Bren Communications Center Tips

Communications Tip: Political Capitalization

2011-05-18T14:17:00.000-07:00

As if politics weren’t tricky enough, figuring out when to capitalize political terms can be a challenge! Is it ‘President’ or ‘president’? ‘Democrat’ or ‘democrat’? Read on for a summary review of when ‘to capitalize or not to capitalize’!

President
Capitalize when used as a title preceding a name.

Example: President Obama is traveling to India this week.

Capitalize when referring to a specific president even without using the name.

Example: What do you think of the President's healthcare plan?

Use lowercase when referring generally to the office.

Example: The Constitution says the president must be a natural born citizen of the United States.

Administration
Similar to the president rule, capitalize when referring to a specific administration, whether you name it explicitly or not.

Example: Interior Secretary James Watt was a member of the Reagan Administration.
Example: Environmentalists criticized the Administration for appointing Watt.

Use lowercase when referring generally to an administration.

Example: The requirements of an act are implemented by the administration in power.

Congress
ALWAYS capitalize when referring to the US Senate and House of Representatives.

Example: The mid-term elections dramatically altered the composition of Congress.

Use lowercase when ‘congressional’ is used as an adjective . . .

Example: That hearing is an abuse of congressional powers!

. . . UNLESS the usage is part of a proper name.

Example: The Congressional Review Act gives Congress the power to review all new federal regulations issued by government agencies.

Congressional Titles (representative/senator/congressman)
Capitalize when using the term as a title followed by a name.

Example: Last week, Senator Reid defeated Sharron Angle in the 2010 mid-term elections.

Otherwise, use lowercase.

Example: The senator from California supported the climate change bill.
Example: Contrary to the President’s wishes, the senator voted against the bill.

Political Parties
Capitalize when referring to a political party or member of a political party; also capitalize the word "party" if used.

Example: Barbara Boxer is a running for re-election as a Democrat.
Example: The Natural Resources Defense Council’s position is similar to the Democratic Party platform on this issue.

Use lowercase for a general political philosophy or principles.

Example: He is democratic in his thinking.

A clever example from WikiAnswers sums it up as follows:

A Democrat is someone who belongs to the Democratic Party; a democrat is someone who believes in democracy. Democrats (big D) are democrats, but not all democrats (small D) are Democrats—some of them are Republicans!

Agencies
ALWAYS capitalize when referring to a specific agency, whether it is explicitly named or not.

Example: The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) implements the civilian space program.
Example: The Agency also conducts aeronautics and aerospace research.

Use lowercase if referring to agencies in general.

Example: Generally, policy implementation is an agency responsibility.

Directions/Parts of the country
Capitalize when referring to a place name.

Example: Heidi is from West Virginia.

Use lowercase when talking about a general direction.

Example: To find the bike locker, head towards the north side of Bren Hall.

Where this can get tricky is when parts of a country are referred to by a direction, e.g., the Southwest. In this case, if the term refers to a specific geographic area as an entity, you should capitalize it. In contrast, if you are just using the term to describe a portion of the country that lies in a westerly (or other) direction, use lowercase.

Example: Buffalo used to roam freely across the Great Plains of the American West.
vs. Buffalo used to roam freely across large parts of the western United States.
Example: Representatives from western states are generally opposed to an increase in grazing fees on federal lands.
Example: The Northeast is known for its vibrant display of fall foliage.

Hope that helps with any political capitalization confusion! As always, please feel free to contact the Communications Center with any questions. Good luck!

--Audrey Tresham

Communications Tip: Simplifying Scientific Language

2010-06-03T09:25:00.000-07:00

Technical terms can make communication more efficient when a group understands the meaning, but they may create barriers when interacting with laypeople or researchers outside of your field. Using jargon can make your message unintelligible, or even worse, make you seem insincere.

Adjusting your style of communication is an important part of considering your audience. Remember that one word may be interpreted in a multitude of ways by different people. For example, a landscape ecologist might define a “landscape” as a mosaic that is heterogeneous with respect to at least one factor, due to effects of patterns and processes (Turner, Gardner & O’Neill, 2001; Urban, O’Neill, and Shugart, Jr., 1987). Members of the public might think of “lawns” or “landscaping” when they hear the same word. There are also many popular press references to religious, political, and socio-economic “landscapes.”

