{"id":8937,"date":"2021-05-15T11:44:04","date_gmt":"2021-05-15T15:44:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/techrhet.com\/3213\/?page_id=8937"},"modified":"2025-05-21T08:33:56","modified_gmt":"2025-05-21T12:33:56","slug":"bcp-faq","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/techrhet.com\/3213\/bcp-faq\/","title":{"rendered":"<div style=\"font-size:55%; color: #bbbbbb; letter-spacing: 1px; line-height:1.7em;\"> BUSINESS CORRESPONDENCE PROJECT <\/div>Frequently Asked Questions"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"stickmenu3\">\n<div style=\"color: #999; font-size: 125%;\"><span style=\"font-size: 100%;\">related pages:\u2004\u2004<\/span> <a href=\"https:\/\/techrhet.com\/3213\/bcp\/\">bcp overview &amp; information<\/a>\u2004\u2004<span style=\"font-size: 90%; color: #bdbdbd;\">\u25cf<\/span>\u2004\u2004<a href=\"https:\/\/techrhet.com\/3213\/bcp-class-feedback\/\">bcp feedback &amp; revision notes<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"middlebox\" style=\"width: 50%; margin-top: 60px;\">\n<div>I&#8217;ll update this page if\/when more questions roll in.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"new\">\n<div style=\"width: 500px; float: right; margin-left: 10px;\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-6255\" src=\"https:\/\/techrhet.com\/3213\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2020\/09\/BCP-FAQ5-1.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"428\" srcset=\"https:\/\/techrhet.com\/3213\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2020\/09\/BCP-FAQ5-1.png 1207w, https:\/\/techrhet.com\/3213\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2020\/09\/BCP-FAQ5-1-768x657.png 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><\/div>\n<div style=\"margin-left: 30px; margin-top: 40px;\">\n<div class=\"newx\">General BCP Questions<\/div>\n<ul class=\"exspace\" style=\"font-size: 115%;\">\n<li style=\"padding-bottom: 15px;\"><a href=\"#submit\">When I submit for grading, should I submit two different files\u2014one for the PAGOS and one for the correspondence?<\/a> <span style=\"font-size: 50%; font-weight: bold; vertical-align: top; background-color: #ffff8d; padding: 2px 4px; letter-spacing: 0.1em;\">NEW!<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"padding-bottom: 15px;\"><a href=\"#blank-pagos\">For the BCP, can we use the PAGOS blank document we used for the practice exercise we did a few weeks ago?<\/a> <span style=\"font-size: 50%; font-weight: bold; vertical-align: top; background-color: #ffff8d; padding: 2px 4px; letter-spacing: 0.1em;\">NEW!<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"padding-bottom: 15px;\"><a href=\"#s23a\">What scenarios should I write to?<\/a><\/li>\n<li style=\"display: none; padding-bottom: 15px;\"><a href=\"#18\">For the BCP, can we use the Pagos plan blank document we did for a previous assignment<br \/>\nI assume the persona of my character when I write my correspondence? In other words, should I pretend to be [Michael\/Dwight\/Jim\/Pam]?<\/a><\/li>\n<li style=\"display: none; padding-bottom: 15px;\"><a href=\"#19\">Should we use our character&#8217;s name or our own name at the bottom of letters and emails (or in the &#8220;From&#8221; part of the heading on memos and emails)?<\/a><\/li>\n<li style=\"padding-bottom: 15px;\"><a href=\"#1\">Is there a difference between positive, neutral, and informational contexts?<\/a><\/li>\n<li style=\"display: none; padding-bottom: 15px;\"><a href=\"#3\">What positive\/neutral\/informational context should I write to?<\/a><\/li>\n<li style=\"display: none; padding-bottom: 15px;\"><a href=\"#5\">What is my character?<\/a><\/li>\n<li style=\"padding-bottom: 15px;\"><a href=\"#6\">When writing our correspondence draft, are we required to write in a certain form like email, letter, memo, or any?<\/a><\/li>\n<li style=\"padding-bottom: 15px;\"><a href=\"#7\">My scenario doesn&#8217;t say whether I should write an email, memo, or letter. How do I know which one to choose?<\/a><\/li>\n<li style=\"padding-bottom: 15px;\"><a href=\"#8\">When we write our PAGOS plans for the BCP project, should we do what we did for the &#8220;PAGOS Practice&#8221; assignment?