California RET

Communications – Session 3

The politics of project management.

• Who supports you in the administration?

• Who supports you among your colleagues?

• Who’s support do you need to implement your curriculum innovation?

• How can you get this support?

Resources

• What resources do you have?

• What resources do you need?

• How can you maximize what you have

and procure what you need?

Collaborators

• Who do you need to work with to make your project a success?

• How can you approach these collaborators to bring them ‘on board?’

• What benefits can you offer collaborators to prompt their commitment?

Marketing

• Who do you need to market your project to?

• What about your project will appeal to these publics?

Outcomes

• Are you project outcomes reasonable and achievable?

• How can you align your project goals with district, building, or discipline objectives?

Planning

• Do you have a sound goal-hypothesis?

• Can you break your goal down into objective stages?

• Do you have a timeline?– Marketing– Resources/budget– Classroom implementation– Assessment

Hypothesis Informal Discussion

Outline Report

Formal Presentation

Project Implementation

OUTLINES

1. Providing a skeletal overview of the entire document

2. Guaranteeing that all requirements and criteria of the audience (funder, in this case) are met

3. Establishing the logic of the approach to the research

4. Serving as a project management plan.

Outlines

• Use sentence fragments (parallel)• Cover each key point you want to

explain/report• Do not outline the table of

contents or the abstract• Do outline the appendices

Traditional OutlinesTraditional outlines are those using the following numbering and

lettering system:

TITLEI. First-level division

A. Second-level division1. Third-level division

a. Fourth-level division(1) Fifth-level division

(a) Sixth-level divisionII. First-level division A. Second-level division B. Second-level division

Avoid writing and editing at the same time.

Good presentations?s

Weak Presentations?

Presentation Guidelines

Introduction

Delivering your presentations effectively involves using a four-step process: Plan, Prepare, Practice, and Present. Follow these guidelines and you and your message will have high impact on your audiences.

Plan

• Understand and describe your audience:– Knowledge– Experience– Needs– Goals

Plan (cont’d)

• Define the purpose of your talk based on the outcome you seek with your audience:– Inform– Persuade– Motivate to action– Sell– Teach– Train

TIP Identify and organize your

key points

Prepare (cont’d)

• Prepare an attention-getting opening:– Use a question related to audience

need.– Pay a sincere compliment.– Relate a relevant incident.– Tell a humorous story.– Outline your key points.

Prepare (cont’d)

• Illustrate and support Key Points with evidence and visuals:– Statistics– Analogies– Demonstrations– Testimonials– Incidents– Exhibits TIP

Develop transitions orbridges between key points.

Figure 14.1  Chartjunk and Clear Art  

Figure 14.2  Different Graphic Emphasizing Different Points  

Figure 14.3  Color Used for Emphasis  

Figure 14.15  Line Graph  

Figure 14.6  Contrast in a Transparency (left) and a Slide (right)

Figure 14.10  Text Table  

Figure 14.12  Effective Bar Graph  

Table 14.1  Modifying the Basic Bar Graph: Grouped bar graph 

Table 14.1b  Modifying the Basic Bar Graph: Subdivided bar graph  (text page 383)

Figure 14.13  Pictograph  

Figure 14.14  Misleading Pictograph  (text page 385)

Figure 14.27  Cropping a Photograph  (text page 395)

Prepare (cont’d)

• The visuals should support• The powerpoint should outline• The background should not distract• Animation should highlight key

points

Prepare (cont’d)

• Prepare a memorable close:– Dramatize your ideas– Throw down a challenge– Use a motivating statement– Restate the key benefit– Deliver a convincing summary

Practice (cont’d)

• Practice your presentation before an audience, coach, video camera. Receive feedback and coaching on these elements:– Strong opening– Clear key points– Logical flow– Credible evidence

Questions?

Keys To a Good Presentation

• Eye Contact• Body gestures and position• Organize your talk for the audience• Engage your audience• Speak loudly and slowly• Use inflexion – don’t read• Don’t block the screen

VERB Agreement

In the past three months, a new series of low-priced computers (has been released, have been released).

