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4.7 Collaborative Writing – 2017, June – Thinking Rhetorically about Writing
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1 Discourses
2 Situations
3 Choices
4 Techniques
5 Genres
6 Handouts
TOC
4 Techniques >
4.7 Collaborative Writing
Contents
1 Working on a Group Writing Project
2 Strategies for Successful Group Writing
3 Strategies for Peer Reviewing
4 Conflict in Group Dynamics
5 Characteristics of Poor Team Members
Working on a Group Writing Project
Adapted from: Rys, John Van, Verne Meyer, and Patrick Sebranek. The Business Writer. Boston: Houghton Mi in, 2005.
Print.
Teams-project teams, committees, panels, task forces, and so on-are a fact of life in
today’s business world. Such teams often develop important documents as part of
their work-major reports, proposals, policies, and more. Successful teamwork will help
ensure a successful document. To be a good team member, do the following:
Stay focused on the goals of your group and the purpose of the document.
Maximize your contribution by considering the expertise and writing strengths
you bring to the group. Share your skills and abilities liberally; honor the skills and
abilities of other members of the group.
Respect the group’s deadlines and your assignments. To ensure smooth
development of the document, get your work done right and on time.
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Work e ciently. Help keep meetings productively on track. Use e-mail and other
technologies to share ideas, research leads, and drafts.
Managing a Group-Writing Project
The many tasks associated with most business-writing projects can overwhelm even
experienced writers. In a busy workplace, people are usually working on different
phases of several projects every day; moreover, projects may be added, expedited,
delayed, or cancelled, so writers’ schedules are often in a state of ux. While
collaboration helps lighten each writer’s workload, it does require paying extra
attention to organization and communication.
Like other business enterprises, writing projects may be judged on cost, time, and
quality. Did the project come in on budget, on schedule, with positive results? From
complex Web sites to simple brochures, business-writing projects that succeed do so
because their managers mastered two skills: planning the project and controlling it
once work began. Project plans may include more steps than are outlined here, so
when you lead a team project adapt the following lists to your situation. The goal of
such a step-by-step approach is to break down the project into manageable pieces.
Planning Steps
Assess needs
Why (purpose)-and for whom (audience)-are we doing this project?
De ne the project goals
What speci c goals does this project need to achieve?
What related goals are beyond the scope of this project? (Those can be
addressed at another time.)
Create a cohesive team
What expertise and contributions are required?
What are the main assignments? How can the work be fairly and effectively
shared?
Select appropriate delivery media
Which media-print, audio, video, Web-are best suited for our purpose, audience,
and topic?
How much will each medium cost?
How long will it take to develop content for each selected medium?
What style guidelines will we follow?
Teamwork During the Writing Process
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Like an individual writer, your team needs to develop the document by working through
the writing process. However, different steps in that process will require different team
strategies-as do different projects. Work may be divided based on team members’
skills or on elements of the project itself. Assigning tasks based on the expertise of
team members builds on the particular strengths of individuals. For example, a
marketing manager may oversee promotional sections of a document, or a Web
developer may be paired with a customer service representative to ensure that a Web
interface meets customer needs. Work may also be assigned according to the
organizational or topical elements of the document itself.
Several strategies can be used to divvy up the writing process and to carry out the
process-whether in conference room meetings, teleconferences, or online discussions.
Explore below how to work together each step of the way.
Planning
Work with others to bring a writing project into focus and to generate ideas.
Discuss the project’s purpose, the document’s readers, and the context (format,
deadlines, resources) so that everyone is “on the same page.”
Using whiteboards, poster paper, or computer projection, brainstorm initial
content for the document. Encourage full participation, recording all points
uncritically. Focus discussion on potential ideas and possible organization. After
re ection, separate gold from dross and “clump” points together.
Review model documents, working toward completion of an outline. With the
outline settled, divide drafting assignments.
Generally, group members should do their own research and esh out their own
section outlines. However, to keep everyone honed in on the same target, share
tips, nds, outlines, and progress reports before drafting.
Drafting
Generally, having individuals draft separate sections works best. This approach
enables each writer to focus on a speci c topic, to do a thorough job within this
boundary, and to create content quickly. The danger is that the resulting pieces of the
document may not t together well. Writing styles may clash and information may be
presented differently so that extensive revision is needed. To minimize such problems,
each writer should do the following:
Remember the big picture while working on his or her section.
Follow the outline settled on by the group, but still exercise some creativity.
Concentrate on getting down the ideas needed in the section.
Adhere to whatever style guidelines the team has adopted.
Revising
First-draft feedback is vital. Honest, constructive criticism that focuses on ideas,
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organization, and voice helps the team move the draft forward. However, circulating
the draft raises several logistical problems. The group must agree on routing
procedures before the review process begins. These questions will help you establish
a procedure:
Will we route one copy of the draft, photocopies, or an electronic le?
