For this assignment, you will write emails explaining a situation to both an employer and a friend.
Your employer has asked you to work on a day that you have already requested off for personal reasons. You are unable to change your plans and must therefore explain why you are unable to work (a family wedding or similar event is a possible choice for this). Your friend has asked you to assist him or her with moving on the same day. Again, you are unable to help because of the same prior engagement.

1. Write an email to your employer explaining why you are unable to work on the day specified.
2. Write an email to your friend explaining why you are unavailable to help with his or her move.
3. In a short, 1-page reflection, explain the differences between how you have communicated in the two emails. Familiarity with the other person, formality, type of language used, and other factors you may wish to include.
4. Keep in mind the audiences to whom you are writing. Ideas of grammar, formality, and word choice may be very different depending on your audience, but in both cases, clarity and succinctness are important.

Part 2

You have been working on a group project with several other students. The project has generally been going well, but one person on the project has not been pulling his or her weight, relying on everyone else in the group to complete the project. The group has discussed this problem, and you have elected as the person to communicate with the student who has not been helping on the project.

Using Microsoft Word or a similar program, draft an email to your fellow student discussing the issue and what you think can or should be done to resolve it. You will want to communicate carefully, being clear on the problem as you see it without being aggressive or angry. Proper language and tone will be extremely important.

On the same document, in 2-3 paragraphs, discuss how you came to the solution for this issue. In this discussion, include what would constitute a good resolution for the problem in your opinion and what actions (or non-action) by the offending student would cause you to contact the instructor for additional help in resolving the problem.

Part 3

In the same way that you would analyze a work or personal life communication situation, you will be asked to create a short presentation (using media choices below) about the nonverbal communication demonstrated in a series of photographs. In addition to identifying aspects of nonverbal communication, you will also need to show how these elements can affect communication both positive and negatively. Include your observations of how nonverbal elements that you see alter the direction of communication.

1. Select four of included photographs.
2. Using either PowerPoint or Prezi, create a presentation that demonstrates your comprehension regarding these communication elements: Please include the following:
   1. A title slide including your name.
   2. Four slides that explain aspects of the nonverbal communication that you see depicted in the photographs. Be sure to include the photograph on the slide. Be as specific and detailed as possible in your description of body language, facial expression, physical distance (if applicable), gesture, and other aspects of nonverbal communication that you see.

• Using Screencast-o-matic (screencast-o-matic.com) or similar software, create a short video presentation of your PowerPoint or Prezi. Explain in detail the nonverbal elements of communication that you observe in each of the four photographs you have selected. Video should be between four and seven minutes long. This video should either be of the presentation itself or a hybrid video that includes both the presentation and an inset webcam video.

1. Upload your video to screencast-o-matic, YouTube, or similar online video sharing site and provide a link to your video. Include your PowerPoint or Prezi with your submission.

Part 4

You have just received two emails, one from your boss or supervisor and one from a coworker. The two emails address the same situation. A minor problem has occurred that you may be responsible for creating. Your boss/supervisor has asked you for a resolution to the problem. Your coworker, who has been affected by this problem, is angry with you and has written an inflammatory email accusing you of creating this problem on purpose.

1. Using word, write an email as a reply to both of the emails that you have received. You should attempt to resolve the problem as efficiently as possible. Since your email will be received both by a supervisor and a coworker, consider all aspects of your communication including the formality of the language you use, grammar, and all aspects of formal communication. Your goal is to solve the problem and maintain your professionalism at the same time.
2. On the same document, analyze the conflict that has happened. What was the cause of the conflict? How did you attempt to resolve the conflict? What did you need to address in terms of your supervisor’s concerns, and how were these different from your coworker’s concerns? Do you think your supervisor and coworker handled the conflict well in their emails to you? How effective are these emails?

Part 5

For this, you will be asked to generate posts on social media as it is used by businesses.

Your current employer is interested in using various social media to increase the company/organization’s profile in the area. The company/organization has also recently introduced a new product or service that your boss wants the general public to know about. You have been asked to create the initial contact to the public on both Facebook and Twitter.

1. Select a product or service that is appropriate either for your current job or for the career you intend to have.

2. Create two Facebook posts of up 100 words each announcing the product/service to the company’s Facebook audience and two tweets (limit 140 characters including spaces) for the company’s Twitter audience announcing the new product or service. These should be written as if they will be posted to social media, but should be submitted as a Word document.

3. Keep in mind the conventions of social media. Grammar and spelling are critically important, as is maintaining professionalism while still being fun and welcoming to customers or clients.

4. Write a 2-3 paragraph reflection on how you approached these posts and how writing social media posts for a professional entity like a business differs from your personal use of social media.

Part 6

Consider your experiences at work, school, and in your personal life. You have, at some point, been asked to work with a group to achieve a particular goal. It might have been a group research project, a new marketing plan, a learning plan, a schedule to roll out new technology, planning a wedding, or even planning and creating a large family meal. In many collaborative efforts like these, there are disagreements. Select one collaborative experience from your past that involved some disagreements or significant differences of opinion.

Write a short (2-page) paper in APA style discussing the following elements:

1. Describe the project that you were working on, including the people involved.
2. Explain the problem that you encountered with the group. How was that problem overcome? What was the end result of encountering and dealing with that problem?
3. What do you think was the cause of the problem? How much of the problem came from miscommunication, either from you or from other people involved? What did you do to help resolve the problem?
4. If you were able to relive that experience, how would you change the way that you approached the encountered problem? How would you communicate differently?
5. How, ultimately, was the conflict resolved?