Jeremy Ernst

Final Reflection
12/7/2015
The Creative Process
When I registered for this course, I was unsure what the title Technical Communication
would entail. I assumed that I would be learning how to use social media and other forms of
electronic communication to contact people. As the course begun, I realized that my assumption
was a bit off. I formed the understanding that Technical Communication is not just about what
channels you use to communicate, but that Technical Communication is how you use these
indirect channels to properly and delicately convey your message to the reader. On the surface
this may sound like a very simple concept, but when you break down the problem you begin to
see that your focus is not just on how you see the message, but largely to anticipate how the
reader will interpret your message. Since you are not there in person to correct any possible
mistakes in their understanding of your message, you must think about things such as mixed
audiences you may be speaking too and their views and knowledge of the topic at hand, how
your message will influence your readers, simplifying your message that is understandable from
any point of view, how to write clear, yet concise instructions conveying the goal of your
message to provide the best results. All of these things make up what is called reader-centered
writing. This is a lot to consider when using technical communication. Writing an email doesnt
seem so easy anymore, as I know from personal experience where I have worked on emails for
hours throughout the day that would be read by my superiors in the workplace. My approach to
the technique of reader-centered writing in this class, as is how I try to approach all technical

problems as a Computer Science major, has been to break down the problem into multiple steps,
effectively creating multiple simpler problems that are much easier to tackle. I refer to this means
of simplification as the Creative Process. Throughout the semester I have been working on this
Creative Process and applying it to my work both in and out of the classroom. The steps I have
developed for the Creative Process are in order: The Hunch, Build, Step Away, Breakthrough,
and Know Youre Done. I have worked to apply each step of my process to a different
assignment for simplified understanding and organizational reasons for my ePortfolio, but
realistically every step of the Creative Process is used in the final draft of all assignments.
I will show how I apply my process through an example in my ePortfolio. A hunch is a
feeling one experiences based on intuition rather than known facts. I break down The Hunch
further into two sub-processes. The first of which is Talk About It, in which you talk to your
friends and family about your hunch. Involve those close to you to obtain their point of view on
your and constructive feedback on your work. The second sub-process of The Hunch I call
The Sponge. Through this process, the goal is to collect the constructive feedback and any
addition knowledge gained in Talk About It, and to formulate your own fresh ideas about the
topic so that you may proceed onto the next.
I believe that I properly apply The Hunch in my Writing for Employment assignments.
My hunch was that I would be able to obtain a summer internship with Facebook as a software
developer. I constructed my first draft of my Resume and Letter of Application based off of my
hunch. Writing a resume seemed like second nature to me, as I have had many resume critiques
in the past, and I used it to assist me in obtaining my internship this past summer, however
nothing is ever perfect and can always be improved. I used a slightly modified version of my
resume, with my internship experience in addition. I then proceeded to write my letter of

application. This was new territory for me as I have never written this way before. I brought both
my resume and letter of application in to class for peer reviews, applying the Talk About It
process. After feedback from a couple of classmates I made revisions to both articles, as in my
letter of application I did not emphasize that I knew enough regarding the positions
requirements. My resume did not need much editing, I had many good items included, and the
issue was that I didnt have it organized to the point that it was clear I was fit for the position.
With the feedback from talking about it both on paper and in the back of my mind, I proceeded
to fill out the Gap Analysis form.
Here is where I proceeded into The Sponge phase, as I analyzed the difference between
my current skills and language and that of the desired respective properties of the position I
would be applying for. Using my gap analysis and constructive feedback, I formulated new ideas
of how I wanted to come off to the reader, whoever it may be, that would be reviewing my
application. At this point I saw an evolution in my reader-centered approach, showing that my
process was working in helping me achieve effective technical communication. I rewrote my
resume and letter of application, emphasizing on the skills I currently have and how they apply
to the position, as well as how I can use current skills to make up for any technical requirements
I may be missing that Facebook desires. The Hunch is now technically complete as I have
evolved from having a non-factual based feeling, to having a new outlook on my prospect in
obtaining the position based on knowledge gained through the Creative Process. After I
completed this step I realized that I may find myself to be qualified for the position, but my
resume may not fully convey that. In order to get an interview so that I may prove I have the
desired skills, I would have to use technical communication, using of course a reader-centered
approach, to convince the reader of my application that I deserve to prove myself.

As I have continued working on assignments in this class I have been continuously been
making edits to both my resume and letter of application, as the Creative Process is never truly
complete and its steps will need to be revisited time and time again for continuous improvement.
I hope that through this example I have showed my grasp of technical communication and a
reader-centered approach. As I stated earlier, using the Creative Process I have come to
understand that it is all about how you convey your message for the reader to have the most
pleasant, effective translation as they can.