If we use electronic ies, how will we safeguard the original draft?
Will comments be written on a single copy of the document, attached as
comments to an electronic le, or submitted on separate copies?
How will we make sure that everyone is reading the most current draft?
How will we compile comments to review them? Two strategies for circulating
documents during the review process are commonly used, and each may be
suitable for paper or electronic distribution:
Round-robin routing is a traditional form of routing in which a single copy of the
document is passed from one team member to the next. This method is the
slower of the two routing strategies, as each person must wait his or her turn to
comment, but such routing has the advantage of keeping everyone’s comments
in one place. Problems with this method can include delays as the document sits
in one person’s in box, the possibility of losing the document and the reviewer
comments, and the tendency of reviewers to comment on others’ comments
rather than on the document itself.
Centralized routing means that one team member distributes copies of the
document to the rest of the group. Everyone reviews the document at the same
time and has the same deadline for submitting comments. The quicker of the two
methods, this strategy also ensures that reviewers don’t become distracted by
other reviewers’ comments. Compiling reviewers’ comments can be laborintensive, albeit less so when the routing is done electronically. However, the
group must follow strict le-naming conventions to avoid confusion over
subsequent drafts of the document.
Re ning
Once the team has revised the document, one or more editors should check the
master document for the following:
Accuracy, consistency, and clarity of information
Appropriate tone and smooth ow throughout
Consistent formatting (e.g., page layout, heading system, numbering)
Correct and consistent spelling, punctuation, grammar, and mechanics
Checklist for a Team Project
During a writing project, all team members should be working toward the same goal
while focusing on their own assignments. Use the checklist below to ensure that your
group works effectively and e ciently.
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The team
The right people constitute the core group: appropriate experts in technical
matters, nance, management, law, and so on.
If possible, the team includes people affected by the document: employees,
clients, or community members, for example.
People outside the core group are routinely consulted.
The schedule
Realistic goals and deadline have been set.
A plan maps out the project’s stages and milestones.
The plan
Work procedures have been established: meeting times and places; methods arid
media for sharing information (e.g., e-mail group alias); and a style guide.
Each group member understands the project: its goal, its relation to the
organization’s mission, and its expected outcome.
Project assignments capitalize on group members’ strengths.
The process
Team leaders regularly share feedback and information with the team.
During prewriting, the whole group works together on the document by:
brainstorming about the topic; developing an outline, template, and/or prototype;
making drafting assignments.
During drafting, each group member develops a portion of the document,
conducting research and requesting input as needed.
During revising, the group uses peer review through either round robin or
centralized routing to test the overall content, shape, and voice of the draft.
During re ning, team editors x stylistic inconsistencies, correct errors, and
sharpen the design.
If appropriate, the document goes through systematic review or testing.
The outcome
Results are measured; follow-up is traced and pursued.
The team celebrates its work, and has its work celebrated by others.
Strategies for Successful Group Writing
top
Adapted from : Successful Writing at Work: Concise Edition, 3rd Edition, Philip C. Kolin ISBN-10: 0495901946 © 2012 |
Published
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To be successful, a collaborative writing team should observe the following seven
guidelines helpful.
Understand and agree on the purpose, audience, scope, organization, and deadlines
for the report. Everyone needs to be on the “same page” from start to nish.
Establish group rules early on and stick to them. Decide when and where the group
will meet, how and when members are to communicate with each other (face-to-face,
telephone, e-mail, other online technologies). Also establish guidelines on how digital
and hard-copy information is to be shared and with whom and how often, when
various tasks are to be completed, and what “fail-safe” mechanisms are in place if and
when problems arise.
Put the good of the group ahead of individual egos. Group harmony and productivity
are essential if the report or proposal is to get done on time. Individuals need to be
active participants and keen listeners. Getting one’s own way can slow down the
overall success of the document. In the business world, sometimes a report bears only
the boss’s name, not the name of the group that prepared it.
Agree on the group’s organization. The group can appoint a leader who keeps the
team on task by being a coordinator, cheerleader, a scheduler, an evaluator, and a
peacemaker who can resolve con icts quickly, and also a referee who knows when to
call time-out. The leader must be skilled in interpersonal interactions. In many
organizations, the leader serves as the liaison with management and submits the nal
document. A group secretary or recorder may also be appointed.
Identify each member’s responsibilities precisely. There should be a fair distribution
of labor so that each member can use his or her particular and proven skills. One
member of the group may be responsible for document design and visuals, another for
research and documentation, another for writing drafts, and still another for making a
presentation. The entire group, however, needs to share responsibility for the overall
preparation, design, writing, and proo ng of the report.
Provide clear and positive feedback at each meeting and for each part of the report
the group prepares. Members need to come to meetings prepared, raise important
questions, and make thoughtful recommendations. They should also back up their
ideas with facts, dates, costs, model numbers, etc., not vague unsupported
generalizations. Not showing up, being unprepared or failing to turn assignments in on
time jeopardizes the entire project.