Keep your audience in mind when crafting your writing or presentation. What do you want them to know about your research, and how can they apply what they have learned to a problem or decision? Also choose your language carefully so that your important points are clear.

"Effective scientific prose is accurate, clear, economical, fluent, and graceful" (Council of Biology Editors, 1994, 101).

Here are some tips to help you simplify scientific language:

1) Rather than using technical terminology, use simpler synonyms. Also be careful of words from a thesaurus that can make your communication awkward and unclear.

Examples:
do rather than accomplish, perform
part rather than component
begin rather than commence, initiate
cause rather than effectuate
measure rather than quantify
use rather than utilization
lessen the impact of rather than mitigate

2) If you must use jargon, be explicit about it. Give context and clarification for acronyms or other terms that you use.

Example:

To evaluate the effect of stresses on hydrologic systems, researchers often use topologic simulation models. These models can help them to predict the fate and transport of pollutants under various conditions.

Versus

To evaluate the effect of stresses on watersheds and river basins, including changes in the amount of precipitation or ground-water extraction rates, researchers often use simulation models based on local topography and other watershed characteristics. These models can help them to predict where pollutants will travel under various conditions.

3) Wordy phrases may also inhibit understanding. Where possible, stick to using simple, phrases that accurately convey the meaning you intended.

Examples:
fewer rather than a decreased number of
because rather than accounted for by the fact
we observed rather than it was observed in the course of experiments
we do not know rather than we have insufficient knowledge
to rather than in order to
agreement rather than unanimity of opinion

4) It may be effective to use short stories or analogies. If you use this technique, be sure that your analogy is straightforward and that your audience will relate to it. Consider the following example from Stephen Schneider of Stanford University (Schwartz, 2006). If you were asked to justify a policy that mandates large energy use reductions based on a minimal increase in the likelihood of catastrophic climate change, what would be an effective method? Schneider recommended drawing a parallel with fire insurance. Many homeowners invest in fire insurance although only a fraction will actually experience a home fire.

5) Consult someone outside of your field to assess the clarity of your paper or presentation.

One again, all of us at the Communications Center would like to wish you a wonderful summer!

References:

Council of Biology Editors, Style Manual Committee. (1994). Scientific style and format: the CBE manual for authors, editors, and publishers. 6th ed. Reston, VA: Council of Biology [Science] Editors.

Gale, C. Be clear: communicating research to lay audiences. Retrieved from http://www.stanford.edu/~cgale/

Miller, O. (2010). How to simplify your presentation without dumbing it down. Retrieved from http://speakingaboutpresenting.com/content/presentation-simplicity/

Schwartz, M. (2006). Scholars learn to communicate plainly the science of climate change. Stanford Report. Stanford: Stanford University. Retrieved from http://news.stanford.edu/news/2006/november15/woodspol-111506.html

Turner, M.G., Gardner, R.H., & O’Neill, R.V. (2001). Landscape Ecology in Theory and Practice: Pattern and Process. New York: Springer Science and Business Media, Inc.

Urban, D.L., O’Neill, R.V., & Shugart, Jr., H.H. (1987). Landscape ecology: a hierarchical perspective can help scientists understand spatial pattern. Bioscience, 37(2): 119-127.

--Danica Schaffer-Smith

Communications Tip: Editing Checklist

2010-06-02T10:39:00.000-07:00

Last year, our ESM 437 class compiled a quick reference checklist for general editing, an ideal resource as you finish final papers and prepare for internships, new jobs, or a relaxing summer. Feel free to adapt our list to your next writing effort.