<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"h4div\"><\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"new\" style=\"margin-bottom: 0;\">Answers to Frequently Asked Questions<\/h3>\n<div style=\"border-top: 2px solid #e0e0e0; background: linear-gradient(to bottom, rgba(245,245,245,1) 0%,rgba(245,245,245,1) 80%,rgba(245,245,245,0) 100%); padding: 5px 10px 15px; font-size: 110%; font-weight: 300;\">about the Business Correspondence Project<\/div>\n<div class=\"qtext\">\n<div><span id=\"submit\" class=\"anchor\"> <\/span><span class=\"arrowtop\" style=\"font-size: 130%; opacity: 0.5;\"><a href=\"#top\">\u2305<\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h5>Q. When I submit for grading, should I submit two different files\u2014one for the PAGOS and one for the correspondence?<\/h5>\n<div class=\"h4div\">\n<p style=\"padding-left: 18px; text-indent: -18px;\"><strong>A.<\/strong> I prefer both documents\u2014the PAGOS and correspondence\u2014saved as one file.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"qtext\">\n<div><span id=\"blank-pagos\" class=\"anchor\"> <\/span><span class=\"arrowtop\" style=\"font-size: 130%; opacity: 0.5;\"><a href=\"#top\">\u2305<\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h5>Q. For the BCP, can we use the PAGOS blank document we used for the practice exercise we did a few weeks ago?<\/h5>\n<div class=\"h4div\">\n<p style=\"padding-left: 18px; text-indent: -18px;\"><strong>A.<\/strong> Yes! You can use the blank PAGOS file for the BCP plans. In fact, I recommend it!<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"qtext\">\n<div><span id=\"s23a\" class=\"anchor\"> <\/span><span class=\"arrowtop\" style=\"font-size: 130%; opacity: 0.5;\"><a href=\"#top\">\u2305<\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h5>Q. What scenario should I write to?<\/h5>\n<div class=\"h4div\">\n<p style=\"padding-left: 18px; text-indent: -18px;\"><strong>A.<\/strong> You must write for the scenarios you were assigned (by character). This information will be posted to Canvas.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"display: none;\">\n<div class=\"qtext\">\n<div><span id=\"18\" class=\"anchor\"> <\/span><span class=\"arrowtop\" style=\"font-size: 130%; opacity: 0.5;\"><a href=\"#top\">\u2305<\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h5>Q. Should I assume the persona of my character when I write my correspondence? In other words, should I pretend to be [Michael\/Dwight\/Jim\/Pam]?<\/h5>\n<div class=\"h4div\">\n<p style=\"padding-left: 18px; text-indent: -18px;\"><strong>A.<\/strong> No. You should not pretend to be Michael\/Dwight\/Jim\/Pam\u2014you should not assume the persona of the character. In other words, if you&#8217;re a Michael, you should <em>NOT<\/em> say insensitive, dumb things like Michael Scott\u2014the character on the TV show\u2014might say.<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 18px;\">The characters were\/are just a way to assign different contexts to different people. I could have used colors, or numbers, or random names.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"display: none;\">\n<div class=\"qtext\">\n<div><span id=\"19\" class=\"anchor\"> <\/span><span class=\"arrowtop\" style=\"font-size: 130%; opacity: 0.5;\"><a href=\"#top\">\u2305<\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h5>Q. Should we use our character&#8217;s name or our own name at the bottom of letters and emails (or in the &#8220;From&#8221; part of the heading on memos and emails)?<\/h5>\n<div class=\"h4div\">\n<p style=\"padding-left: 18px; text-indent: -18px;\"><strong>A.<\/strong> It absolutely doesn&#8217;t matter. Use your name or the character&#8217;s name or another name altogether.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"qtext\">\n<div><span id=\"1\" class=\"anchor\"> <\/span><span class=\"arrowtop\" style=\"font-size: 130%; opacity: 0.5;\"><a href=\"#top\">\u2305<\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h5>Q. Is there a difference between positive, neutral, and informational contexts?<\/h5>\n<div class=\"h4div\">\n<p style=\"padding-left: 18px; text-indent: -18px;\"><strong>A.<\/strong> For our purposes, no\u2014positive, neutral, and informational are all one context.<\/p>\n<div class=\"middleboxgray\">\n<div style=\"border-bottom: 1px solid #bdbdbd; font-size: 110%; padding: 10px 0 5px; margin-bottom: 10px;\">Additional Explanation about Language Changes on Canvas, in Course Materials, etc.