Follow an agreed-on timetable, but leave room for exibility. The group should
estimate a realistic time frame necessary to complete the various stages of their work
—when drafts and revisions are due or when editing must be concluded, for example.
A project schedule based on that estimate should then be prepared. But remember:
Projects always take longer than initially planned. New information may surface or you
may need to do additional research. Prepare for a possible delay at any one stage.
Moreover, consider the needs of international colleagues, who live in different time
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zones. The group may have to submit progress reports (see pages 288–292) to its
members as well as to management.
Strategies for Peer Reviewing
top
Adapted from https://www.prismnet.com/~hcexres/textbook/team.html
When you peer-review another writer’s work, you evaluate it, criticize it, suggest
improvements, and then communicate all of that to the writer. As a rst-time peerreviewer, you might be a bit uneasy about criticizing someone else’s work. For
example, how do you tell somebody his essay is boring? Read the discussion and
steps that follow; you’ll nd advice and guidelines on doing peer reviews and
communicating peer-review comments.
Initial Meeting
At the beginning of a peer review, the writer should provide peer reviewers with notes
on the writing assignment and on goals and concerns about the writing project (topic,
audience, purpose, situation, type), and alert them to any problems or concerns. As the
writer, you want to alert reviewers to these problems; make it clear what kinds of
things you were trying to do. Similarly, peer reviewers should ask writers whose work
they are peer-reviewing to supply information on their objectives and concerns. The
peer-review questions should be speci c like the following:
Does my explanation of virtual machine make sense to you? Would it make sense
to our least technical customers?
In general, is my writing style too technical? (I may have mimicked too much of
the engineers’ speci cations.)
Are the chapter titles and headings indicative enough of the following content? (I
had trouble phrasing some of these.)
Are the screenshots clear enough? (I may have been trying to get get too much
detail in some of them.)
Peer-reviewing strategies
When you peer-review other people’s writing, remember above all that you should
consider all aspects of that writing, not just—in fact, least of all—the grammar, spelling,
and punctuation. If you are new to peer-reviewing, you may forget to review the draft
for things like the following:
Make sure that your review is comprehensive. Consider all aspects of the draft you’re
reviewing, not just the grammar, punctuation, and spelling.
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Read the draft several times, looking for a complete range of potential problem
areas:
Interest level, adaptation to audience
Persuasiveness, purpose
Content, organization
Clarity of discussion
Coherence, use transition
Title, introduction, and conclusion
Sentence style and clarity
Handling of graphics
Be careful about making comments or criticisms that are based on your own
personal style. Base your criticisms and suggestions for improvements on
generally accepted guidelines, concepts, and rules. If you do make a comment
that is really your own preference, explain it.
Explain the problems you nd fully. Don’t just say a paper “seems disorganized.”
Explain what is disorganized about it. Use speci c details from the draft to
demonstrate your case.
Whenever you criticize something in the writer’s draft, try to suggest some way to
correct the problem. It’s not enough to tell the writer that her paper seems
disorganized, for example. Explain how that problem could be solved.
Base your comments and criticisms on accepted guidelines, concepts, principles,
and rules. It’s not enough to tell a writer that two paragraphs ought to be
switched, for example. State the reason why: more general, introductory
information should come rst, for example.
Avoid rewriting the draft that you are reviewing. In your efforts to suggest
improvements and corrections, don’t go overboard and rewrite the draft yourself.
Doing so steals from the original writer the opportunity to learn and improve as a
writer.
Find positive, encouraging things to say about the draft you’re reviewing.
Compliments, even small ones, are usually wildly appreciated. Read through the
draft at least once looking for things that were done well, and then let the writer
know about them.
Peer-review summary
Once you’ve nished a peer review, it’s a good idea to write a summary of your
thoughts, observations, impressions, criticisms, or feelings about the rough draft. See
the peer-reviewer note below, which summarizes observations on a rough draft. Notice
in the note some of the following details:
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The comments are
categorized according to type
of problem or error—grammar
and usage comments in one
group; higher level comments
on such as things content,
organization, and interest-level
in another group.
Relative importance of the
groups of comments is
indicated. The peer-reviewer
indicates which suggestions
would be “nice” to incorporate,
and which ones are critical to
the success of the writing
project.
Most of the comments include
some brief statement of
guidelines, rules, examples, or
common sense. The reviewer
doesn’t simply say “This is
wrong; x it.” He also explains
the basis for the comment.
Questions are addressed to the writer. The reviewer is double checking to see if
the writer really meant to state or imply certain things.
The reviewer includes positive comments to make about the rough draft, and
nds non antagonistic, sympathetic ways to state criticisms.
Con ict in Group Dynamics
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Adapted from : Successful Writing at Work: Conc …
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