Content and Background:

This is an article that I had the special opportunity to write for the Harvard Business Review during my internship in the summer of 2015. I was first asked to merely research the subject, but later on was asked to draft a piece for editing and without authorship credit. After looking at my piece, the editors were impressed; they decided to me full authorship and additionally have the experience of a professional author. I was thrilled to have this unique opportunity to begin my writing career.

 

The article, “What You Miss When You Take Notes On Your Laptop,” is a piece that describes a study conducted by Princeton’s Pam Mueller and UCLA’s Daniel Oppenheimer. Their study concludes that taking notes longhand, regardless of whether or not all of the content is written down, improves not only test scores, but overall understanding of the specific concept being portrayed in the said lecture-setting.

 

Process and Rhetorical Decisions:

This piece was a bit difficult for me, considering it was to be written for a highly business and professionally-oriented online publication. I wanted to use my own experiences with this situation through my class, but I knew that this would not be relevant for my audience. I approached this piece by utilizing one of my first incorporations of audience analysis. I had to critically think about the different types of audiences that would be considered, and furthermore align my content and thesis with my readers’ expectations and characteristics. In other words, I wanted my piece to be completely user-centered. I wanted my readers not only to trust me as a professional author, but trust the information they were receiving. I began by asking how Oppenheimer’s information pertained to my occupation as a student, and how I could eventually make it relevant to a professional in the workplace.

 

“What You Miss When You Take Notes On Your Laptop” was successful because it comes from an outsider’s point of view. Throughout the piece, I made strong efforts to diversify myself as a young professional who is still in school. I begin the piece with a warning, stating that:

“Even in my relatively short foray into office life, I notice that few people bring a pen and notebook to meetings. I’ve been told that over the years, the spiral notebooks and pens once prevalent during weekly meetings have been replaced with laptops and slim, touch-screen tablets.”

 

I wanted to make my audience of professionals know that even as a young outsider, I was still noticing that times are changing in the office world.

 

Reflection:

Through my time as a PWR major, I’ve learned that some of the best pieces I’ve written were from a complete outsider’s point of view. Utilizing that skill, especially in the workplace, can be extremely difficult; its nerve-wracking to wonder whether or not you've completely understood the audience's point of view. But, being able to ask the questions that your audience will before they are asked is a skill that is absolutely necessary for any persuasive writer; it shows that you know your stuff and that you can be trusted. Although I was a student writing for established professionals, I believe that I succeeded in conveying my opinion in a way that these professionals would listen and, furthermore, incorporate the conveyed information into their own lives.