Here is an editing checklist to get you started. Let us know if we're missing anything and we'll add it to future iterations.
--Matches expectations of task
--Clear objective/thesis statement
--Compelling introduction and conclusion
--Demonstrates flow/logical order
--Makes relevant and appropriate recommendations
--Easy to find critical points
--Addresses significance: answers “so what?”
--Supportive and well-integrated evidence
--Assumptions are explicit

--Overall clarity
--Cohesion/ connectivity between paragraphs
--Appropriate scope
--Precise language
--Avoid redundancy
--Sentence/word variation
--Audience-appropriate evidence (e.g., statistics, observations, examples);
useful charts/tables/visuals, where applicable
--Tense/verb agreement

Thank you to our ESM 437 students for their contributions!
--Monica Bulger

Fearless Punctuation Tip - How to Hyphenate

2010-05-26T15:52:00.000-07:00

Student writers often confuse the hyphen and dash. A hyphen is a short line (-) used to join words; it occurs on most keyboards as an actual key. A dash is a longer line (—) used to set off or separate phrases; it does NOT occur on most keyboards as an actual key. A dash can be automatically generated in Microsoft Word, however, by typing two hyphens between words like this: A dash--generated with two hyphens--is a useful writing tool. (After you use “space bar” to move away from the word following the double hyphens, MS Word will automatically change it into a dash.) If you are using a word processing program that does not automatically convert double hyphens to a dash, then it is acceptable to use the two hyphens in place of the dash.

Now that we’re clear on that point, let’s focus on the hyphen. If you are looking for infallible rules for when to use the hyphen, you are out of luck: its use is constantly evolving! The following uses, however, are generally agreed upon, with a few exceptions here and there.

~Main Uses~
1. To join two or more words serving as a single adjective before a noun (a.k.a., a compound modifier)

Examples:
Asbestos is a well-known carcinogen.
Look online for up-to-date images of the oil spill.
Predictions from large-scale global climate models can be a valuable resource for city planners.

Note: When the adjective follows the noun, the words are NOT hyphenated.

Examples:
The carcinogenic properties of asbestos are well known.
The images of the oil spill are up to date.
Predictions from global climate model can be a valuable resource for city planners in spite of the models' large scale.
[In these cases, "well known," “up to date,” and "large scale" follow the nouns they're modifying, so they are not hyphenated.]

2. To join compound numbers under one hundred and fractions

Examples: thirty-five, fifty-two or five-eighths

Hyphens are usually not used with numbers greater than one hundred, unless they occur within the greater number:

Example: one hundred twenty-one

Note: While hyphens are used to write out numbers when required, it is acceptable in most cases to write numbers that are greater than ten numerically (e.g., 12 instead of twelve).

3. To avoid confusion or awkward combinations of letters

Examples:
re-sign a purchase order (vs. resign from a job)
re-creation of the compound (vs. parks and recreation)
re-enter the facility (vs. “reenter”)

4. To avoid ambiguities

Examples:
a little-used car vs. a little used-car
third-world environmental degradation vs. third world environmental degradation

5. To join certain prefixes and suffixes to words.

Examples: Use a hyphen with the prefixes ex-, self-, all-, half-, semi-, quasi-, non-, post-, and neo-.
self-employed
quasi-normal
post-test

Example: Use a hyphen with the suffix –elect.
president-elect

Example: Use a hyphen between a prefix and a capitalized word or acronym.
pre-NEPA regulation

Example: Use a hyphen and with figures or letters.
mid-1990s
T-shirt

Note: In all of the above cases, there are NO SPACES on either side of the hyphen.

6. To split words between lines when using a justified text format.
Whenever possible, keep a word that isn’t hyphenated together, but when it does get broken at the end of a line, make the break only between syllables or where a word is already hyphenated.

Examples: en-vi-ron-ment-al-ist, warm-ing, plan-ning, or mass-produced

Note: Never put a single letter at the beginning or end of a line and never put two-letter suffixes at the beginning of a new line.

Examples:
extremely (Do not separate to leave “ly” beginning a new line.)
avail-a-ble (Separate only on either side of the a; do not leave the initial “a” at the end of a line.)

~Suspended Hyphens~

Suspended hyphens (a.k.a., “dangling” or “hanging” hyphens) are used in series of related compound words separated by “and” “or” or “to.” In these cases, the hyphen acts as a kind of place holder.

Examples:
The first- and second-year MESM students are brilliant.
The proposed logging site is full of two- and three-hundred-year-old trees.

~Hyphen MYTHS~

1. The hyphen as a separator
The hyphen’s main purpose is to join words, but people still sometimes use it INCORRECTLY as a “separator,” frequently in place of a comma.

