Argument: structure, techniques, and rhetorical approaches

English Literature - Argument

THE IMPORTANCE of VOCATIONAL LITERACY

Being able to read and write fluently is an asset no matter what job one gets. Therefore, vocational-technology colleges should require demonstrated college-level proficiency in English."

Among vocational technology students, there exists a belief by many that college- level proficiency in English is not required for professional success. They consider

English fluency comparatively unimportant in highly mechanical fields in relation to their technical skills and sometimes react to college writing requirements as wastes of their time, since their vocational training and experience will determine their value in the job market and not their English writing ability. While it is true that their primary course of study is the technical training, these students are mistaken as to the value of English literacy and the consequences of failing to achieve a working fluency in the spoken language. Likewise, they may never again be required to compose a researched essay assignment once they secure employment in their chosen field, but they will almost certainly encounter situations at work that require them to use some of the basic writing skills that mandatory college writing classes are designed to instill. By that time, it will be too late for them to acquire the skills necessary to present themselves in the best professional light and to avoid the negative consequences associated with failing to achieve English language fluency and basic writing proficiency.

The Cost of Illiteracy in the Professional Environment: Psychologists have long-known the importance of making a good first impression in human interactions and relations (Gerrig & Zimbardo 2005). In professional life, the opportunity to make a good or bad first impression begins before one is even hired. More specifically, there are many more ways of making a bad first impression during the interview and hiring phase than there are opportunities of making a good first impression.

Nowadays, even relatively small businesses maintain Human Resource departments responsible for all the routine matters normally associated with hiring new employees: they administrate employee health insurance plans and very often provide new employee orientation programs. Many of those functions require standard forms which must be filled out by all prospective hires and new employees. Whereas filling out employment application forms and resume synopses properly will not substantially strengthen an applicant's candidacy, completing those forms with elementary spelling errors and bad punctuation and grammar will almost always hurt one's chances to be hired.

Certainly, prospective applicants who are technically unqualified for a position cannot make up for their lack of ability or experience by simply writing well enough to avoid any mistakes in their application paperwork. On the other hand, those who do will always have a definite advantage over similarly qualified or experienced applicants who turn in application packets filled with misspellings and basic English grammar errors (Jordan, Hyden & Steinauer 1994).

The interview and hiring phase is hardly the last time that English proficiency matters in technical fields. Technicians whose work requires regular contact with customers have the opportunity to make a good first impression or a bad first impression in every appointment. More importantly, instead of representing only themselves, once in the field, they now represent their employers as well. Ordinarily, most companies who employ field technicians routinely solicit feedback from customers about their experiences, including their rating of the technicians' ability to communicate. Even more importantly, verbal miscommunication on-site can result in serious errors where the technician fails to communicate important questions accurately or misunderstands much of what customers say. Even technicians who do not work directly with customers on a regular basis still report to supervisors. It is not uncommon for technical supervisors to require written narratives of completed assignments and detailed descriptions of difficulties encountered and solutions implemented. Poorly written internal documentation may not make the difference between a report that is understandable to one's supervisor and one that is completely incomprehensible, but it cannot help but affect the impression on the part of the supervisor toward the employee. In fact, "communication skills" is one of the primary criteria used by management to select employees with perceived management potential (Russell-Walling 2005). Presumably, like other professionals, most technical employees hope to achieve some degree of professional advancement within their organization. In that regard, the main difference between those who eventually manage to sustain an upwardly mobile professional career track and those who remain field technicians for their entire careers is their ability to communicate in writing proficiently.

Case in Point: Interview with an Employer: Jon Lurie started his career almost 15 years ago as a sole proprietor of a computer trouble shooting expert who repaired computer connections for private clients by appointment in New York City. He eventually transitioned to installing the first cable modem configurations when they became available, and as more advanced computer technology filtered down to private users, he offered more and more services, such as installing home office routers and wireless interfaces. His business grew, largely by word of mouth from satisfied customers.

While he acknowledges that his technical skills were indispensable, he attributes his rapport with customers to the fact that he often conversed with them throughout much of his assignments, sometimes discussing things that had nothing to do with the work he performed for them. He says that he first became aware of the value of his ability to carry an intelligent conversation with customers when he noticed that customers with whom he had the opportunity to talk almost always tipped him very generously on conclusion of the assignment compared to customers with whom he did not have the opportunity to talk. Mr. Lurie no longer does field work, but now employs approximately 100 independent contractor field technicians who report to him directly. As an employer, he realizes even more the obvious value of interpersonal communication skills. According to him, he regularly receives better customer evaluations for work performed by his most fluent and personable technicians than for work performed by his less fluent and less personable field technicians.

Perhaps the most interesting aspect of those evaluations is that, "Actually, I get more positive evaluations for work that required another appointment to correct a mistake done by my technicians who speak well than I do for work that is completed perfectly in one appointment by my guys who don't communicate quite as well."

Mr.

Lurie acknowledges that communication skills cannot replace poor technical skills, but given the choice between two equally qualified applicants, he always prefers to use technicians who speak English fluently, because it seems to make a difference in terms of customer satisfaction. That illustrates the importance of communication skills and demonstrates the value of generating a positive rapport with others, as detailed by Carnegie (1997) in principles he first explained more than 70 years ago. Mr. Lurie added, "By far, the worst response I get from customers is where the original work is performed by one of my guys who is not fluent in English or not particularly personable with customers when that work necessitates a subsequent appointment. On those occasions, it is not at all uncommon for the customer to tell me to send a different technician or even to ask me whether I have any employees who speak English."