Michael Splonskowski 14820 90th Ave S Barnesville, MN.

56514 December 14, 2013

Department of English North Dakota State University NDSU, Dept. 2320 P.O. Box 6050 Fargo, ND 58108-6050 Dear Mrs. Enger, I have compiled these works and this portfolio as a testament to the work that I performed for the sake of increasing my communication skills on a professional level while attending the course English 320. I have assembled the information in an orderly fashion from the first to the last assignments in an effort to display the growth that has occurred in my understanding and skills with communications. Being a professional appraiser, I find it necessary to communicate with people on a daily basis. I have found as I have worked on these projects throughout the semester that I have been able to increase my skills and put my education into practice. I will demonstrate this in the following paragraphs. The projects that are included from the course and highlighted in this portfolio are the following: A prospective employee cover letter, traditional resume, and scannable resume. An employment agency transmittal letter and recommendation report. An independent project proposal, progress report, and final project. In these projects, it was necessary to employ many different writing styles in order to communicate effectively with the target audience; for example, there is the difference between writing to a potential employer and to a client of an employment agency. In the case of the employment agencys recommendation report and the independent proposal, it was necessary to integrate my knowledge and ideas in as effective a manner as possible, while managing the projects for accuracy and timeliness. In the case of my independent proposal, which I consider my best effort, I was able to develop a professional demeanor in communicating ideas that are not easily understood without proper consideration. Regarding this project, I believe that I was able to excel with the design process to come up with a product that was inviting and easy to understand. However, there is always room for improvement. These projects also had certain aspects to them which could have been better. Some of the wording in the Recommendation Report is awkward and inconclusive, leading to more questions than answers. The resume and cover letter does not always follow proper formatting, and the experience timeline should be arranged chronologically. The

independent proposal was compiled at the end of the course and a lot of time and feedback was required to make it what it is. My only problem with that project was that there was so much more to be said on the subject that the length of the brochure felt very limiting. However I was able to keep the information compact and understandable using the concepts learned through this course. This course was very helpful in helping me to understand communications better. At the beginning the concepts were moderately unclear, but as time went on, the principles became clearer and I was able to integrate them into my projects. Following the completion of my independent project, I was able to use it in a real world setting as a teaching tool for clients of my profession. These learned principles will help me to create more tools for communication and to be as professional in the business world as possible. Please enjoy the contents of my portfolio and let me know if you have any questions. Thank you for dedication and hard work in what you do. Sincerely, Michael Splonskowski