Gen105

Communicating for Distance Education
Eric
GEN 105
March 10, 2013

Part 1
Today on my way to work I got in an accident! I am fine and the other guy is too. I was stopping at a red light and the jerk behind decided he didn’t want to fully stop and rearended me. It wasn’t too hard a hit. He just kinda tapped the bumper but it left some scratches. I got the guys info, and thankfully he had insurance! hopefully we can make this an easy and quick fix on my car. I will let my insurance know, and I already have an idea where I am going to take it to get it fixed. Just wanted to run that by ya.
-Eric
Progressive insurance, On Friday, March 8, 2013, I was involved in an automobile collision in my 2002 Mitsubishi Galant. The time was approximately 6:45 a.m. The account number related to this vehicle is 78811654. I was coming to a stop at a red light at the intersection of Stark St. and Liberty Ave., and then a grey 1996 Ford F-150, Oregon plate 364 EUC, driven by Alex Johson rear-ended me. Mr. Johson seemed unaware that the light at the intersection had turned red, and failed to come to a complete stop. The impact was not severe, but my car will need repairs to the rear bumper, trunk, and driver’s side taillight. I have enclosed photos of both cars after the impact, and Mr. Johson’s insurance information. Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions. I am available Monday-Friday, 5 p.m.-10 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday, 8 a.m.-10 p.m. Thank you for your assistance.

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Eric

Part 2
Hello Anthony, A key point to keep in mind while communicating in a class forum is using inclusive language. Inclusive language is the practice of not excluding a certain gender in the text. Terms like “man,” and “woman,” can often offend others because it might sound like you are excluding, or alienating one or the other. Also pointing out that the presenter was a “business woman” and you were surprised that she had some good points may make someone think that you are a little sexist. We need to avoid these terms due to the fact it may offend a classmate. A good way to avoid this is using non-gender related terms when communicating with a classmate e.g. people, person, they. Try not to make distinctions between man, woman, race, culture, etc. We are all in class together, and if there is a way to avoid offending someone, we must take the nessecary steps in achieving that.
Part 3 Written tone is important because it is the way that we express our thoughts and emotions through the act of writing. When we are in a face-to-face discussion, we are able to read each other’s body language, and hear the exact tone and fluctuations in a person’s voice. Written tone is something that a person needs to pay great attention to. We need to be aware of who we are communicating with, and the “sound/tone” of our writing. I think that there is never really a one-size-fits-all message due to the way we communicate with a friend or family member, may be more laid back, and use less appropriate language than the way we should communicate with an instructor, boss, or anytime a formal letter may be needed. Also the use of slang, and abbreviated words may be confusing for people that are communicating over a distance that are not acquaintances. Spelling and grammar need to be appropriate for the audience a person is writing to. If the correct punctuations and spelling are not used, the person on the receiving might be confused on what is trying to be communicated. We need to be able to understand the audience we are writing with and the appropriate means in which we write to them.