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Comprehensive Exam
Q1:
Part 1
With Gestalt communication we respond to what we see in predictable ways.
M.O.D.S.
Message: An effective message answers all of the audience questions in a simulated
conversation on the page.
Organization: a conversation is naturally structured as deductive--we answer the
right questions at the right time for the audience in order to capture their attention.
Design: create a highly usable document. As with message, and organization, the
goal of good design is to help reduce the effort and time required for the audience to
glean important information from the document.
Style: understand the complexity of the language and techniques to simplify how
you convey your ideas. A plain, easy to read style reduces the level of effort and time
required of the reader, thus making your document more persuasive.
Q2:
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The more interest you have the more likely to put more effort and time into
reading a document or presentation.
We can satisfy the needs of more audience be reducing the amount of effort
and time to put in to get your message.
Q3:
Criticism: model describes transmission: one directed the power from the
sender, but what we know that the receiver has all of the power. The receiver has
the power to not listen to the message if they don’t care about it. They can delete it,
they can close their ears, or they can just ignore it.
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Comprehensive Exam
Transactional model: is an exchange and it’s defined as exchange or interaction
between people. Like exchanging ideas and information that have meaning for bot
the sender and the receiver.
S (As)
ISSUE
R(Q’s)
To make a conversation, you need an issue to be able to explain it to the receiver,
without an issue there will be no communication.
Q4:
Inverted Pyramid (Model for deductive structure): The audiences need general
information first, then Expound on the information provided in your introduction
and in the end you encouraging your audience to contact you, finding and
recommendation to solve the problem then you write the conclusion.
Introduction:
- Purpose (what were you asked to do?)
- Acknowledges the need of your audience
- Bottom-line (what was the result?)
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Q5:
SIMPLE: Simplicity isn’t about dumbing down, it’s about prioritizing. What’s the
core of your message? Can you communicate it with an analogy or high concept
pitch? Ex: Tracy from marketing comes in and suggests that people would really like
a nice salad on the Houston to Las Vegas flight. How do you respond? Simple—you
just ask her “How will adding the salad make us THE low-fare air- line on that route?
If it doesn’t help us do that, we’re not serving any damn salad.’”
UNEXPECTED: To get attention, violate a schema. To hold attention, use curiosity
gaps. Before your message can stick, your audience has to want it. Ex: when the
flight attendant made the safety announcement by being creative.
CONCRETE: How do we make our ideas clear? We have to avoid ambiguity and
abstractions, and explain ideas in terms of human actions and vivid images. Ex: The
fox that tried to get the punch of grapes and he couldn’t reach it and says “I’m sure
they are sour”
CREDIBLE: Ideas can get credibility from outside (authorities or anti-authorities)
or from within, using human-scale statistics or vivid details. Let people “try before
they buy.” Ex: the Ad for Wendy’s (Where’s the Beef?)
EMOTIONAL: People care about people, not numbers. Don’t forget the WIIFY
(What’s In It For You). But identity appeals can often trump self-interest. Ex: The
firefighter or Don’t mess with Texas.
STORIES: Stories drive action through simulation (what to do) and inspiration (the
motivation to do it). Think Jared. Springboard stories help people see how an
existing problem might change. Ex: when Jared loses weight from Subway and they
made an Ad of the story of Jared.
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Comprehensive Exam
Part II
Q1:
The author did not answer all the assignment questions. The assignment
questions were very clear on the direction the assignment was going to take. The
following assignment questions directed the flow of the assignment:
I. Rationale for choosing Under Amour Company
The memo offered a good reason as to why the Under Amour Company was
chosen for analysis. The choice was directed by a request from Kevin Plank,
to whom this memo is addressed.
II. Financial performance comparison
The financial performance of the under armor company is given briefly.
However, there is no comparison of financial performance with other
competitors and with Nike. The details of the financial performance given are
vague and they do not offer a sound reflection of the company’s capacity. The
fact that there is no comparison figures for financial performance of Nike
renders this analysis vague. There is no benchmark for comparison. They
did not provide enough evidence to support their claim.
III. Under amour’s financial position
The under amour financial position is presented as being good. This is a very
vague presentation. The evidence to present the ‘good health’ of the
company’s financial performance is not offered.
IV.
Indices used to make this comparison
`
The indices used by the author to make comparison are EPS, P/E, Quick ratio
and BETA. These indices are good measures of financial position of a
company. However, the author has not applied them extensively to provide a
direct correlation and analysis of both companies.
Q2:
The author did not sufficiently target the audience. There are a lot of gaps missing in
this report.
I. So what?
The author did not address the question of the implication the analysis had
on the client. They did not present recommendations about how the client
should apply the information they have been given.
II. What’s the story?
The author tried to use various parameters to link the analysis and
comparison of the company with Nike. However, apart from a few non
financial reference to Nike, there is no concrete evidence showing the
comparison between the two companies in a direct format.
III. What’s Next?
The author did not address this question in their report
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Comprehensive Exam
IV.
Advice for improvement
When offering a comparative analysis between two companies, it is
important to offer a back to back analysis of the companies’ performance.
When one presents data about a singular company in a report, they have not
offered a solid analysis of the same.
Q3:
The document is very inductive. There are a lot of references that are not
backed up with concrete facts and figures.
The document should have been deductive
A deductive structured document utilizes facts and figures to arrive at a
conclusion. In this case, the author was comparing the performance of the company
with Nike. Figures and facts were very crucial to provide a comprehensive analysis
and comparison of the two companies. A deductive structure would have been more
appropriate
Q4:
Document design issues
I. The document is very informal
The author uses very informal words such as ‘by taking a big bite out of
Nike’s market share’.
II. The document does not follow a systematic reporting manner
There is no clear and comprehensive structure that shows how information
presented in the document should flow from one level to next.