Examples:
Once you’ve run the model-add it to your GIS display. (Incorrect)
Once you’ve run the model, add it to your GIS display. (Correct)

Other “separators” that are more appropriate include the period (hyphens can be an indicator of run-on sentences), the colon, the semicolon, or the dash (visit the Communication Center’s blog posts for more information on each of these “separators.”)

2. The hyphen as a delimiter.
Another common mis-use of the hyphen is to delineate internal or parenthetical phrases.

Incorrect Example: Black carbon-unlike greenhouse gases-stays in the atmosphere only for a few weeks.

This incorrectly hyphenated sentence is confusing, because people will read it as

Black carbon-unlike . . .
greenhouse gases-stays . . .
in the atmosphere only for a few weeks.

…when what the writer really meant was

Black carbon . . .
unlike greenhouse gases . . .
stays in the atmosphere only for a few weeks.

This sentence should be correctly written with dashes as follows:
Black carbon—unlike greenhouse gases—stays in the atmosphere only for a few weeks.

~Confusion About Capitalization~

We often get asked whether to capitalize the word following a hyphen in a title. After consulting grammar books, checking journals, and asking editors, we discovered that there is no consensus on whether one practice is more correct than another.

Therefore, both of the following examples are correct:
Predictions from Large-scale Global Climate Models
Predictions from Large-Scale Global Climate Models

We generally prefer the second option, but will post feedback from faculty on this issue.

~~
These tips should help you to correctly use the hyphen, but when in doubt, you can always check a dictionary or a good style reference—or make an appointment at the Communications Center!

~References~
Conrey, S. M., and Stolley, K. (2010). Hyphen Use. Retrieved from the Purdue Online Writing Lab http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/576/1/.

Hester, Z. (2010). The Hyphen. Retrieved from http://zacharyhester.com/site/articles/en_hyphen.html.

Wikipedia. (2010). Hyphen. Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyphen.

--Audrey Tresham

Fearless Punctuation Tip - Help Save the Endangered Semicolon!

2010-05-18T10:29:00.000-07:00

Despite the many benefits it offers, the semicolon is often misunderstood—or even feared—and has become increasingly scarce in modern writing. In this installment of our Fearless Punctuation Series, we provide you with three easy ways that you can bring back the semicolon:

1) If you have two short stand-alone sentences that are related, or provide interesting contrast to one another, you may consider incorporating them into one sentence. Semicolons allow you to join independent clauses without using conjunctions (e.g., and, but, nor, yet).The following examples show instances when semicolons should, and should not, be used to connect clauses.

Example:
A coal transport recently grounded and spilled oil at a coral shoal along the Great Barrier Reef. Park officials and environmentalists are particularly concerned about negative impacts on hatching seabirds and turtles (AFP, 2010).
--Each of these statements can stand alone, but the ideas they contain are related. They can be combined, as shown below.

A coal transport recently grounded and spilled oil at a coral shoal along the Great Barrier Reef; park officials and environmentalists are particularly concerned about effects on hatching seabirds and turtles (AFP, 2010).
--Combining the two statements using a semicolon shows that they are connected.

Example:
Most climate models predict increased temperature and precipitation in the Pacific Northwest. These conditions may favor the spread of insects and pathogens affecting forests (van Mantgem et al., 2009)
--Each of these statements can stand alone, but the ideas they contain are related. They can be combined by using a semicolon or a conjunction, as shown below.

Most climate models predict increased temperature and precipitation in the Pacific Northwest, and these conditions may favor the spread of insects and pathogens affecting forests (van Mantgem et al., 2009).
--If a conjunction is used to connect two clauses, a comma should be used, rather than a semicolon.

Example:
Whole Foods Market offsets its total energy use through wind energy credits. All store locations have also discontinued the use of plastic grocery bags (Loftus, 2010).
--These two statements do not have an obvious connection. Eliminating plastic bags is not related to energy offsets, so it is best to leave these two sentences separate.

2) Semicolons can also help you to connect sentences with internal punctuation.

Example:
Due to public concern about habitat deterioration, a restoration project has been proposed along the Kissimmee River. The primary goal is to return flow to the floodplain (ACOE, 2010).
--These two sentences are related, and the period breaks the relationship between the clauses. They can be combined using a semicolon, as shown below.

