WOW: Week 03 Due February 19

Word of the Week | skulk

By THE LEARNING NETWORK

skulk •\ˈskəlk\• verb

1. avoid responsibilities and duties, e.g., by pretending to be ill
2. lie in wait, lie in ambush, behave in a sneaky and secretive manner
3. move stealthily

The word skulk has appeared in 11 New York Times articles in the past year, including on Dec. 18 in the Opinion piece “The Grim Good Cheer of the Irish” by John Banville:

One of the biggest differences is that today Ireland is the Good Boy of Europe, a shining example of newfound fiscal rectitude when compared to what the more prudent northern European countries consider the irredeemably profligate Greeks, Portuguese, Spaniards and Italians. This is a novel position for us. It is as if the shiftless urchin who used to skulk and daydream in the back row has been summoned to the front of the class by President Nicolas Sarkozy and Germany’s latter-day Iron Chancellor to be presented with a medal and scroll.

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The Word of the Day and its definitions have been provided by the language-loving minds behind Vocabulary.com and the Visual Thesaurus.

Learn more about the word “skulk” and see usage examples across a range of subjects on the Vocabulary.com dictionary.

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Week 03: Writing as a Process

Looking at this exaggerated video illustration located above, it is clear to see that our communication states volumes about the writer and that impression will flavor how readers of those messages respond.  In a world full of messages, we want to make our message stand out as positive, important and clear.

The entire process of writing involves decisions about the writing goal, the plan for achieving that goal and the vision the writer has for the reader.

Some decisions include:

• Word Choice
• Format
• Tone of Message
• Choosing the Recipient

While all of these are important, the decision that must be made first is whether or not to write.  At times the best choice is to speak to someone instead of writing.  How do we know when to do this?

During the planning stage, it is important to condense the purpose of the communication into one sentence.    This will assist you in determining your end goal.  What do you hope to accomplish by this communication?

During the writing stage, we are looking to create a first draft.  Remembering that this message will speak to your professional development will help us appreciate not to send out messages just to get them off our own plate.

During the rewriting or revising stage the communication is checked for how it is organized, the details, accuracy and tone of the message.

Many times we are looking to “persuade” and yes, word choice is important.  At times we can make writing about what we need, however a memo, letter, email, report, proposal, agreement, procedure or evaluation all require answering important questions every time we write.

• What are my reader’s interests?
• What information does my reader need?
• How is my reader likely to respond to my message?
• How much does my reader already know about the subject?
• What action should my reader take?

Deductive Plan:  Delivering good or neutral news.

Inductive Plan:  Delivering bad news.

Please reply to this message detailing a situation within your professional career where you received a message that did not consider you as the reader.  What was your response to this communication?