Being in a new workspace with new colleagues can be quite intimidating for most. It’s important that your first impression is one that your colleagues find pleasant because it could be the last impression that you’re even able to give them. Going into a situation acting like you know everything and your nose is stuck up in the air isn’t going to make you appealing when it comes to entering a workplace discourse community. You want to know your audience in a way and come off as welcoming, friendly, and sophisticated without acting like you know it all. It is okay to be confident in your certain expertise but you want to be used as a resource and not a tool for it.
In Elizabeth Wardle’s article she explains a situation where she had a new coworker who had tried to come into her discourse community but failed miserably because of his actions. He had not considered the values and the goals of this community and made it so he was ostracized from the other people in his community. He had become a “tool” almost because his coworkers had tried to communicate or work with him when they needed something fixed. Instead of being a resource for his peers he became an object to use almost because of how he presented himself.
Authority in the workplace is important when you have gained respect from your colleagues first. If you walk around acting authoritative people will most likely not respect or like you. There’s ways to show your knowledge on certain topics without appearing to be better than everyone, which is what Wardle’s coworker failed to do. Authority in writing is different because you want the reader to feel as if you are knowledgeable in the topic and not unsure. Writing is meant to be in your own words and should not feel passive and unsure. You want your audience to be convinced that you are well versed in the topic and writing in an authoritative way is a good start. Finding your identity in a certain group is important as well. This will dictate how your peers will perceive you and allow them to see if you’re a good fit for that community or not. You will most likely be aware if you are not accepted into a certain discourse community when you feel left out in group experiences or aren’t communicated to unless necessary. Wardle further explain the identity in the workplace and the importance of it when she references David Russels theory “David Russell have also argued the importance of the relationship between writing and identity: as we encounter genres mediating new activity systems, we must determine whether we can and/or must appropriate those genres, thus expanding our involvement within those systems.” Overall it is important to know your audience always. Whether its writing a paper or trying to fit into a certain discourse group, you need to share common ground in order to build your identity to fit those standards. Being yourself is important of course, but being self aware is essential when it comes to how you approach your writing and in person appearances. You want people in the community to feel as if you belong and trying to outshine or appear as if your above all will likely end poorly for you in social interactions.
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