<\/div>\n<p>There are three broad contexts for professional correspondence: 1) positive\/neutral\/informational, 2) negative, and 3) persuasive.<\/p>\n<p>That first context\u2014<strong>positive\/neutral\/informational\u2014is <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">one<\/span> context<\/strong>. In other words, positive = neutral = informational.<\/p>\n<p>I realize my language for positive\/neutral\/informational was inconsistent. Sometimes I called it &#8220;positive,&#8221; sometimes &#8220;positive\/neutral,&#8221; and sometimes &#8220;neutral\/informational.&#8221;<\/p>\n<div style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\n<p>I&#8217;ve gone back through everything on Canvas and all my course materials, notes, and readings (linked from the course schedule) and corrected every instance of inconsistent language I found.<\/p>\n<p>You <em>should<\/em> now see &#8220;positive\/neutral\/informational&#8221; everywhere.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>However, there may be a few stray instances of inconsistent language that I missed. If you come across one of these, just know that positive, neutral, and\/or informational all mean the same context. Think of it as positive\/neutral\/informational.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"display: none;\">\n<div class=\"qtext\">\n<div><span id=\"3\" class=\"anchor\"> <\/span><span class=\"arrowtop\" style=\"font-size: 130%; opacity: 0.5;\"><a href=\"#top\">\u2305<\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h5>Q. What positive\/neutral\/informational context should I write to?<\/h5>\n<div class=\"h4div\">\n<p style=\"padding-left: 18px; text-indent: -18px;\"><strong>A.<\/strong> Depends on your character.<\/p>\n<ul style=\"margin-left: 30px; margin-bottom: 0.8em;\">\n<li style=\"padding-left: 0px; padding-bottom: 6px; list-style-type: square;\">If you are a <strong><span style=\"color: #7b1fa2;\">Michael<\/span><\/strong>, write to <a href=\"https:\/\/techrhet.com\/3213\/michael-scenarios\/#neutral\">Less Driving and More Rewards<\/a><\/li>\n<li style=\"padding-left: 0px; padding-bottom: 6px; list-style-type: square;\">If you are a <strong><span style=\"color: #0277bd;\">Dwight<\/span><\/strong>, write to <a href=\"https:\/\/techrhet.com\/3213\/dwight-scenarios\/#neutral\">Prepping for Performance Appraisals<\/a><\/li>\n<li style=\"padding-left: 0px; padding-bottom: 6px; list-style-type: square;\">If you are a <strong><span style=\"color: #388e3c;\">Jim<\/span><\/strong>, write to <a href=\"https:\/\/techrhet.com\/3213\/jim-scenarios\/#neutral\">Parking Guidelines Reminder<\/a><\/li>\n<li style=\"padding-left: 0px; padding-bottom: 6px; list-style-type: square;\">If you are a <strong><span style=\"color: #e64a19;\">Pam<\/span><\/strong>, write to <a href=\"https:\/\/techrhet.com\/3213\/pam-scenarios\/#neutral\">Camp Cooking for an Adventure Trip<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"display: none;\">\n<div class=\"qtext\">\n<div><span id=\"5\" class=\"anchor\"> <\/span><span class=\"arrowtop\" style=\"font-size: 130%; opacity: 0.5;\"><a href=\"#top\">\u2305<\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h5>Q. What is my character?<\/h5>\n<div class=\"h4div\">\n<p style=\"padding-left: 18px; text-indent: -18px;\"><strong>A.<\/strong> Please check Canvas.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"qtext\">\n<div><span id=\"6\" class=\"anchor\"> <\/span><span class=\"arrowtop\" style=\"font-size: 130%; opacity: 0.5;\"><a href=\"#top\">\u2305<\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h5>Q. When writing our correspondence draft, are we required to write in a certain form like email, letter, memo, or any?<\/h5>\n<div class=\"h4div\">\n<p style=\"padding-left: 18px; text-indent: -18px;\"><strong>A.<\/strong> Yes. You are required to write your correspondence as a correspondence genre\u2014email or memo or letter.<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 18px;\">Based on your understanding of correspondence genre conventions and what&#8217;s presented in the scenario text, you need to make a purposeful decision about which genre to write within.<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 18px;\">Take a a rhetorical approach and use your PAGOS plan to guide your decisions. In the PAGOS plan, genre asks:<\/p>\n<ul style=\"margin-left: 30px; margin-bottom: 0.8em;\">\n<li style=\"padding-left: 0px; padding-bottom: 6px; list-style-type: square;\">What genres might be appropriate in this situation?