Project #2 – Persuasive Reports on Evaluating Internationalization–
Many organizations today need to decide whether to internationalize technical work to another country. In this assignment, you will choose an organization that is exploring whether or not to internationalize some aspect of its technical work. As a technical expert within the organization, you have been assigned to conduct research to recommend whether the organization should make this change.
Audience
For this project, assume that the company is currently based in the United States. (Your work will be easier if you choose a company with which you are familiar.) The upper-level decision makers in the organization will be the audience for both the oral and written reports. You will attempt to persuade them that your recommendation is a good one for the company.
In order to be persuasive, you will need to have a good sense of their current knowledge, attitudes, values, and interests in relation to this issue. In class, we will explore how to appeal to the decision makers’ values.
Contents
For these reports, focus on whether to internationalize some aspect of the organization’s technical work. (As an alternative, you may want to look at an organization that has already internationalized an aspect of its technical work and is deciding whether to continue on that course, to expand it, or to discontinue it.)
In general, you will be most persuasive if you look beyond your own experiences and opinions by conducting research that provides the data to support the reasons you ultimately provide in your report. While doing so, look at all the evidence fairly and then reach your recommendation rather than looking for evidence to support what you already believe.
The purpose of these reports is to persuade, so make a clear recommendation; do not just present information. You will also be persuasive if you use audience-appropriate criteria to evaluate the options. (We will discuss these criteria in detail in class.)
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In this situation, you will communicate from a role within the organization (or possibly as a consultant who the organization hired.) You will probably be communicating with peers or superiors who need to make a decision.
Your credibility will be enhanced if you make it clear that you have considered the organization’s decision makers’ perspective, if you have been open-minded, and if you provide sound support for your reasons for the recommendation.
Format
The written report should follow the Overview/Body/Appendices format that we will discuss in class. Use document design and visuals appropriately to make the case for the recommendation. Give appropriate credit to your sources of information.
The oral report will be structured in order to persuade listeners. You will also use well-designed PowerPoint slides to make the report easy to understand and follow. You can assume that listeners will have access to the written report, so the oral report should deal mainly with the major topics of your recommendation. Each oral report will be 5-8 minutes long, with time for questions afterward.L
Learning Objectives
After completing the activities for this project, you will have developed your abilities to
Follow an effective problem-solving process.
Research, select, and organize content for persuasive purposes in a workplace setting.
Create visuals that help to communicate ideas.
Present ideas persuasively in oral and written formats.
Deliverables
See the Canvas Calendar for specific due dates and times.
2.1 Analyze the Audience and Situation (10 points)
2.2 Create a Tentative Outline and Visuals (10 points)
2.3 Create a Peer Review Draft – written report and Powerpoint (10 points) Review Peers’ Drafts (10 points)
2.4 Polish and present the speech and slides (100 points)
2.5 Polish the written report and create a scenario memo (100 points)
2.6 Evaluate the video of your presentation (10 points)