Writing and Speaking Effectively

1. Writing and Speaking
Effectively

2. WRITING

3. Using Freewriting to Discover What
You Want to Say
• What is freewriting?
• Narrowing your topic
• Helps to find a focus and place to begin writing
• Exploratory writing
• Helps you discover what you want to say
• Important that it is private
• A step toward explanatory writing

4. Your Turn
Have you tried freewriting before? To
see what freewriting feels like, write,
“My writing speaks for me.” Write for at
least 10 minutes, nonstop, about that
statement. Don’t think about
organization, grammar, punctuation, or
spelling, and don’t stop writing until the
time is up. Discuss with your
classmates your reactions to writing
this way and what each of you wrote.

5. The Writing Process
• Prewriting: The idea stage
• Helps you prepare to write by filling your mind with
information from other sources
• Writing: Beginning of organization
• Converting exploratory writing to a rough explanatory
draft
• Rewriting: The polishing stage
• Revising your work until it clearly explains what you
want to communicate
• Allocating time
• How much time should you allow for each step?

6. Your Turn
Describe your writing process. What
steps do you go through when you
write a major paper?

7. Choosing the Best Way to
Communicate with Your Audience
• Electronic writing
• E-mails, Facebook, blog comments, text messages,
tweets
• Grammar and structure resemble conversations
instead of formal writing
• Does not convey emotions as well as face-to-face or
phone conversations
• Sarcasm is especially dangerous to use
• Be aware of the differences between formal and
informal writing
• Will help build appropriate writing skills for college

8. Your Turn
Have you ever sent or received an e-
mail or text message that could be
interpreted in more than one way?
What did you learn from that
experience?

9. SPEAKING

10. Preparing a Speech
• Step 1: Clarify your objective
• Step 2: Analyze your audience
• Step 3: Collect and organize your information
• Step 4: Choose your visual aids
• Step 5: Prepare your notes
• Step 6: Practice your delivery

11. Your Turn
Think about public speakers you have
heard either in person or on TV. Which
ones were the most effective? Why?
What are some specific ways in which
the best public speakers communicate
with an audience?

12. Using Your Voice and Body
Language
• Make eye contact with as many listeners as you
can
• Smile appropriately
• Pay attention to the pitch of your voice, rate of
speaking, and volume
• Pronunciation and word choice are important
• Consider your appearance

13. The GUIDE Checklist

14. Speaking on the Spot
PREP Formula
• P: Point of view
• Provide an overview
• R: Reasons
• State why you hold this view
• E: Evidence or examples
• Present specific facts or data supporting your view
• P: Point of view, restated
• End with a restatement of your position

15. Your Turn
Write about your experience of
speaking in front of a group. Is public
speaking something you enjoy or
dread? Are you an anxious or a
comfortable speaker? What strategies
could you suggest to anyone who
wants to become more comfortable
when speaking in front of a group?

16. Tech Tip: Blog For Brilliance
Improving your writing skills by setting up a
blog
• Go to blogger.com or wordpress.com and create a
blog
• Choose a display name
• Name your blog
• Follow prompts to select a template
• Get thinking and typing!