? Forms

6. M e m o s When you write a memo, you are given a form that simplifies the relationship between you, the writer, and the audience. Memo To: From: Re: The introduction and conclusion are in the form of TO: and FROM:. And the subject matter is simply introduced with RE:. Forms

7. R e p o r t s A report is like an expanded memo. The audience is determined by the subject matter. If you are doing a report in biology, your audience anticipates a report on some subject in biology. You, as the writer, do not have to get your audience interested in your topic because by the very nature of the subject, they are already interested. Forms

8. E – m a i l E-mail is a recent form of writing that was invented with the online computer. E-mail is a lot like letter writing, but it is also a lot like memo and report writing, plus a little like a telephone conversation. Forms

9. S i g n s A sign is a public form of writing that places a premium on getting the readers’ attention. A sign is formal in that it has a long history of design features that are proven to work. Forms

10. Announcements An announcement often relies on fancy paper or graphics to get the readers’ attention. Announcements are another type of formal writing. Forms

11. L e t t e r s Letters have a prescribed structure. The more formal the letter, the more standard the Introduction, the Body, and the Conclusion. Forms

12. E s s a y s Essays are also a formal type of writing. What we mean by “formal” is that the structure of the writing is more rigid than other forms of writing. This more rigid structure is not a restriction to our ability to communicate; in fact, it is an opportunity to be more creative than if there was a very loose structure. Forms

13. Other Forms of Writing Writing takes many forms, many more than the ones I have listed. We live in a literate age: we cannot go through a single day of our lives without the influence of writing in someform. Try to imagine a day without a direct or indirect connection with writing. This is the end of lesson two Forms