Letter of Advice

Final Paper

1. Letter of Advice. Due by Day 7. For this assignment, you will write a letter of advice to either a newly engaged

couple or a group of coworkers. Imagine that either the engaged couple or coworkers hear that you are taking a

course in interpersonal communication and want advice regarding how to communicate in their personal or

professional relationships. Based on what you have learned in this course, what advice would you give them

regarding how to communicate effectively? How can you use what you have learned in this class to offer a couple

or group of co-workers advice to have more positive relationships? Write your paper in the form of a letter. Please

review the Final Paper sample.

Instructions

Use the list of learning outcomes to write your letter. The course learning outcomes you will need to cover are:

• Explain the principles of and barriers to effective interpersonal communications.

• Analyze the role of communication in developing and maintaining one’s self-concept, self-image, and

self-esteem.

• Differentiate appropriate levels of self-disclosure and emotional intelligence in various relationships.

• Describe strategies for using communication techniques to resolve interpersonal conflicts.

• Analyze the impact of gender and culture on interpersonal communications.

For each of the five learning outcomes, create a separate heading that states the learning outcome that you are

addressing. Then, address the following for each segment:

• Explain the principles of and barriers to effective interpersonal communications. Why do the principles

matter? How can your couple or group of co-workers overcome the barriers you have listed?

• Analyze the role of communication in developing and maintaining one’s self-concept, self-image, and

self-esteem. Begin by defining each term and then explain how these three notions of the self potentially

impact your couple or group of co-workers relationship. What advice can you offer to help them develop

a positive self-concept or build each other’s self-esteem?

• Illustrate the importance of self-disclosure and emotional intelligence in various relationships. What role

does self-disclosure play in your couple or partner’s relationship? How can their relationships be

improved by them becoming more emotionally intelligent?

• Evaluate strategies for using communication techniques to resolve interpersonal conflicts. Explain one or

two potential conflicts and then present at least two strategies for addressing the dispute(s).

• Analyze the impact of gender and culture on interpersonal communications. First, define these two key

terms. Then, explain the importance of gender and culture in relationships generally and for your couple

or group specifically. What advice can you give to become a better communicator based on the

information you have presented?

Content Requirements

You must address all five of the learning outcomes and the questions listed with those objectives. For each

objective, be sure to define key terms and relate those ideas directly to advice for your couple or co-workers. The

point here is for you to demonstrate how these ideas can be utilized to help people in their relationships. Try to

offer specific advice they can integrate into their lives.

Begin your paper with an introductory paragraph that has a succinct thesis statement and that previews what you

plan to cover in your paper. If you are having problems writing a thesis, try using the Thesis Generator.

End with a conclusion that reaffirms your thesis and restates your key points.

You must use at least five scholarly sources to help you make your points. Three should be course readings and

two should be academic articles you have found yourself through doing research in the Ashford University

Library. If you need help doing research, visit the Ashford University Library, which can be accessed through the

Library tab in the left-navigation menu, in your online course.

You must also draw on personal experience to offer advice or to illustrate points. It is acceptable to use

hypothetical examples and/or your personal experiences for either your couple or group of co-workers. We simply

want to see that you can apply what you have learned to some potential “real world” experience.

The Final Paper

• Must be eight to 10 double-spaced pages in length (not including title and references pages) and formatted

according to APA style as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center.

• Must include a separate title page with the following:

o Title of paper

o Student’s name

o Course name and number

o Instructor’s name

o Date submitted

• Must use each learning objective as a header that separates each section of the paper.

• Must use at least five scholarly sources, two of which can be found in the Ashford University Library.

• Must document all sources in APA style as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center.

• Must include a separate references page that is formatted according to APA style as outlined in the

Ashford Writing Center.

Final Notes

This is a formal paper and should utilize proper grammar, complete sentences, and paragraph transitions.

However, you will write this paper in the format of a letter to the newly-engaged couple or group of co-workers.

Feel free to address the people you select directly throughout the paper.

After you have written the paper, please review the grading rubric to ensure you have met all of the requirements.

Need more help?

If you would like to see an example of a good final paper, with comments, please review the Sample Final Paper.

Again, do not copy and paste any portion of this sample as that would be a form of plagiarism.