Transcript Writing and Speaking COL 103 Chapter 7 Professor Jackie Kroening

Writing and Speaking
COL 103
Chapter 7
Professor Jackie Kroening
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Writing and Speaking
PREPARE
Approach writing as a process
ORGANIZE
Write a flexible outline and
construct a thesis statement
WORK
Get it down in the first draft.
Refine it in the second draft
EVALUATE
Be your own best critic:
fine-tune your work
RETHINK
Reflect on the writing process:
what worked, what didn’t?
The Writing Process
Confronting the Blank Page
Intimidating?
Liberating and Challenging?
Writing is a Process!
Deciding What your Goal is!
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Research paper, based on information
you must gather?
Essay arguing a particular point of
view?
Fictional short paper
Critique of someone else’s work or
argument?
Book or movie review?
Choosing Your Topic
Freewriting – A technique involving
continuous, nonstop writing, without
self-criticism, for a fixed period of
time.
Brainstorming – A technique for
generating ideas by saying out loud
as many ideas as can be thought of
in a fixed period of time.
Freewriting
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Freewrite for a fixed amount of time 5
or 10 minutes
Only rule is to write continuously,
without stopping.
Doesn’t matter if its bad or good.
Go back and write single sentence that
captures the main point of what you
wrote.
Brainstorming
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Oral equivalent of freewriting
Say out loud as many ideas as you
can think of in a fixed time period.
Work best with a group of friends or
collages.
Brainstorming (try it 2 page 175)
Rules:
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No criticisms or judgments made while ideas are being
generated.
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Collect as many ideas as possible from all participants
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All ideas are welcome no matter how silly or far out
they seem. Be creative. The more ideas the better
because at this point you don't know what might work.
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Absolutely no discussion takes place during the
brainstorming activity. Talking about the ideas will take
place after brainstorming is complete.
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Do not criticize or judge. Don't even groan, frown, or
laugh. All ideas are equally valid at this point.
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Do write all ideas on a flipchart or board so the whole
group can easily see them.
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Set a time limit (i.e., 30 minutes) for the brainstorming.
Deciding Who is the Audience!
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The instructor – maybe not!
Audience may be a layperson
People of science
People of Art
Maybe a person in your family
Maybe yourself
Researching the Topic
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Library
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Books
Magazines
Newspapers
Trade reports
World Wide Web
Personal Interviews
Researching the Topic
Assembling the information
Assemble information folders
 Major topics
 Sub-topics
Create Note cards
 Place no more then one major idea on each
card (example on page 176)
Organize: Constructing a Scaffold
Outline
Be ready to Change it!
Should be a road map
Keep an open mind
Logical order (flow of information)
Organize: Constructing a Scaffold
Outline (Try it page 179)
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Argument
Background
Body
Counterarguments
Conclusion
Work: Writing the Paper
Writing the First Draft
Break down long paper into chunks
(maybe two or three pages a day)
Start where you like
Turn off your inner critic
Go with the flow
Don’t be afraid to modify your outline
Use your own voice (writing voice)
Work: Writing the Paper
Writing the First Draft
 Read the first draft out loud
 Take the long view
 What is the purpose of my paper
 Have I addressed every aspect of the assignment
 Be ruthless
 Don’t be afraid to ditch the whole thing
 Check sequence and logic
 Check punctuation and spellling
 Check that all quotes are cited and
referenced correctly
 Make it pleasing to the eye
Evaluate: Acting as Your Own
Best Critic
Does my paper accomplish what
I set out for it to do?
Put yourself in your instructor’s
shoes
Check the mechanical aspects
of the paper
Rethink: Reflecting on Your
Accomplishment
Rethink the message
Rethink the mechanics
Rethink the method
Always acknowledge other peoples
ideas in your paper
Speaking Your Mind
Audiences are generally
sympathetic
Once you start speaking, it will
become easier
Practice helps
Speaking Your Mind
POWER for speaking is the same as
writing
 Prepare
 Organize
 Work
 Evaluate
 Rethink
Meeting the Challenge of Public
Speaking
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The opening
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The first minute counts – a lot
Begin with an anecdote
Start with a question
Arouse their curiosity
Talk about the significance of the topic
Ask a question
Use humor
Meeting the Challenge of Public
Provide oral transition points
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“Moving on to a different subject….”
“To understand the problem, we need
to consider…”
“To sum up, the situation offers some
unexpected advantages….”
Meeting the Challenge of Public
Helpful hints
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A picture can save you a thousand
words.
Use the right amount and kind of
practice.
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Practice in front of a friend or classmate.
Meeting the Challenge of Public
Extemporaneous Talks
Process used to speak
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Point of view
Reason
Evidence or examples
Point of view restated