Effective communication strategies across casual, professional, and academic contexts

Communication

Effective written communication is necessary in a number of different situations. In the first section of this paper, I discuss my areas of personal weakness in written communication. Those areas include improving my tone and voice, understanding my audience's point-of-view, and improving my self-confidence. Effective persuasive communication depends on rhetorical strategies like pathos, ethos, and logos. In the second section of this paper, I suggest how to solve a specific problem using effective written communication.

Whether dealing with a casual conversation with a friend about the need for sidewalks to improve community safety, an email to a boss proposing a new safety procedures, or an academic persuasive essay about the community's need for a free spay/neuter program, I will need to know how to communicate effectively. Effective written communication depends on choosing the most effective tone, voice, and style for each situation. One of the three aspects of my writing I wish to improve is my tone and voice. Second, I need to improve my ability to connect with my audience because effective communication takes into account the audience's backgrounds and points-of-view ("What is Effective Writing Communication," n.d.). In order to persuade others, it is important to remember the principles of rhetorical strategy like pathos, ethos, and logos ("Basic Rhetoric and Writing Strategy," n.d.). Pathos refers to appeals to emotions, which are important when persuading an audience. However, an effective argument does not rely on an emotional appeal alone. An effective argument must also have logos, which is the reasonable grounds of the case including all its facts. Ethos refers to the credibility of the writer, and this would be the third area in my writing I wish to improve. I lack the confidence to present myself as someone whose opinion matters, and would like to write more confidently in the future. In the past, I have communicated effectively in some situations but not others. In the future, I plan on working on my written communication issues by practicing more often. I can write more letters to the local newspaper, write more essays for school, and take more writing classes.

Question Two