Minutes, September 26th 2008 by Chris

Writing for Environmental Professionals
September 26th 2008
Taken by: Chris De Francesco

Attendance:

Class Discussion:

Class started with pizza it was half pepperoni half peppers and mushrooms.

• What is selective mutism ?
o Most of the class raised their hand to say that they believed they had the disorder.
o The question was asked if most people experience selective mutism in academic or social settings.
o Why is it a disorder and not a conscious choice?
o Possible causes of selective mutism:
• Fear of breaking away from the norm
• Fear of Public speaking
• Laziness
o Tactics to combat selective mutism
• Smaller class sizes
• 8-10 people is ideal

We reviewed what needs to be in a cover letter, focusing on the format of the letter. Letters can either be block or semi-block. Block format is when the entire letter is left justified. The semi-block moves the return address to the right side of the page, center justified, with the closing to the right. We should use the block format because it is more formal looking.

We finished going over the cover letter evaluations, and it was determined that the terminology used can be helpful in indicating that you are experienced and familiar with the field. You must balance the white space in your letter so it does not look empty or cluttered. You can break away from the rules if you are successful in doing so.

We need to hand in a hard copy of our job description, cover letter, resume, and cover letter evaluation sheet.

As a class we discussed the types of assignments that we want to do for the second half of the semester. Ultimately each student is to write a proposal.

Ideas included:
• Creative essays
o Memoir
o Editorials / Articles
o Persuasive writing
• Drafting business proposals
o For a new company
o Feasibility report
• Research Proposal
o Process and methods
o Grant proposal
• Interview Process
o Eye contact
o Relaxing
• Breathing techniques – in through the nose out through the mouth
• Transferring energy to other parts of your body
• Meditating to relax
o White paper
• Short research paper for a company
• Feasibility assessments ex. Technology ideas
o Papers for other classes
o Presentations
o Cartoons
o Graduate School Applications
• Personnel statements
• Scholarship applications

What do for next class:
• Read proposals section on the blog
• Think of a topic you would like to write about