3. Big Amount Processing
Write down if you can't remember
Organize LATER
Summarize - organize and digest
4. Different Types of Information
Announcements
• Give information
• Short/straightforward/repeated
• Key points - numbers, places, verbs
News reports
• Short/straightforward
• Beginning = most important
5. Different Types of Information
Stories (fiction and non-fiction)
• Many styles of writing
• Identify subject and verb pair
• Remember sequence
6. Organizing Information
• Identify important information
• Supplement with more information
• Summarize
• Give the speech yourself
8. Organizing Information
Here’s the script…
Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for shopping with
Argan Stores today. We are pleased to announce a ten
per cent reduction on all homeware and garden items
this weekend while stocks last. Customers who spend
over a hundred pounds will get free annual
membership to our store. Inquire at our Customer
Services Counter for more details.
9. Use Your Own Words
• Don't need to memorize everything
• Get a basic outline
• Who did what, where, why, when,
how
12. Organizing Information
Here’s the script…
Day 16 of the Martin Walbert trial. Today was the chance for
the accused and their defense to present their case to the
court. Journalists have been waiting outside the court house all
day hoping to get news of what has been happening inside the
court room. They took a brief break at lunchtime and some of
the witnesses could be seen congregating outside but so far
we have not had any news about the accused or what his
lawyer has presented to the court. We will bring any updates to
you as soon as they come in.
14. Organizing Information
Notes:
• Wiped hands
• Walked back into school
• Entered classroom
• Students don't notice
• Teacher - questioning - long time at bathroom?
• No excuse
• Stay after class
• Needs excuse
15. Organizing Information
Here’s the script…
I'm not going to tell her what just happened, he decided. She will never
understand.
He walked back into the school building, wiping his muddy hands onto his
jeans. Strolling back into the classroom, he didn't even look at the teacher. The
rest of the class was busy with their work and failed to notice his arrival. She
looked up from her work and gave him a questioning stare.
"That was a long time to take at the bathroom,“ she said.
"Sorry, yeah," he said, offering no excuse.
"Can you see me after the class please?" she asked.
Oh no... He would have to offer some sort of excuse this time. What could he
say?
The main purpose of this lesson is to learn how to process information that you hear in a speech, announcement or story.
First it is important to note that if you cannot remember everything then you should write down the important points. Do not worry about the notes making sense or being in order. You can organise everything later. Make sure you write down the most relevant information.
To check your understanding, you should always try to summarize the story and retell it in your own words. While you are doing this, you will organize the information and digest what you have read.
Announcements can be heard in many different situations - in department stores, movie theatres, train stations, airports, museums.. They are given for one reason - to give information to the listener. For this reason, they are usually short, to-the-point and often repeated. Key points to notice are numbers (date, time, price..), places mentioned (for example, where you need to go to do what..) and also verbs (what you need to do)
News reports are also usually short and straightforward. If you listen to the first few lines of a report, you will usually hear the most important information. What follows tends to be supplementary to the story.
Stories are perhaps the most difficult to follow because there are many different styles in which stories are written. The most important information however, can usually be found after identifying the subject and verb pair in a sentence. It is important to remember the sequence of events when you are processing the information that you have heard.
To organize the information you must first identify what information is the most important. Then, look at what you have written down so far and try to add in extra information that you remember from the speech. Summarize what you have heard, focusing on the main points. Finally, pretend that you are making the announcement or giving the speech to someone who has not heard it before.
"Ladies and gentleman, thank you for shopping with Argan Stores today. We are pleased to announce a ten per cent reduction on all homeware and garden items this weekend while stocks last. Customers who spend over a hundred pounds will get free annual membership to our store. Inquire at our Customer Services Counter for more details."
"Ladies and gentleman, thank you for shopping with Argan Stores today. We are pleased to announce a ten per cent reduction on all homeware and garden items this weekend while stocks last. Customers who spend over a hundred pounds will get free annual membership to our store. Inquire at our Customer Services Counter for more details."
If you have managed to correctly identify and digest the important information, you should be able to retell the story in your own words. It is not important to remember every word or memorise exactly how the story was told. You need to concentrate on the basic outline of the story, remembering important things like who did what, where, when, why and how. If you find it difficult to do this, then news reports can often be the best starting point. They tend to be simpler and summarise the information for you.