Why do you think the “rules” of a particular genre would need to vary (over time)?

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Learning Goal: I’m working on a business discussion question and need a sample draft to help me learn.As you’ve learned in our recent conversations and readings about correspondence, professionals rely on communication techniques, strategies, forms, and conventions that are part of the professional or organizational culture, not simply the individual communicator’s knowledge, experience, and training. In this class, we won’t go too deep into the theory and principles governing how this complex cultural process operates. (If you’d like to know more, I recommend ENGL 3040: Introduction to Professional Writing.)In the past couple weeks, I asked you to consider how correspondence operates not just as a form of communication, but as a social technology, a kind of tool that has developed in organizational cultures to get things done that wouldn’t be possible without it.In this week’s reading, we’re considering something else that we can think of as a type of “tool”: genres. I’ve used the term “genre” a few times before, but I haven’t expanded upon the term beyond it familiar associations. It’s time to develop this topic a bit further. In the assigned chapter (which I’ve provided as a PDF file), I define technical communication genres as “patterned, situation-specific responses to the recurring communication needs found in technical communication workplaces” (358). I also explain that genres are “one of the things technical communicators use to fulfill a specific type of purpose within a particular, recognizable, and recurring situation [in which] the purpose and situation are both ‘socially situated’” (339).The rest of the chapter “unpacks” these definitions, focusing on eight principles that make the concept of genre notable for communicators.Let’s explore these connections further. Here are three questions to get us started:1. Choose an example of a workplace genre that you’ve learned in your career-area classes or used in your work. What can you tell us about that genre’s characteristics, using the framework of genre theory discussed in our reading assignment and the principles of workplace communication that we’ve discussed so far this semester?2. The concept of genre presented here can help us recognize some of the ways that specific kinds of workplace documents seem “stable” (or “stabilized-for-now”), as if they’re governed by fixed rules, while also varying considerably over time and from one workplace to another. Why do you think the “rules” of a particular genre would need to vary (over time)? Similarly, why would it be necessary for genres to vary from setting to setting?I chose our textbook, in part, because of its simplicity: MacRae’s presentation of common professional genres is pretty matter-of-fact, practical, and traditional (perhaps even old-fashioned). This perspective can provide a useful starting point, but it its effort to simplify, it leaves out much of the diversity and complexity of actual workplace communication. The rhetorical genre-focused standpoint can help us to offset that problem, I hope.3. Can you think of any examples of a “standard” professional or workplace genre whose characteristics have changed over time? How do those changes relate to the genre’s purposes? audiences? organizational settings? other variables?4. Do you think genre variability/change is an active, intentional process (something that users consciously cause) or an unconscious “drift”? To what extent can we as individuals drive changes in our professions’ or workplaces’ tools–including communicative tools like genres? To what ends, at what cost or risk, can we do so?Here are some examples of student responses to these questions. This is just to help you get an idea of what to write, do not write anything very similar.#1: After reading the pdf, What Do Technical Communicators Need to Know about Genre, I feel that genres are tools or guides to help writers communicate with their specific audience rather than a rule that has to be strictly followed. Genres provide a kind of “shorthand” for professionals to use as templates to help them get started with communication.Choose an example of a workplace genre that you’ve learned in your career-area classes or used in your work. What can you tell us about that genre’s characteristics, using the framework of genre theory discussed in our reading assignment and the principles of workplace communication that we’ve discussed so far this semester?
Since my work experience is limited and my workplace does not have any major formal requirements for writing, I will instead talk about a familiar genre, the course syllabus. The course syllabus is a genre that we are all familiar with. The course syllabus is a document created by an instructor to communicate the course requirements to the student. From my experience as a student, course syllabi typically have familiar characteristics and format including sections such as course information, instructor contact information, prerequisites, required textbook, course description, course learning outcomes, course assignments and due dates, schedule, grading scale, etc. They tend to be very similar across courses which make me believe that there is a template that instructors follow as a general guide. However, some instructors may add additional sections such as a calendar, charts, information on course projects and presentations, technology or software requirements, etc. So even though a course syllabus has many similar sections they do not all have to be exactly the same. The instructor has some flexibility in adding additional information or sections to their course syllabus.The concept of genre presented here can help us recognize some of the ways that specific kinds of workplace documents seem “stable” (or “stabilized-for-now”), as if they’re governed by fixed rules, while also varying considerably over time and from one workplace to another. Why do you think the “rules” of a particular genre would need to vary (over time)? Similarly, why would it be necessary for genres to vary from setting to setting?
According to our reading, “Genres aren’t absolutely “stable” or fixed. Rather,they are “stabilized-for-now,” always subject to the pressures of changing situations, new writers and readers, and new content (Schreyer’s (1993, 200).” Using the syllabus as an example, the genre might vary over time as new leaders or instructors are hired in a college department. They could also change due to new technologies being used by a specific college department or maybe a new degree being offered. These changes could require additional required sections to be included in the course syllabus. All settings would not use the same genres for communicating to their employees or clients. Typically, a syllabus is a genre used in education between a teacher and a student or the teacher and their supervisor. Therefore, an employee at a bank would not use a syllabus to communicate with their employees or clients. Instead, they would use a memo to communicate with their employees and a business letter to communicate to clients.3. Can you think of any examples of a “standard” professional or workplace genre whose characteristics have changed over time? How do those changes relate to the genre’s purposes? audiences? organizational settings? other variables?The only thing I can think of is that people used to send a short memo via email to coworkers to communicate a simple message. In today’s work environment we are more likely to send a text or send a chat message through Microsoft Teams and continue to go about our day while waiting for a reply. The same message is received by the intended audience but the delivery method is electronic and instant and probably quicker for the person creating it.Do you think genre variability/change is an active, intentional process (something that users consciously cause) or an unconscious “drift”? To what extent can we as individuals drive changesin our professions’ or workplaces’ tools–including communicative tools like genres? To what ends, at what cost or risk, can we do so?
