Elizabeth Morrison
Technical Writing Work
Blog Entries
As the marketing director of Poppin Joe’s, I was assigned the duties of writing blog entries for the company website. Before taking over this responsibility, I introduced myself to the readers of the blog. Letting the readers get to know who they were ‘talking’ to was important for building a trusting relationship with the customers. I then began writing blog entries about the happenings at Poppin Joe’s, including entries about testing new flavors, Joe working at a fundraiser, and traveling to a marketplace to pop and sell Kettle Korn. This assignment really allowed me to let my creative writing skills shine, as well as demonstrating my ability to responsibly follow guidelines that allow for creative freedom.
Business Letter
Sometimes things don’t go as planned, and projects get benched. Someone has to communicate this to the team that worked on it, and it’s best to be prepared to deliver this news gently, yet professionally. Recently, I had to write a letter informing a team that their pitch to get on the hit show Shark Tank didn’t pan out and they would not be on the upcoming season. With all of the hard work that the team put in, this would be crushing news to hear. In order to soften the impact of this sad update, I opted for a business letter utilizing the sandwich format, where you layer the bad news between positivity. This shows the employees that their hard work did not go unnoticed and is greatly appreciated despite the pitch not going according to plan. It also wraps up the letter on a positive note as to not leave the reader with a negative feeling when they end their reading. Knowing techniques for conveying various styles of messages is a very important concept to grasp when working in technical communications.
In exchange for contributing to the state’s Job Training Fund, Raining Cats & Dogs was eligible to apply for a customized job training grant for $5,000 from the Arizona Commerce Authority. The application required a proposal letter, and as CEO of this “company”, I was tasked with composing it. This letter was to include a proposed budget in addition to a description of the training plan and its significance to the company. I personally developed all of this information, demonstrating my range as a writer and my professionalism as a communicator. I also displayed my talents in researching and conveying said research to specific audiences.
Proposal Letter
Grant Proposal
TechCon, a structural engineering firm, was interested in teaming up with an organization called Playgrounds for Good to build some community playgrounds in areas of Arizona that otherwise don’t have many. In order to do this, TechCon applied for a grant on behalf of both organizations. The application consisted of a transmittal letter in addition to the details about how the grant money would be used. To strengthen the argument for TechCon to receive the grant, I included background information about why these playgrounds would be beneficial to the community, plans for executing the proposed process, and exactly how the grant money would be used to complete this project. This shows that I am a strong researcher and utilize professionalism when communicating.