Organizing Your Ideas

Chapter 11 – Adler

M.Yaseen

Outline

• Importance of Clear Organization

• Gathering Ideas and Materials

• Organizing the Body

• Planning the Introduction and Conclusion

• Adding Transitions

What points to cover and how to arrange them?

IMPORTANCE OF CLEAR ORG.

• Helps solve the following problems– Taking too long to get to a point– Including irrelevant material– Leaving out necessary information– Getting ideas mixed up

“First, tell them what you’re going to tell them; then, tell them;

then, tell them what you told them.”

GATHERING IDEAS & MATERIALS

• Example: selling to potential customers– Find out competing products– Whether they’re familiar with your product– What is their attitude towards it

• Sources of information– Company’s files– Interviews– Library– Survey, etc

ORGANIZING THE BODY

• Identify the main points and sub-points– Brainstorming– ‘One-week later’ test

• Choose best organizational pattern1. Chronological – sequence in time: process, steps,

events, history

2. Spatial – physical location: real estate, geographical

3. Topical – reasons, types, benefits… catchall approach4. Cause-effect5. Problem-solution

Rules for main points: Main points should be stated as claims (fact/belief) All points should develop the thesis No more than five main points Each point should contain one idea Should be in parallel structure whenever possible

PLANNING THE INTRODUCTION

Functions Capture the listener’s attention Give your audience a reason to listen Set the proper tone for topic and setting Establish your qualifications Introduce thesis and preview presentation

Types of opening statements Ask a question Tell a story Give a quotation Make a startling statement Refer to the audience Refer to the occasion Use humor

PLANNING THE CONCLUSION

Types of closing statements All of the intro types + Return to the theme of your opening statement Appeal for action End with a challenge

ADDING TRANSITIONS

Bridges that connect segments of presentation

Tell listeners how parts are relatedOccur between intro/body, body, body/concl.

• Functions of transitions– Promote clarity– Emphasize important points– Keep listener’s interested

• Characteristics of transitions– Refer to both preceding and upcoming ideas– Show logical relationship among ideas– Call attention to themselves

Important: TABLE 11-1