Writing Plagiarism AP Style Finding the focus Brevity What is news? Using quotes Cohesion

1. Public Communication Socialization to PR Media theories Persuasion Media relations Media kits New media Speechwriting Writing • Plagiarism • AP Style • Finding the focus • Brevity • What is news? • Using quotes • Cohesion • Reviewing work • Rewriting

2. COMM 337 Cohesion

3. Cohesion Asian competitors who have sought to compete directly with Acme’s X-line product groups in each of six market segments in the Western Pacific region will constitute the main objective of the first phase of this study. The labor costs of Acme’s competitors and their ability to introduce new products quickly define the issue we will examine in detail in each segment. A plan that will show Acme how to restructure its diverse and widespread facilities so that it can better exploit unexpected opportunities, particularly in the market on the Pacific Rim, should result.

4. Cohesion The first phase of this study will mainly examine six market segments in the Western Pacific region to determine how Asian competitors have sought to compete directly with Acme’s X-line product groups. In each segment, the study will examine in detail their labor costs and their ability to introduce new products quickly. The result will be a plan that will show Acme how to restructure its diverse and widespread facilities so that it can better exploit unexpected opportunities, particularly in the market on the Pacific Rim.

5. Cohesion The Hart Queen is one of the best skis for beginning skiers. A thin layer of tempered ash from hardwood forests of Kentucky makes up its inner core. Therefore, two innovations for strength and flexibility are built into its outer construction. Also, two sheets of 10-gauge steel reinforce a layer of ash for increased strength. A wrapping of fiberglass thus surrounds the two steel sheets for increased flexibility. In fact, most conventional bindings can be used with the Queen. The Salomon Double is the best, however. A cushion of foam and insulation firmly cradles the foot and ankle, yet freedom of movement is still permitted.

6. Cohesion One of the best skis for beginning and intermediate skiers is the Hart Queen. Its inner core consists of a thin layer of tempered ash from the hardwood forests of Kentucky. Built into its outer construction are two innovations for strength and flexibility. For increased strength, the layer of ash is reinforced with two sheets of ten-gauge steel. For increased flexibility, the two sheets are wrapped with fiberglass. The Queen can be used with most conventional bindings, but the best binding is the Salomon Double. The foot and ankle are firmly cradled in a cushion of foam and insulation that still permits freedom of movement.

7. Cohesion How do we do add cohesion to our work? • Begin sentences with ideas that your readers know or will easily recognize. • End sentences with information readers do not anticipate, don't know, or is difficult to understand, such as long lists.

8. Cohesion One of the best skis for beginning and intermediate skiers is the Hart Queen. Its inner core consists of a thin layer of tempered ash from the hardwood forests of Kentucky. Built into its outer construction are two innovations for strength and flexibility. For increased strength, the layer of ash is reinforced with two sheets of ten-gauge steel. For increased flexibility, the two sheets are wrapped with fiberglass. The Queen can be used with most conventional bindings, but the best binding is the Salomon Double. The foot and ankle are firmly cradled in a cushion of foam and insulation that still permits freedom of movement.

9. Cohesion: Active voice The active and the passive voice: • Active: The collapse of a dead star into a point perhaps no larger than a marble creates a black hole. • Passive: A black hole is created by the collapse of a dead star into a point perhaps no larger than a marble.… “

10. Cohesion Active voice: Some astonishing questions about the nature of the universe have been raised by scientists exploring black holes in space. The collapse of a dead star into a point perhaps no larger than a marble creates a black hole. So much matter compressed into so little volume changes the fabric of space around it in puzzling ways. Passive voice: Some astonishing questions about the nature of the universe have been raised by scientists exploring black holes in space. A black hole is created by the collapse of a dead star into a point perhaps no larger than a marble. So much matter compressed into so little volume changes the fabric of space around it in puzzling ways.

11. Cohesion So, all we have to do is link sentences together, one concept to the next. “Saner, Wisconsin, is the snowmobile capital of the world. The buzzing of snowmobile engines fills the air, and their tanklike tracks crisscross the snow. The snow reminds me of Mom's mashed potatoes, covered with furrows I would draw with my fork. Mom's mashed potatoes usually made me sick, that's why I was playing with them. I like to make a hole in the middle of the potatoes and fill it with melted butter. This behavior has been the subject of long chats between me and my analyst.”

12. COMM 337 • End

13. COMM 337 Issues in our work

14. COMM 337 Put related items together • “The bill would require voters to show both photo identification and proof of citizenship during the registration process as an amendment to the Help America Vote Act of 2002.”

15. COMM 337 Put related items together • “The bill would require voters to show both photo identification and proof of citizenship during the registration process as an amendment to the Help America Vote Act of 2002.” • “The bill is an amendment to the Help America Vote Act and would require voters to show both photo identification and proof of citizenship during the registration process.” • Read your work aloud.

16. COMM 337 Put related items together. • Subjects – verbs • Modifiers – the things they modify • Titles – names • “… Mary Wilson said, who is the president of the League of Women Voters.” • “… said Mary Wilson, the president of the League of Women Voters.”

17. COMM 337 • “Requirements are $97 and a certified birth certificate to receive a passport.” • “Requirements for a passport are $97 and a certified birth certificate.”

