Writing and Oral Presentation Guide for Public Policy 10b (California Policy Issues)

Report Writing and Presenting

PP 10B

Don’t be insulted

How you use words matters!

Scantron-itis?

What’s the DEW Line?

Distant Early Warning

What’s the DEW Line?

Distant Early Warning

Role of TA in PP 10B (You may be referred.)

10 Pages!

Like, they never taught me in high school!

Like, I don’t know where to begin!

Like, it’s too long!

Like, I don’t have time!

Report Preparation and Presentation

Roadmap for Today’s Discussion • Time management • Writing guidelines (getting started) • Finding reliable sources and presenting original work • More writing guidelines (style) • Making oral presentations

Why follow rules? I want to be creative!

Why follow rules? I want to be creative!

1960

Why follow rules? I want to be creative!

1960

Time Management

“Sorry. I guess I was just procrastinating again.�

Time Management

“I wrote another 500 words. Can I have another cookie?�

Time Management

Writing Guide Use an outline style with headings and subheadings – Introduction – Topic #1 • Subtopic A • Subtopic B

– Topic #2 ...

– Conclusion

Writing Guide Use an outline style with headings and subheadings – Introduction – Topic #1 • Subtopic A • Subtopic B

– Topic #2 ...

– Conclusion

Writing Guide Use the introduction to state what your main topic is and where you will be going.

Writing Guide Use the conclusion to sum up the report and make recommendations.

“And I’ll be right back with the conclusion to tonight’s story after a few words from Daddy.”

Writing Guide

New ideas should not be presented in the conclusion.

Writing Guide Give credit where credit is due.

Footnotes, references in some consistent style.

“Don’t think of it as plagiarism. Think of it as homage.”

www.deanofstudents.ucla.edu

What is turnitin.com?

• Electronic submission method (although we also request paper copies) • Turnitin.com scans the web and all past papers ever submitted at all subscribing universities – not just UCLA - for similarities.

• It provides a color-coded summary of such similarities and an index number to the instructor, not the student. Students do not see what the instructor sees.

• Really bad things have happened to students found to have submitted unoriginal work through turnitin.com or other means.

Finding Reliable Sources

Finding Reliable Sources

“I can’t explain it--it’s just a funny feeling I am being Googled.”

Finding Reliable Sources

Finding Reliable Sources Govt. agencies: Examples: – Calif. Dept. of Finance: www.dof.ca.gov – Calif. Treasurer: www.treasurer.ca.gov – California Legislative Analyst’s Office: www.lao.ca.gov – City of Los Angeles: www.ci.la.ca.us – U.S. Bureau of the Census: www.census.gov

Finding Reliable Sources Think tanks and Centers: Examples: – Public Policy Institute of California – Rand Corporation – Milken Institute – California Budget Project – UCLA Lewis Center – UCLA Center for Health Policy – Reason Public Policy Institute

Finding Reliable Sources Advocacy/Interest Groups: – Issue-oriented groups – Trade Associations – Labor Unions – Major corporations – Political parties

Finding Reliable Sources Advocacy/Interest Groups: Just keep in mind they have an axe to grind

Finding Reliable Sources Popular newspapers: • Los Angeles Times • Sacramento Bee • San Francisco Chronicle • Orange County Register …mainly for quotes, events... ...but probably not: – National Enquirer

“Read all about it! Falling leaves kill six!”

Writing Guide • Not very helpful: www.dof.ca.gov • More helpful: Calif. Dept. of Finance, State Budget, 2011-12, available at: http://www.ebudget.ca.gov/BudgetS ummary/BSS/BSS.html

• Note: Newspaper citations often disappear from the web after a short interval.

Writing Guide Presenting data tables or graphics: – Discuss table or graphic in the text – Do not just rehash the numbers – Explain what you are demonstrating with the table or graphic – Avoid padding to fill space, i.e., just reproducing tables or graphics to enlarge the paper. If it’s not worth discussing, it’s not worth including.

