Writing and Speaking

COL 103Chapter 7

Professor Jackie Kroening864-646-1430

864-646-1425 (PSY office)www.lifetour.com

Writing and SpeakingPREPARE

ORGANIZE

WORK

EVALUATE

RETHINK

Approach writing as a process

Write a flexible outline andconstruct a thesis statement

Get it down in the first draft.Refine it in the second draft

Be your own best critic:fine-tune your work

Reflect on the writing process:what worked, what didn’t?

The Writing ProcessConfronting the Blank

PageIntimidating?

Liberating and Challenging?

Writing is a Process!

Deciding What your Goal is!

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 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 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:

No criticisms or judgments made while ideas are being generated.

Collect as many ideas as possible from all participants 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.

Absolutely no discussion takes place during the brainstorming activity. Talking about the ideas will take place after brainstorming is complete.

Do not criticize or judge. Don't even groan, frown, or laugh. All ideas are equally valid at this point.

Do write all ideas on a flipchart or board so the whole group can easily see them.

Set a time limit (i.e., 30 minutes) for the brainstorming.

Deciding Who is the Audience!

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

Library Books Magazines Newspapers Trade reports

World Wide Web Personal Interviews

Researching the TopicAssembling 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 ScaffoldOutline

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) Argument Background Body Counterarguments Conclusion

Work: Writing the PaperWriting 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 PaperWriting 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

The opening 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 “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

A picture can save you a thousand words.

Use the right amount and kind of practice. Practice in front of a friend or classmate.

Meeting the Challenge of Public

Extemporaneous Talks Process used to speak1. Point of view2. Reason3. Evidence or examples4. Point of view restated