WRITING PROFICIENCY A EVIDENCE THROUGH DIFFERENT "VOICES"
In order to complete the Human Services program, it was important to have a proficiency in writing skills and styles. These styles, which from here on out I will describe as "voices," allow for the writer to invoke different emotions from the audience about various topics. Depending upon the topic, one of five "voices" might be used. These "voices" are Academic, Professional, Creative, Reflective, and Advocacy.
Academic Voice
An Academic voice is found in reports and any document other document utilizing APA (American Psychological Association) standards. According to www.apastyle.org, "The best scientific writing is spare and straightforward. It spotlights the ideas being presented, not the manner of presentation. Manuscript structure, word choice, punctuation, graphics, and references are all chosen to move the idea forward with a minimum of distraction and a maximum of precision" (American Psychological Association, 2014). A wonderful example of an Academic voice, is an Evaluation Plan I made as part of a group evaluating a middle school program. Not only does it show proper APA guidelines, it is straightforward and very specific (there is no "clutter", so to speak).
Professional Voice
A Professional voice is what one would find in case notes, confidential paperwork, conferences, collaborative projects, and legal documents (just to name a few). Going back to the Evaluation Plan I mentioned above and the Evaluation Report (i.e., the results) located here, I was involved in a collaborative project that worked alongside an organization. Because this project was not based solely on theory, but on actual steps taken within the organization, a Professional voice was required.
Creative Voice
Creative voices are always enjoyable. There is a freedom in creativity that is hard to find in Academic or Professional voices. Creative voices can be serious, humorous, and/or eye catching. Videos, brochures, photo essays, posters, poetry, and PowerPoints are all very creative. One example of Creative voice I will share is a visual chart/meme-like representation of Who I Am. Another example is my piece, titled "This I Believe", that I wrote in Junior Core. There were no real guideline other than writing about something I believed in. With that in mind, I chose to write about the hard work and dedication I have always witnessed in my father.
Reflective Voice
Over all, my best voice is probably one that is Reflective. In some ways, it is the most personal of all of the different voices we use when writing. Reflective voices include journals, essays, and (you guessed it!) reflections. One example of this is the reflection I wrote after my first internship. Therein, I discussed personal barriers, strengths, and weakness I experienced during my time working with the organization, Hope House. Another example of a reflective voice can be seen in my paper, "Why I Help", which I wrote in the Junior Core I. This paper reflects on what brought me to the Human Services profession in the first place.
Advocacy Voice
Truthfully, I struggle most with the Advocacy voice. This is primarily because it's hard to feel like your voice is making an impact against injustice when it continues to occur around you even after the words are written down. That said, it is my Advocacy voice that will be used to complete my culminating project. I hope that my project will bring me more confidence in this area. Even without an extensive amount of confidence, I did have several opportunities to use an Advocacy voice during my time in this program. To begin, I contacted three of my representatives from my home county in the last six months to voice my stance on several bills going through the legislature. I also created a pamphlet to promote one of those stances and a brochure combating different social stigmas. Finally, I wrote a Standpoint Essay and shared it with members of one of my classes, on a Human Rights issue.