18. COMM 337 Look at the core of the sentence. • “The president of the League of Women Voters testified today before the House of Representatives on opposing the new law that requires photo ID and proof of citizenship to vote.” • “The president … testified … on opposing the new law.” • A weak core is a weak sentence.

19. COMM 337 Use precise language: • “The Secretary State of Georgia announced that 700,000 Georgia natives who do not own a photo ID.” • Not “natives,” but “residents.”

20. COMM 337 Be specific • “Today the president of the League of Women Voters, Mary G. Wilson, testified before the House of Representatives to express the league’s opposition to barriers that may prevent American citizens from voting in elections.” • “Today the president of the League of Women Voters testified before the House of Representatives against requiring a photo ID at the voting booth.”

21. COMM 337 Do not state the obvious: • “In the United States, no state allows non-American citizens to vote.”

22. COMM 337 Avoid commentary • “After the 2000 election, the Help America Vote Act was passed in order to protect votes and to regulate election procedures. Therefore, it is important to be careful with new bills and acknowledge how this bill may discourage future voters.”

23. COMM 337 Avoid commentary • “After the 2000 election, the Help America Vote Act was passed in order to protect votes and to regulate election procedures. Therefore, it is important to be careful with new bills and acknowledge how this bill may discourage future voters.”

24. COMM 337 Commentary leads to obtuse writing. Write simply. • “If this bill becomes law this will directly inhibit even more American citizens and prevent them from participating in one of the most cherished rights that are guaranteed to Americans.” • “If this bill becomes law fewer Americans will be able to vote.”

25. COMM 337 Material out of place • “Photo identification is subjective because it is difficult to match a picture to a face, according to Wilson. H.R. 4844 amends the Help America Vote Act of 2002 (HAVA).” • Make the paragraph your unit of organization.

26. COMM 337 Write in a simple, straightforward way. • “Wilson’s testimony reveals the league’s opposition to H.R. 4844 and belief that it would restrict citizen-voter participation, rather than discourage non-citizens from voting.” • “Wilson testified that the league opposes the bill and believes it would restrict citizen voting, rather than prevent fraudulent voting.”

27. COMM 337 • “Employees must receive a flu vaccination within the next six months or risk job-loss.” • “… or get fired.”

28. COMM 337 Read your work out loud. • “The success to the evolution of American democracy is that Americans include different races, sexes, and ethnicities, according to Wilson.” • “Voting is illegal for non-citizens nationwide, so significant efforts to do so would be well-documented, said Wilson.” • “More than one fourth of flu reports in the nation tested positive in January.”

29. COMM 337 Use the appropriate word. • “The Service Employees International Union, the group representing the fired practitioners, …” • “The Service Employees International Union, the union representing the fired practitioners, …”

30. COMM 337 Cut, cut, cut • An estimated 6 to 12 percent of U.S. voters do not have obtain the necessary government-issued photo identification for the possible new bill. • 700,000 registered voters do not own the proper ID to allow them to exercise their rights [vote]. • The league opposes efforts to limit voter participation in any way.

31. COMM 337 Cut and simplify • “The act is allowing us to take a step back and build unnecessary barriers for participants.” • “The act builds barriers to voting.” • “WASHINGTON, D.C. – An employee union has filed suit” • “A union has filed suit.”

32. COMM 337 Some minor things: • The League is deeply concerned. • The 2000 Presidential election. • The University is in Washington, D.C. • Best if “more” is in the footer. • Never skip lines. • “League” is a singular noun. • “The league does not support the legislation. Instead they believe …” • Avoid acronyms (FEIA? HAVA?) • D.C. is “the district.”

33. COMM 337 • Put related items together. • Look at the core of the sentence. • Use precise language. • Be specific. • Write in a simple, straightforward way. • Cut, cut, cut.

34. COMM 337 Rewriting

35. COMM 337 How to re-write: • We are poor editors of our own writing, so be suspicious of everything. • Read it out loud. • Listen for anything that slows down your speech. • Listen for anything that grates on the ear. • Have someone else read it.

36. COMM 337 How to re-write: • Look for warning signs of poor writing. • Long clauses (or anything within commas). • Long phrases. Long sentences. • Long titles. • Dull verbs. • Anything tacked on the end of a sentence • Such as an extra phrase, particularly an extra phrase with a verb in it.

37. COMM 337 Write in the active voice, not the passive voice. • Passive voice • The plan to build a new supermarket at 345 Jones Road was approved by a vote of the commission. • Active voice • The planning commission voted Sunday to approve the new supermarket.

38. COMM 337 “The difference between an active-verb style and a passive-verb style – in clarity and vigor – is the difference between life and death for a writer.” – William Zinsser On Writing Well

39. COMM 337 What do writers do? Good writers … • … spend time on their leads. • … organize before writing. • … rewrite. • … read their work out loud. • … are lifelong readers.

40. COMM 337 How do good writers write? • Keep sentences short, on average. • Prefer the simple to the complex. • Prefer the familiar word. • Avoid unnecessary words. • Put action into your verbs. • Write the way you talk.

41. COMM 337 Rewrite today • You can raise your grade a point. • Fix everything. • Never ignore something noted. • Even if you did well, try to improve some part of your work. • No need to rewrite the memos. • Post on Blackboard.

42. COMM 337 END