Critiquing a Draft Clearly and Diplomatically

 

 

Part 1:

Critiquing a Draft Clearly and Diplomatically

This is an excerpt from the methods section of a report about computer servers. In this section, the writer is explaining the tasks he performed in analyzing different servers. In a later section, he explains what he learned from the analysis. The comments in the balloons were inserted into the document by the author’s colleague.

The following questions ask you to think about techniques for critiquing.

1 OF 4

What is the tone of the comments? How can they be improved?

2 OF 4

How well does the collaborator address the larger issues?

3 OF 4

How well does the collaborator address the writing, not the writer?

4 OF 4

How well do the collaborator’s comments focus on the goal of the document, rather than judging the quality of the writing?Part 2:

Marketing Proposal Presentation, Andrew Washuta

Proposal Delivered as a Prezi Presentation

An individual who wishes to carry out research on behalf of his or her organization or to provide a product or service to another organization usually must document the offer in a proposal. Proposals are frequently written as reports, but they can be presented through other media. As a student at Clarkson University, Andrew Washuta developed a research proposal in the form of a Prezi presentation for a project in his Marketing Research class. Prezi is a type of cloud-based software that allows users to create a presentation on a virtual canvas rather than on individual slides.

In his Prezi presentation, Washuta offers to carry out research to gauge the feasibility of a solution he has proposed to a pressing problem at his school: the lack of dining options available to students at night. Watch Washuta’s presentation, and then answer the questions that follow.

Source: prezi.com/yaa1f4izicod/marketing-proposal-presentation

1 OF 5

The structure of a proposal is determined in part by its subject, its purpose, and the needs of its audience. However, the introductory section of any proposal, regardless of its overall structure, needs to answer a number of questions in order to be effective. How effective is the introduction in this proposal? Were there questions left unanswered that prevented you from understanding the context, scope, or organization of the presentation? Draft a few additional sentences Washuta could include in his Prezi to make its opening more useful.

2 OF 5

How well does Washuta demonstrate his professionalism in this proposal? Consider the presentation of the following items: credentials and related work history, work schedule, quality-control measures for the research he will perform, and budget. Do you need more or less information pertaining to any of these areas in order to understand the proposal? Keep in mind that the Prezi was likely delivered as part of an oral presentation. Is there any information not currently included that you think Washuta should have noted in his Prezi, even if he planned to deliver it orally? Why?

3 OF 5

Watch the Prezi again, taking special note of how it organizes and emphasizes information. Two features unique to Prezi are its 3D canvas and its zooming capabilities. How did Washuta’s use of these features help or hurt the presentation of information? What, if anything, did they add to the presentation that could not have been accomplished by individual slides?

4 OF 5

Evaluate the visual design of the Prezi, including the background, color scheme, and typeface choices. How well does the design suit the presentation’s subject, audience, and purpose? Are there any aspects of it you would modify? If so, which ones, and how?

5 OF 5

Washuta concludes his Prezi by presenting a task schedule for his research project. How effective is this task schedule as currently presented? Based on your knowledge of the various components of the project as presented in the Prezi, describe how the task schedule could be improved in terms of content and appearance.