<\/li>\n<li style=\"padding-left: 0px; padding-bottom: 6px; list-style-type: square;\">If there is more than one appropriate genre, what are the benefits and drawbacks of each?<\/li>\n<li style=\"padding-left: 0px; padding-bottom: 6px; list-style-type: square;\">Which genre is best (or which do you choose)? Why?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"qtext\">\n<div><span id=\"7\" class=\"anchor\"> <\/span><span class=\"arrowtop\" style=\"font-size: 130%; opacity: 0.5;\"><a href=\"#top\">\u2305<\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h5>Q. My scenario doesn&#8217;t say whether I should write an email, memo, or letter. How do I know which one to choose?<\/h5>\n<div class=\"h4div\">\n<p style=\"padding-left: 18px; text-indent: -18px;\"><strong>A.<\/strong> You should make the best choice based on your understanding of the genres, the scenarios, and other elements of your PAGOS plan (purpose, audience, [genre], organization, and style).<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"qtext\">\n<div><span id=\"8\" class=\"anchor\"> <\/span><span class=\"arrowtop\" style=\"font-size: 130%; opacity: 0.5;\"><a href=\"#top\">\u2305<\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h5>Q. When we write our PAGOS plans for the BCP project, should we do what we did for the &#8220;PAGOS Practice&#8221; assignment?<\/h5>\n<div class=\"h4div\">\n<p style=\"padding-left: 18px; text-indent: -18px;\"><strong>A.<\/strong> The PAGOS plan is a heuristic\u2014part of a rhetorical approach.<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 18px;\">As a heuristic, it&#8217;s supposed to be flexible\u2014not formulaic or fill-in-the-blank. So, ideally, you write about what&#8217;s important in each of the five areas\u2014purpose, audience, genre, organization, and style.<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 18px;\">You don&#8217;t have to download the prompts or follow the examples exactly, but you can if you want to be sure you don&#8217;t miss anything.<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 18px;\">And to be clear, a &#8220;good&#8221; PAGOS plan isn&#8217;t about &#8220;answering&#8221; each of the prompts, or writing the most&#8230; it&#8217;s about thinking through the rhetorical situation in a way that asks you to consider the possibilities and make the best choices in your correspondence.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"display: block; text-align: right; margin-top: 0.5em; margin-bottom: 1500px;\"><span id=\"none\" class=\"anchor\"> <\/span><span class=\"arrowtop\" style=\"font-size: 130%; opacity: 0.5;\"><a href=\"#top\">\u2305<\/a><\/span><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>related pages:\u2004\u2004 bcp overview &amp; information\u2004\u2004\u25cf\u2004\u2004bcp feedback &amp; revision notes I&#8217;ll update this page if\/when more questions roll in. General BCP Questions When I submit for grading, should I submit two different files\u2014one for the PAGOS and one for the correspondence? NEW! For the BCP, can we use the PAGOS blank document we used for <a href='https:\/\/techrhet.com\/3213\/bcp-faq\/' class='excerpt-more'>[&#8230;]<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"no-sidebars.php","meta":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/techrhet.com\/3213\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/8937"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/techrhet.com\/3213\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/techrhet.com\/3213\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/techrhet.com\/3213\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/techrhet.com\/3213\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8937"}],"version-history":[{"count":17,"href":"https:\/\/techrhet.com\/3213\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/8937\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10305,"href":"https:\/\/techrhet.com\/3213\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/8937\/revisions\/10305"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/techrhet.com\/3213\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8937"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}