Discussion: Because the subject "series" is singular in this sentence, the correct verb is "has."

The insurance company hopes that neither the architect nor the construction firm (are held, is held) liable.

Discussion: With a "neither/nor" construction of the subject, the number of the noun closest to the verb determines the number of the verb. In this case, because the noun "firm" is singular, the verb is singular.

In the next section, the criteria for assessing each system (are given, is given).

Discussion: The noun "criteria" is plural.

To connect a temperature measurement circuit to the HC11 microcontroller, we added new hardware and developed new software. The added hardware controlled both the measurement and the display of the temperature. This hardware (included, includes) light emitting diodes that (attach, attached) to Port B.

Discussion: In the first two sentences, the author has adopted a reference frame in which the circuit existed in the past. Therefore, for the rest of the document, that reference frame must be maintained. In reports that document the completion of a project, engineers and scientists usually adopt a reference frame that exists after the experiment or design has been disassembled. In progress reports, engineers and scientists usually adopt a reference frame in which the experiment or design still exists.

To connect a temperature measurement circuit to the HC11 microcontroller, we added new hardware and developed new software. The added hardware controlled both the measurement and the display of the temperature. This hardware included light emitting diodes that attached to Port B. Figure 1 (showed, shows) a schematic of this hardware.

Discussion: Present tense is used here because the figure continues to show the readers a schematic of the hardware, even though the actual hardware has been disassembled. Such a use of present tense in the same paragraph that contains verbs in the past tense is not a tense error because the reference frame for the document remains constant.

Conclusion. This report (has presented, presented, presents) a design of a temperature measurement circuit for the HC11 microcontroller.

Discussion: The present perfect tense (has presented) is used here because most of the "presenting" has occurred in the past, but some "presenting" still remains. Note that in the "Introduction" of this report the tense choice for this sentence would be the present tense.

Verbs

• Present• Past • Future• Present Perfect • Past Perfect• Future Perfect

They study.They studied.They will study.They have studied. (past/present

action)

They had studied. (past/past action)

They will have studied.(present/future action)

Verbs- ProgressiveContinuing

• Present They are studying.• Past They were studying.• Future They will be studying.• Present Perfect They have been studying.• Past Perfect They had been studying.• Future Perfect They will have been

studying.

Passive

• Emphasis on thing performing action

• Do not overuse because it deadens your writing

Varying Tenses

• Present / Past Perfect• Present / Present Perfect• Present / Future Perfect• Past / Present Perfect• Past / Past Perfect• Future / Present Perfect• Future / Future Perfect

example

Yesterday, we analyzed the samples for any traces of zinc ore. We found none. Today, however, we were reexamining the sample when we found two promising pieces of rock.

example

Yesterday, we analyzed (past) the samples for any traces of zinc ore. We found (past) none. Today, however, we were reexamining (past progressive) the sample when we found (past) two promising pieces of rock.

example

These samples have veins like zinc ore, although their color is not quite right. Therefore, the research team will be reviewing all the rock samples for the presence of zinc.

example

These samples have (present) veins like zinc ore, although their color is (present) not quite right. Therefore, the research team will be reviewing (future progressive) all the rock samples for the presence of zinc.

other rules

• Record in the past tense experiments and tests performed in the past:– The second run produced flawed data

because the heating unit failed. We were not able to detect the failure until the run was almost over.

• Use the present tense for scientific facts and truths:– Water freezes at 32°F, unless a chemical

in the water changes its freezing point.

other rules

• Use the present tense to discuss data within a published report:– The slope of the temperature curve decreases

sharply at 20 minutes. The figures in table 3—14 document this decrease.

• Shift from present to past tense as necessary to refer to research studies and prior papers. When you are discussing an author and his or her research, use the past tense:– Jones (1976) studied a limited dose of the drug.

He concluded that no harmful side effects occurred.

other rules

• When you are discussing different current theories, use the present tense:– Jones (1976) argues that limited

doses of the drug produce no harmful side effects. His data, however, are flawed because he failed to distinguish between the natural and synthetic versions of the drug.