Saylor URL: http://www.saylor.org/books Saylor.org
you can ask your supervisor or coworkers for copies of similar documents to the one you
have been assigned, even if the content is quite different. If this is not an option, simply
consider the way most documents in your company are written—even something as
basic as an interoffice e-mail will provide some clues. Your goal is to become familiar
with the type of document and to examine several successful examples. Once you see a
couple of reports, you will have a better feel for what you have to produce and the
unknown will be far less mysterious.
Key Takeaway
There are several reasons why people fear writing, but there are also several strategies to
reduce or eliminate those fears.
Exercises
- How would you describe your orientation to writing? Where does this orientation come
from? Discuss your thoughts with a classmate. - If you could identify one aspect of your writing you would like to improve, what would it
be and why? Write a one- two-page essay on this subject. - What kinds of writing do you like? Dislike? Explain why and provide an example of each.
Share and compare with the class. - Who is your favorite author? What do you like about her or his writing? Discuss your
opinion with a classmate.
[1] Hemingway, E. (1999). Ernest Hemingway on writing (L. W. Phillips, Ed.). New
York, NY: Simon & Schuster Adult Publishing Group.
[2] Nickerson, R. S., Perkins, D. N., & Smith, E. E. (1985). The teaching of thinking.
Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erbaum Associates.
[3] Paul, R., & Elder, L. (2007). The miniature guide to critical thinking: Concepts and
tools. Dillon Beach, CA: The Foundation for Critical Thinking Press.
[4] Gilovich, T. (1993). How we know what isn’t so: The fallibility of human reason in
everyday life. New York, NY: The Free Press.