III. The document does not have a good introduction and salutation
A good report should have a good title and be able to show who did the
analysis.
IV.
The document offers author’s opinion
Reports are designed to offer a concrete review of what is being analyzed.
Opinions of the author should not be included in the report
V.
The conclusion is highly irregular
The author concludes by stating that they are willing to work 24-7 as
concluding statement. This is highly irregular and informal.
Q5:
Overall language of the document and problematic words and phrases
The report contains many problematic words and phrases. A report should be a
formal document that is very clear, precise and cohesive. It should show an analysis
required in a good format free of grammatical errors or opinions of the author. This
document contains a number of problematic words and phrases as noted below;
The document is addressed in first person. Reports should be addressed in third
person.
I.
“As a result, I wanted to go to bat for you to show you the position of your
company”
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Comprehensive Exam
II.
III.
IV.
“If I were you I would start selling more clothing to women.”
“I would say you are on your way to dominating the industry by taking a big
bite out of Nike’s market share.”
“If you have any questions let me know. I am willing to work 24-7.”
Part III
Making a successful presentation is one of the challenging tasks because the
presenter has to establish a connection with the audience and be able to understand
the mood and receptiveness of the audience for every part of the presentation. It
has been argued that an effective presentation requires more than content because
establishing an emotional connection with the audience. The concept of P.U.N.C.H is
an important approach when a presenter is establishing a connection with the
audience. For instance, it has been argued that a punchy opening is essential in
getting the attention of the audience PUNCH stands for Personal, Unexpected, Novel,
Challenging, and Humorous.
Every good presentation has to possess one of the elements listed in the
PUNCH concept. Making a presentation personal entails, a presenter presenting
something personal that nearly all audiences can relate to. However, the presenter
should avoid long self-introductions, but beginning with a personal story can be
effective. The unexpected approach requires the presenter to present or reveal the
unexpected, such as saying something that goes against the expectation of the
audience. For instance, the presenter can use statistics that are against natural
wisdom as a surprise to the audience. The novelty approach requires a presenter to
say something novel, such as the findings of a new study, or something that create a
strong imagery among the audience.
Challenging requires a presenter to present something that goes against the
conventional wisdom or assumptions. Presenting the common knowledge that can
be read in books r other literature materials creates boredom, and a presenter
needs to ask provocative questions that make the audience think. On the other hand,
Humor is imperative in keeping the audience engaged, and the presenter is also able
to establish emotional connections.
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Comprehensive Exam
The management of fear is an essential aspect in making effective
presentations. One can overcome fear using various approaches such as preparing
adequately and spending some time alone. This method assists one to understand
what they need to focus on and achieve a clarity of thought. As such, the presenter
will get a chance to reflect on what is all about the presentation and what need to be
done. Further, knowing and understanding the audience plays an imperative role in
identifying what appeals to such a group and the kind of information that can keep
them captivated. Additionally, the presenter can establish the approaches that can
be used to maintain the audience involved to ensure a connection is established
right from when the presentation starts to the end.
Tapping into their emotions - Making a successful presentation is one of the
challenging tasks because the presenter has to establish a connection with the audience
and understand the mood and receptiveness of the audience for every part of the
presentation. It has been argued that an effective presentation requires more than content
because of establishing an emotional connection with the audience. Tapping into the
emotions of the audience can be done through giving of relevant stories and imagery that
will enable the audience to remember the presented material.
P.U.N.C.H - The concept of P.U.N.C.H is an important approach when a presenter is
establishing a connection with the audience. For instance, it has been argued that a
punchy opening is essential in getting the attention of the audience PUNCH stands for
Personal, Unexpected, Novel, Challenging, and Humorous. Every good presentation has
to possess one of the elements listed in the PUNCH concept. Making a presentation
personal entails, a presenter presenting something personal that nearly all audiences can
relate to. However, the presenter should avoid long self-introductions, but beginning with
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Comprehensive Exam
a personal story can be effective. The unexpected approach requires the presenter to
present or reveal the unexpected, such as saying something that goes against the
expectation of the audience. For instance, the presenter can use statistics that are against
natural wisdom as a surprise to the audience. The novelty approach requires a presenter
to say something novel, such as the findings of a new study, or something that create a
strong imagery among the audience.
Challenging requires a presenter to present something that goes against the
conventional wisdom or assumptions. Presenting the common knowledge that can be read
in books or other literature materials creates boredom, and a presenter needs to ask
provocative questions that make the audience think. On the other hand, Humor is
imperative in keeping the audience engaged, and the presenter is also able to establish
emotional connections.
Advice on Managing Fear - The management of fear is an essential aspect in making
effective presentations. One can overcome fear using various approaches that can be
explained in other concepts. For instance, when a person spends time alone they achieve
a clarity of thought, which is imperative in eroding fears that a presenter might have
during the presentation.
Preparing the Day of Presentation - Preparing adequately assists one to understand
what they need to focus on and achieve a clarity of thought. Inadequate preparations
make the presenter lack the required stamina and lose confidence, which can affect the
presentation significantly.
Spending some time alone - This method offers the presenter a chance to reflect on what
is all about the presentation and what need to be done. Spending time alone enhances a
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Comprehensive Exam
person’s creativity away from numerous distractions that may make a person indifferent
in regard to focus on ad what they need to ignore. Time alone enhance the clarity of
thought for the presenter.
Involve Through Participation Additionally, the presenter can establish the approaches
that can be used to maintain the audience involved to ensure a connection is established
right from when the presentation starts to the end. It has been argued that people learn
more through experience of something than reading. Although it is difficult to keep the
audience in active physical participation a presenter can use conversational language such
that the audience keeps responding to various issues in different ways.
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