14 The Invitation Letter

Description

This assignment was created for a course in the Administrative Assistants college program. The assignment involved writing invitation letters in preparation for a professional event. This assignment is formative in nature, as all of the activities involved in preparing for this event scaffold towards the final culminating event. Note that this assignment was created at College Boréal and the resources linked are in French.

Description for Students (Example 1)

Scenario

Preparations for the organization of the professional event are well underway and it is now time to move on to the actual preparation of the professional documents related to the conference. You have been working at Les entreprises Excellence inc. for some time and your supervisor is calling on your expertise and talents. You will thus have the opportunity to showcase your skills by preparing professional-looking documents.

At this point in your administrative assistant career, you have had to prepare several different notices of meetings and invitations. The time has come to proceed with the logistical step of preparing for a professional event. The notice of meeting or invitation should provide all the information needed to ensure the event runs smoothly. You can use the templates for notices or invitation letters that you have already written to accomplish this task.

Instructions

PART 1: DRAFTING OF THE INVITATION (INDIVIDUAL ASSIGNMENT)

Use the following resources to familiarize yourself with the terminology related to the activity:

• Généralités sur l’invitation (How to write an invitation letter)
• Protocole épistolaire (Letter writing protocols)

Consult the following invitation templates:

• Lettre d’invitation Conférence (Conference invitation letter)
• Invitation à un colloque (Symposium invitation)

Write an invitation letter that follows letter writing protocol and contains the following components:

1. Identity (your supervisor’s)
2. Invitation
3. Date
4. Recognizable branding (ex.: logos)
5. Logistical details
6. Invitation program (explains the conference)
7. Call to action (response, description of upcoming registration process, etc.)

Notes to consider:

• Make sure the letter is presented in a logical, sequential and concise manner and is in an accessible format.
• Check the rubric in the Reminders box to make sure you are following all the components of the invitation.
• Proofread your invitation using Antidote software to ensure that it is error-free and meets the standards of correct usage of written language, and to make all necessary corrections.
• Save your work according to the following nomenclature: Name_First Name_Invitation.
• You may include fictitious information for this purpose. However, whenever possible, include information that is real and relevant to your environment, e.g., agency names, hotel name, etc.

PART 2: FEEDBACK (COLLABORATIVE ASSIGNMENT)

Note: Your teacher will assign you a partner for this part.

1. Review the rubric in the Reminders box to familiarize yourself with the evaluation criteria of the invitation letter.
2. Consult your partner to determine which method of communication is best for you both to share information.
3. Share the invitation letter you wrote with your colleague. By doing so, your colleague’s invitation letter will be shared with you.
4. Read the invitation letter written by your colleague carefully.
5. Provide feedback by sharing corrections and areas for improvement in another document based on the criteria in the rubric. Be sure to make your feedback obvious and easy to find.
6. Make sure you are tactful and professional at all times in your interactions and comments.
7. Send the feedback containing corrections and areas for improvement to your colleague using the communication method you have chosen.

PART 3: PREPARATION OF THE FINAL COPY (INDIVIDUAL ASSIGNMENT)

1. Review the comments and suggestions in the feedback your colleague shared with you.
2. Make any changes that you feel are appropriate and that you wish to make to your letter. If you feel that the comments and suggestions made by your colleague should not be applied to your work, be sure to tell your teacher and explain your reasoning. Be sure to make your comments obvious and easy to spot if applicable.
3. Proofread your invitation using Antidote software to ensure that it is error-free and meets the standards of correct usage of written language, and to make any necessary corrections.
4. Submit the following documents to the assignment folder (e.g., Dropbox in LMS)
   1. Your original copy of the assignment
   2. Your final copy
   3. The document containing the feedback you offered to your colleague
   4. The document containing the feedback provided to you

Rubric

Technology Used

• Computer
• Internet
• Word processing software (or other Microsoft software)
• Learning platform (Brightspace)

Facilitation Tips / Student Feedback

The management of the collaborative part must be explained to the students in order to ensure smooth running of the activity.

Students like the fact that they can work and collaborate asynchronously with their course colleagues. They realize that analyzing the work of others allows them to improve their own skills at the same time.