NSCC Communication Case Study

TO:FROM:
DATE:
SUBJECT:
COMM 2293 Students
COMM 2293 Instructors
October 24, 2022
Assignment 4 Instructions
For Assignment 4, write a persuasive message, using the indirect strategy and letter channel.
Who you are: Communications Assistant at Wheelz (refer to case scenario)
Who your reader is: City Councillor Waye Mason, District 7 Halifax South Downtown
(see bottom of next page for Mr. Mason’s contact information)
Background information: According to survey results published in E-Bike Insider earlier this year,
lack of bike lanes was the number one complaint from locals who rented e-bikes last year. Your
employer, Karla Ryder, was pleased to see that the Halifax municipal government published plans to
increase the number of protected bikes lanes throughout the city, but she was surprised to see that
the majority of Halifax’s South End was not included in those plans. Because Halifax’s South End is
home to Halifax’s two largest universities, Karla feels that bike lanes are essential to increased
ridership amongst local residents and university students. She would like to see protected bike lanes
on Inglis Street and Young Avenue that connect to the existing bike lanes in the city. To get these bike
lane connectors on the agenda of the next active transportation public consultation meeting in
November, Karla asked you to write a persuasive letter to Waye Mason asking him to consider adding
Inglis and Young to the urban bike lane plan.
Your task:
1. Use the sources posted on Brightspace (as well as any other reliable sources you may find) to
research some of the issues surrounding protected bike lanes in the Halifax area and
elsewhere.
2. Using the AIDA strategy in Chapter 10, draft an indirect strategy letter to Mr. Mason persuading him
to consider including Inglis Street and Young Avenue in the city’s plans to expand protected bikes
lanes in the Halifax Regional Municipality.
3. Revise your draft(s) to ensure your message follows the instructions given here, in your COMM
class, and on the checklist on the next page.
4. Save and submit your assignment to Turnitin as a Word document by the due date listed in
your course schedule.
Do not copy content from any sources you might consult, including this handout, and other COMM
2293 instructional materials; use your own words. Do not work with other students when writing
assignment. Plagiarism and unauthorized collaboration will be reported to the Academic Integrity
Officer.
Evaluate your assignment using the checklist on the next page.
Evaluate your own assignment using this checklist.
Message follows the indirect (AIDA) strategy





gains attention in opening statement without stating request
builds sufficient interest before making request
states the requested action (purpose)
reduces resistance and builds desire in the reader
motivates action with a logical next step in the closing
Message gives clear, complete information to the reader





bases persuasive argument on case scenario and researched information
tailors all information (facts, reader benefits, counterarguments) to meet the specific
informational needs and concerns of the reader
uses specific, researched evidence to support your argument(s) throughout the body
introduces all paraphrased and quoted information from sources with an informative signal
phrase (minimum of three signaled sources)
organizes information logically and coherently
Message uses a professional business style and presentation



follows all the grammar and business style points assigned so far
uses correct letter format
uses full block format, with 2.5 cm margins on all sides, single spaced, readable 11- or 12-point
font, and a left-aligned margin
————————————————————————————————————————————–Reader’s address:
Mr. Waye Mason
Halifax City Hall
P.O. Box 1749
Halifax, NS
B3J 3A5
Assignment 4 Research
You may use the following sources (as well as any other reliable sources you find) to
help you complete Assignment 4.
Butler, E. (2019, August 9). Who are we building bike lanes for anyway? Halifax Examiner.
https://www.halifaxexaminer.ca/government/city-hall/who-are-we-building-bike-lanes-foranyway/
Dunne, J. (2019, June 8). Love them or hate them, research offers financial cases for big city
bike lanes. CBC. https://www.cbc.ca/news/business/biking-lanes-business-health1.5165954
Halifax Regional Municipality. (2022, September 16). Halifax bike map.
https://www.arcgis.com/apps/webappviewer/index.html?id=a0c8d2ddd531482b837b2cf9
5b354e6b
Halifax Regional Municipality. (2018, December 27). Protected bicycle lanes.
https://www.halifax.ca/transportation/cycling-walking/where-walk-cycle/bicycle-facilitydictionary/protected-bicycle-lanes
Hollingsworth, P. (2021, September 8). HRM considers tree removal to make room for bike
lanes. CTV News. https://atlantic.ctvnews.ca/hrm-considers-tree-removal-to-make-roomfor-bike-lanes-1.5578067
Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. (2019, August 15.) Some protected bike lanes leave
cyclists vulnerable to injury. [Press release]. https://www.iihs.org/news/detail/someprotected-bike-lanes-leave-cyclists-vulnerable-to-injury
Interim bikeway improvement measures coming to several corridors. (2022, August 31).
CityNews. https://halifax.citynews.ca/local-news/interim-bikeway-improvementmeasures-coming-to-several-corridors-5761895
Solomon, L. (2018, January 2). Rip out the bike lanes–before more innocent people get hurt.
The Financial Post. https://financialpost.com/opinion/lawrence-solomon-rip-out-the-bikelanes-before-more-innocent-people-get-hurt
Taplin, J. (2022, February 1). Proposed bike lanes good, but mostly disappointing: Bike mayor
of Halifax. Saltwire. https://www.saltwire.com/atlantic-canada/news/proposed-bike-lanesgood-but-mostly-disappointing-bike-mayor-of-halifax-100687612/
Thomson, J. (2018, January 23). Why new bike lanes are good for everyone—yes, even drivers.
The Narwhal. https://thenarwhal.ca/why-new-bike-lanes-are-good-everyone-yes-evendrivers/