Instructions Selection Memo

For this assignment you will be expected to:

• Find a set of instructions
• Analyze the audience of these instructions
• Analyze the goal of the instructions

Then you will need to step back and analyze the instructions as a whole. Did the instructions effectively complete their goal? Are the instructions written to the right audience?

*Hint: While at first glance this assignment might seem like an errand it doesn’t have to be! Use something that you already have lying around your dorm/apartment/house. not only is it free BUT chances are you have already used this product which will make analyzing it that much easier!

Step One: Find instructions. I choose the instructions found on the back of the Campbell’s Soup At Hand. This was a very low risk strategy for me because as ashamed as I might be to admit it- I eat this everyday! I am very familiar with the instructions and I already had an idea what flaws were hidden in that white text.

Here is an image of the instructions that I chose——>

Step Two : Complete the selection memo exactly as Dr. Fricke has described. This means answering ALL of the questions.

For the product I selected I decided ( after some deep thought and reflection with a warm cup of soup) that the audience for Soup At Hand was people who “eat on the go”. I reasoned this because of: the marketing scheme I’ve seen on TV and that there are about a million different kinds of micorwaveable soup that could be eaten without a spoon, as long as you were careful. SO this soup must also be for people who like new inventive products, and are willing to pay a little extra for that ingenuity.

So who could I test that were: on the go, trendy, and might not be stingy enough yet to mind paying extra for the “cool” factor? ———-> COLLEGE STUDENTS

In every class each semester you always find at least one assignment that is a breeze but also fun to do. For me, in this class, the instructions analysis assignment was that. I had a blast, and I hope you will also.

Here is the draft that i turned into Dr. Fricke: Instructions Selection Memo

Hopefully it will help you with your memo : )

Formal Memo

This exercise engages you to work on your ability to create a memo specific to an audience. The goal of this exercise is to write a relatively long memo where you address a topic and:

• inform your chosen audience
• analyze the topic ( in relation to the audience)
• make a recommendation to the audience regarding the topic.

For the assignment we were allowed to choose any of these options, I chose to write a recommendation memo.

Step One: Formulating the memo, the most important part of this assignment is having a clear and specific audience and goal. A quick way to make sure that your audience is specific enough is pick one person who fits your audience and write the memo to that person. Dr. Fricke provided us with a worksheet to help us to define our audience and define our issue in relation to that audience. I chose to address the head of Housing & Residence Life about the current conditions of the Wall/Gates showers.

* Hint: Choose something that interests you! It is always easier to write about something you don’t mind reading about : )

Step Two was to collect research on my topic in order to support my argument. I wanted to show to the head of Housing and Residence Life that the restrooms have a negative impact on the student body. I found an article from a news station about the dangers of showers: Shared showers are perfect breeding ground for bacteria. I also found another article to support my argument in a paper written by another student: Dormitory Bathrooms.

*Hint: Be certain that all the research you do relates to your audience and topic. It will make your argument a lot stronger.

I modeled my memo after the example memo that Dr. Fricke provided us with. I also used the step by step method which he showed us in the class Powerpoints. I have attached the memo that I turned in to Dr. Fricke to this post. Hopefully this will help give you some ideas.
One thing I learned :If I could resubmit this assignment I would change the focus of the memo. The memo was to lengthy to be directed to a head of a large department. Instead I could direct it to a student organization who would be willing to take the time to read the memo. A student organization would also be able to start a plan to correct the conditions.

What I Learned: This assignment taught me the importance of editing and rereading an assignment before turning it in. For this assignment the class was given another chance to submit the assignment. The minor changes I made during the editing session really improved my overall grade.

Below are the files that I turned in to Dr. Fricke:

Formal Memo