Exercises pg. 31 & 55. Ch. 12 questions

a) Chapter 2 exercise #1 Page 31
When I applied to my first job, I wrote down that I had three years of Spanish experience. To some, this would come off as I was very good, maybe even fluent. The three years of experience were in school...with some long summer vacations off. My job ended up wanting to use my experience for their needs... I was asked to give a message to the floor cleaners (who only spoke Spanish).

1. I knew that I had to tell them something with enough detail for them to understand what I was saying. I was trying to leave work, so I rushed, and they ended up just having a little smirk on their face, although they seemed to have understood what I was trying to say. If I would have thought it through a little bit more than I would have a more accurate sentence to tell them without getting laughed at!
2. Although I did know my audience, and what it was going to be like speaking to only Spanish speaking people with my not so fluent Spanish, I still could have thought a little bit more about them. If I would have thought that they probably understood that fact that I did not speak much Spanish, they I wouldn't have been so pressured to say it perfectly.
3. With my timing, I should have been a little more relaxed. It was at the end of my shift so I wanted to get out of there, and having to come up with a Spanish sentence to tell the guys, I just felt like rushing, not caring about what I would be saying.
4. If I would have taken a couple more minutes to gather my thoughts, I would have been able to come up with a thorough, sensible sentence for the two men!
5. During that time, I chose to write it down on a piece of paper, because I was embarrassed to tell them orally. I think if I would have spoken it to them instead of writing it down, that they would not have thought it was so amusing.
6. There was no specific order for anything. This step is not very useful for this specific communication problem.
7. I didn't test the sentence out. I quickly jotted it down and gave it to them without reading over it, or saying it out loud to hear if it was in the right tenses. I know that if I did test it out first before doing it, I would have been able to make a change, and be more confident in telling them.

Overall, if I would have used these seven steps, my communication would have turned out a lot better, and more of what I wanted. And they wouldn't have laughed at me like I was an idiot!

Chapter 2 exercise #2 Page 55
After reading about the rhetorical process, I realized that I have been going about composing my communication completely different than I should. I thought about the methods that I use, and noticed that I do not have a method. I have not composed my communication in any certain way that I could tell about.

I definitely think that the "testing" part of the process will be most useful to me, because I have never really made up a rough sketch of my ideas and given it to my desired audience for feedback before the final product is complete. This way I will be able to get more feedback before I get too far into the process of composing, and it will help me become more confident as the project continues to develop.

The details of production will probably be the most challenging for me to get used to because I do not normally brainstorm and come up with ideas on how I should go about my projects. I do believe though that it will all be useful information.

The part of the production that will help me be most creative is the medium part. When there is a chance to choose the way you would like to communicate, you should take advantage of the fact that you are able to show your creative side to the audience. This will also be a challenge for me though because I have always had a hard time with my artistic side. I always end up with something that I am happy with, but the process of getting there to the end is difficult.

b) Chapter 12-"Nomadic Furniture"

• The people writing the "Nomadic Furniture" gives off the attitude that they are trying to not only help people build inexpensive furniture, but also doing it in the easiest way, with the least amount of supplies. They are trying to give the readers a simple life, while still having the elegance and colorful feel.
• After reading this instruction set, I felt that the authors were trying to give the audience a friendly vibe. They wanted to become friends, and be truthful to the readers by saying it's not the most comfortable chair, but it is elegant. By using the nickname of the author, that shows they are trying to give a more relaxed feel to the reader, and not so uptight with strict, formal names.
• I believe that handwritten instructions goes along with giving the reader and relaxed, simple feel. It gives the reader confidence that even they can do it. If the instructions were typed and the images done by computer, the reader could get a harder vibe, making them feel that the instructions are not as easy as they really are.
• If the instructions were done on the computer, it would give the reader a feeling of perfection, that they had to do this perfect or else it would not turn out right. I believe that it would make the reader more self-conscience about how they would put the furniture together and if they were doing it right.
• The diagram and instructions were a little bit confusing for me. I think it would help if the words were in a numbered form, to separate one step from the other. It was a good diagram though because it had all of the inches and the sides were labeled to correspond with the written instructions.
• I want to give a detailed, yet simple and relaxed instruction set to readers for inexpensive, elegant and simple furniture.