I think change in genres is a result of changes in the workplace and not necessarily planned by anyone in the workplace. As stated in the reading for this week, “characteristics of genres change even though at no time did members of the communities ever declare the need for a change, Charles Bazerman (1988) and Dwight Atkinson (1999).” Genres evolve gradually as those who use them make small changes to them. As changes in the workplace occur such as changes in processes, content, employees, and technologies, changes in genres will slowly take place to try to meet the needs of the readers or users.#2: Choose an example of a workplace genre that you’ve learned in your career-area classes or used in your work. What can you tell us about that genre’s characteristics, using the framework of genre theory discussed in our reading assignment and the principles of workplace communication that we’ve discussed so far this semester?
Technical, budget and executive management are three genres we write to at work. Frequently, for a single technology initiative we will write to all three.Technical is the most common. These write-ups are generally full of specific details, a lot of acronyms and focused on a specific issue. Somebody who is not familiar with the technology would have a difficult time understanding what is being discussed. Generally, they don’t say much about the cost. They will talk briefly to business objectives at a high level.The budget genre write-ups are completely different. The focus isn’t about the technology, rather the capital and operating costs of the technology. The Budget people only want to know at a very high level what the technology will do. They will want, down to the dollar, detail on cost. How much capital will be needed? What fund will the capital come from? How many years of capital will be required to complete the project? What is the annual cost? Will there be annual increases and what percent will the increases be? Etc. If you want your budget request to be denied by Budget, use the technical genre. Their eyes will roll, and they won’t even read the entire proposal.The executive management genre falls somewhere in between the technical and budget. Execs will want to know about the technology and how it will enable the business to accomplish the established goals. They will want to know the cost, but no where near the level the detail Budget will require. The concept of genre presented here can help us recognize some of the ways that specific kinds of workplace documents seem “stable” (or “stabilized-for-now”), as if they’re governed by fixed rules, while also varying considerably over time and from one workplace to another. Why do you think the “rules” of a particular genre would need to vary (over time)? Similarly, why would it be necessary for genres to vary from setting to setting?
I have found genres changes depending on who in leadership at a particular time. You can count on changing the genre when a new CEO, CFO or CIO comes to the company. Depending on their experience, they will want different types of information from the pervious leader. For example, the previous CEO was a CFO at a couple pervious positions. He wanted to know more information on cost. The current CEO doesn’t care as much about cost. He is more interested in impact to the business, so we had to change the genre to meet his needs. This change to genre takes a couple of years as you adjust to new leadership.Can you think of any examples of a “standard” professional or workplace genre whose characteristics have changed over time? How do those changes relate to the genre’s purposes? audiences? organizational settings? other variables?
As I noted in the previous question, it depends on the leader. They are all different.Do you think genre variability/change is an active, intentional process (something that users consciously cause) or an unconscious “drift”? To what extent can we as individuals drive changesin our professions’ or workplaces’ tools–including communicative tools like genres? To what ends, at what cost or risk, can we do so?
It can. If you have a leader in a position for a longer period of time, the genre will change as the technology changes. For example, five years ago in technology cloud infrastructure was seldom talked about. Now, clouds are in almost every discussion. This change to the technical genre happened over time as the technology focus changed gradually. #3: 1. A workplace genre I have learned in my career classes is writing general ledgers in accounting which I will also need to be writing once I enter the workforce. This genre’s characteristics are the separation of different accounts a company might have and their balance into one of three main categories: Assets, Liabilities, or equity. Within each section, the accounts are listed in order of short term or most liquid first and long term or least liquid last. This form of communication lays out all the numbers of a business and an accountant or firm might use a general ledger when they are auditing another company’s financial statements or if they are assisting a business with filing their taxes. General ledgers are the same across the board, while what types of accounts a business has and what amounts are in them will vary, the classification of what makes an account an asset, liability, or equity account is the same.2. Rules for a genre would need to vary over time as a company may grow bigger and change and the people who run the business change over the years and have different expectations than the ones previously before they had. Genres can also vary from setting to setting depending on the type of workplace and who the genre is written for, with the genre might be the same at a business, you are writing a letter to your colleague will vary drastically from the letter you will write a client or your boss.3. A standard workplace genre that has changed overtime I believe is the way we talk to our colleagues. Once someone is comfortable at a business and has made a few acquaintances, the way we write to them may be more relaxed and informal compared to how we wrote to each other when first working at the business even though the genre of writing is the same. This doesn’t really take away from a genre’s purpose as the same message is getting past along, it just might have a few less “yes ma’am” “no ma’am” “sir” in the message. 4. I think this is situational, the example I used in 3 can either be intentional, someone really doesn’t like massaging their colleagues with a super formal text so they are waiting for that friendship to build so they can relax a little. On the flip side of that, they are casually getting more comfortable with each other so they naturally will write back more informally compared to before.
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