Writing Guide Presenting data tables or graphics: – Present data in a useful way • Absolute value?

• Rate of change?

• Ratio to some other index?

• What helps the reader?

– Source of data should be indicated

“Meaningless statistics were up 1.5% this month over last month.�

Writing Guide Number your pages so that the instructors can provide comments geared to the appropriate location in your text. Requirement!!

But these page numbers should not appear!

(Remember page limit.)

Writing Guide

The two “Rules of Three”

Writing Guide • Avoid paragraphs that go on and on and on. Follow the threesentence rule: After 3 sentences, ask yourself if a new idea is being introduced.

• Avoid sentences that go on and on and on. Follow the three-line rule: After three lines, ask yourself if a period is in order.

Writing Guide Avoid starting sentence after sentence with the same word.

– The… – The… – The...

– The… – The...

Writing Guide • Don’t be afraid to use your spellcheck!

• Be afraid not to use your spellcheck!

• But it won’t catch everything!

– It is now the time…

– It is not the time...

Writing Guide

• It’s vs. its • Effect vs. affect • Media vs. medium

Writing Guide

Writing Guide Avoid a folksy, informal style that is inappropriate for professional writing: I have always loved this topic‌ You probably are wondering why I say that‌ This paper gave me a chance to explore...

“I hate how informal everything has become.�

Writing Guide For team reports: – Division of labor is fine and necessary for research but…

– …choose one editor to write the report so report is in a single voice.

– Do NOT simply paste together sections written by each member.

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+

=?

Writing Guide Note the required checklist included on syllabus.

Final individual and team reports must include it.

Oral Presentation Guide • Be organized. Have an outline of what you plan to say. • Basic groundrules: Time limits for presentation, Q&A.

Oral Presentation Guide Do NOT read a written paper out loud. Nothing is more boring except‌ ‌reading the presentation off file cards.

Oral Presentation Guide For PowerPoint: – Do not put too much material in small font on one slide – Repeat: Do not put too much material in small font on one slide Particularly a problem with data tables

Oral Presentation Guide

Consider a paper handout instead.

Oral Presentation Guide

General test #1: Can someone read it from the back of the room?

General test #2: Can someone understand it even if he/she can read it?

TA won’t approve presentations that don’t pass these tests!

Oral Presentation Guide

Crash of Columbia Space Shuttle in 2003 and PowerPoint

Columbia Accident Investigation Board report, August 2003

PowerPoint Makes You Dumb

By Clive Thompson

NY Times: Dec. 14, 2003 ...When NASA engineers assessed possible wing damage during the mission, they presented the findings in a confusing PowerPoint slide‌ nearly impossible to untangle. ''It is easy to understand how a senior manager might read this PowerPoint slide and not realize that it addresses a lifethreatening situation...''

Oral Presentation Guide Start

with introduction and end with conclusion, just as in a written report:

– What I am going to tell you.

– I tell it to you.

– What I have told you.

Oral Presentation Guide Use a single spokesperson even in a team report. Do not have sequential members of team do “their� parts.

In later Q&A session, each team member can respond to questions in which he/she has special expertise.

1

Oral Presentation Guide “I don’t know” is an appropriate response to a question, if you don’t know.

Side conversations with one audience member are to be avoided. “I would be happy to discuss this issue with you after the session.”

“Is it true you’re getting twelve big ones for tonight’s lecture?”

Oral Presentation Guide Practice, practice, practice your presentation. Use an audio recorder. Try to avoid putting “you know� in every sentence.

Listen to the way newscasters speak.

“Do you mind if I chase a few practice balls first?�

Oral Presentation Guide

Oral Presentation Guide

Avoid “Uptalk”

Where have we been today?

• Time management • Initial writing guidelines • Finding reliable sources and presenting original work • Writing guidelines (style) • Making oral presentations

Report Writing and Presenting

PP 10B