After reading the article about ethics and visual rhetoric, I learned a lot about what factors should be considered when using visuals in any form of professional writing.  The article made a great point about how the development and use of technology has posed several ethical questions in regards to visuals, many of them, unbeknownst to today's "technical communicators".  The examples of showing computer-generated 3D bar graphs, shed some light on how this and other techniques can be misleading.

After reading Luntz's take on effective communication, I realized that how effective writing is can be measured by how well it "just get's to the point".  Simplicity, brevity, and offering something new are the most important things a message can be in order to be effective.  The business plans we looked at in our activity met these rules and more.  The layout and design of these business plans are all very simple and short but they get to the point.  they give you the information you need to know and none of the "fancy filler&quo

Based on what I've learned so far about resume readers, I tried to go into this activity with the same mindset that they do.  I strictly based my decision on how easily I could follow the flow of the document.  If I got lost on the page I simply moved on.  The 5 resumes I would have chosen were:

Missy Butterworth

Dorothy Flyfaster

Student Halfway

Student Example Nobody

Rolling Stone

After watching myself on video and analyzing my pitch, after the fact, I came to the realization that I didn't do quite as bad as I had thought.  Walking back to my seat after giving the pitch, the only thing that I could think was "I completely botched that entire presentation!".  I felt as if I was speaking a million words a minute, but after watching the video, I realize that I was speaking at a relatively normal pace.  I feel like my words and direction of my pitch flowed better than previously thought.

After reading this article, I've come to realize that my resume may not have been as alluring as I thought.  It was amazing, and somewhat unnerving, to know that most resume readers only closely read half of the resumes that cross their desks.  It proves just how important document organization, clarity, and aesthetics are to your resume.  My particular resume probably wouldn't make it very far with the author.  The main thing I would probably change about my resume, after reading this article, would be my word choice.

 Even though there were several good ideas and presentations, I felt that the choices that I voted for were the best overall.  My decision was based on three different things: originality of idea, strength of presentation, and whether or not I thought that person would be a good manager and fun to work for.  The two I voted for were very conversational in there presentation and didn't try to "wow" the audience the big words and boring statistics.

My presentation was well planned and thought out, but, as most people know, things don't always go as planned. I had planned on introducing the name of the company in my introduction and then played off that name in the closing. Well, when I got to my closing, I realized I hadn't mentioned the name! Other than that, I feel as if my presentation went fairly well. I chose to talk about four different aspects of the company; what the company is, my target market, how I plan to make money, and what makes my company different from others in the market.

An entrepreneur is/should be:

1. Creative

2. Ambitious

3. Persistent

4. Persuasive

5. Well-Rounded

6. Brave

7. Articulate

8. Frugal

9. Thick Skinned

10. Prepared

11. Tireless

12. Able to deal well with Failure

13. A good time manager

One of the most important skills an entrepreneur can posses is effective communication.  Whether that be delegating responsibility to employees, sending memos and emails, putting together an effective business plan, or pitching your ideas to VC's to get funding, communication is essential to a successful business.  Persuasion plays an extensive role in an entrepreneur's success.  Being able to show potential investors that your product or service is "the next new thing"  and they should invest in you, takes an enormous persuasive effort.

My name is Andrew Misner and I'm a junior presently in the process of CODOing into the school of technology to pursue a degree in OLS.  I am 22 years old and was born and raised in Indianapolis,IN.  Hobbies of mine include, sports and athletics, movies and music, and hanging out with friends and just having a good time.  I'm also working in the Certificate in Entrepreneurship Program.  I'm excited to be taking a class like this to hopefully learn invaluable skills in proficient writing in the business world.