Written Assignment- Interview an Expert

Task:
Find a working professional and conduct a one-on-one interview about the importance of
communication (either written or business presentations) in his or her field. Ideally in a field in which you are interested in pursuing.
1. Conduct the interview by phone, email, or face-to-face.
o Limit the interview to no more than 20 minutes.
o Take good notes and use direct quotations.
o Ask permission before recording a phone or face-to-face interview.
o Provide me with an address or email address for your interview participant.
Create your own list of questions, but here are some ideas. You do not have to ask all these questions;
this list is a starting point.
a. Education and Experience
o What is your current position?
o How long have you been working in your current position?
o What was the hardest part of your transition from school to work?
o When you were in school, did you think you would be writing/presenting as much as
you do now that you are on the job?
o Did the writing/public speaking courses you took in college help?
o What advice do you have for me about writing/presenting as I pursue my degree?
o What writing tasks do you find most challenging and how do you deal with the
challenge?
o What advice do you have for me to succeed in college?
b. Writing
o How often in a day’s work do you write?
o What type of writing do you do most often?
o Is most of your writing internal (within the company) or external?
o Do you spend time revising messages before you send them out?
o Do you follow the same rules of writing when you use email compared to a business
letter?
c. Speaking
o How important are public speaking/presentation skills in your work?
o What type of presentations do you deliver most often?
o What lessons have you learned about presentations that you never learned in school?
o Have you ever had a bad presentation experience? What happened and what did you
learn?
d. Job Marketplace
o How did you find out about your current job?
o Do you have a 5-year professional goal?
o How have you continued to learn in your current position?
o How has your job changed over the past couple years?
o How has your company changed over the past couple years?
2. Review your interview data and extract the most important ideas.
3. Write a 3-page summary of your findings and key advice from your interview. Double spaced,
size 12 font. Summary can be written in the first person.
4. Review your written summary and revise to remove any spelling and grammar errors. Try to
eliminate 10% of the word count to be clear and concise in your communication.
5. Write a thank-you letter to your interview participant.
Deliverables:
Upload a file which includes:
1. Your written summary (3 pages)
2. Interview questions
3. Thank-you letter