Due to public concern about habitat deterioration, a restoration project has been proposed along the Kissimmee River; the primary goal is to return flow to the floodplain (ACOE, 2010).
--A semicolon is appropriate for connecting the two sentences. If a comma had been used, the sentence would have a comma splice error.

3) You may additionally use semicolons as super commas in your writing.

Example:
The United Nations operates offices throughout the globe, including in Nairobi, Kenya; Bankok, Thailand; Santiago, Chile; and Beirut, Lebanon.
--Use a semicolon if you are making a list of items separated with commas, such as locations, names, dates, or descriptions.

Note: If you are in doubt, reading aloud may help you to decide which punctuation is most appropriate.
Comma = brief pause
Semicolon = moderate pause
Period = full stop

A comical illustrated guide to semicolon usage is available at http://theoatmeal.com/comics/semicolon

Also, refer to Jane Straus’ online Blue Book of Grammer at http://www.grammarbook.com/

References:

[ACOE] US Army Corps of Engineers. (2010). Kissimmee River Restoration. Retrieved April 19, 2010, from http://www.saj.usace.army.mil/Divisions/Everglades/Branches/ProjectExe/Sections/UECKLO/KRR.htm

[AFP] Agence France-Presse. (2010). Great Barrier Reef oil spill hits renowned nature sanctuary. Retrieved April 14, 2010, from http://www.grist.org/article/2010-04-14-great-barrier-reef-oil-spill-hits-renowned-nature-sanctuary/

Hacker, D. (1999). A Writer’s Reference. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s.

Loftus, K. (2010). Our earth day commitment. Retrieved April 14, 2010, from http://blog.wholefoodsmarket.com/category/green-action/

van Mantgem, P.J., Stephenson, N.L., Byrne, J.C. Daniels, L.D., Franklin, J.F., Fule, P.Z., Harmon, M.E., Larson, A.J., Smith, J.M., Taylor, A.H. & Veblen, T.T. (2009). Widespread increase of tree mortality rates in the western United States. Science, 323, 521-524.
--Danica Schaffer-Smith

Fearless Punctuation Tip - The Collaborative Colon

2010-05-05T11:28:00.000-07:00

For the next tip in our Fearless Punctuation Series, we reveal the hidden power of the colon to emphasize and elaborate. We encourage you to use the colon daringly, yet sparingly, to spice up your writing.

H.W. Fowler said that the colon “delivers the goods that have been invoiced in the preceding words,” which is as apt a description as any! More specifically, colons introduce the part of a sentence that exemplifies, restates, elaborates, undermines, explains or balances the preceding statement. Most importantly, that ‘preceding statement’ must always be an independent clause capable of standing alone. Never use a colon after a sentence fragment.

~Main Uses~
A writer may use a colon after an independent clause to direct the reader’s attention to a list, an appositive, or a quotation.

Examples
List
The Bren School’s MESM core curriculum includes the following fall courses: Ecology of Managed Ecosystems, Earth Systems Science, Introduction to Environmental Policy Analysis, and Business and the Environment.

Appositive
When examined in this way, climate change is a violation of nature: an appalling mistake.

Quotation
Consider the words of P.J. O’Rourke: “The college idealists who fill the ranks of the environmental movement seem willing to do absolutely anything to save the biosphere, except take science courses and learn something about it.”

A colon may also be used between independent clauses if the second clause summarizes or explains the first.

Example
The environmental assessment was correct: most of the habitat had been destroyed.
Note: When an independent clause follows a colon, it may begin with a lowercase or a capital letter.

~Other More Perfunctory Uses~
The colon is also used after a salutation in a formal greeting letter, to indicate hours and minutes, to show proportions, between a title and subtitle, and in certain conventions in bibliographic entries (volume: page number, city: publisher, etc.).

Examples
Dear Ms. Helfer:

9:30 a.m.

The standard ratio of nitrogen to phosphorus in marine systems is 16:1.

Eats, Shoots & Leaves: The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation

Boston: Bedford, 1999.

~Avoid Mis-use~
As mentioned above, a colon MUST be preceded by an independent clause.

Avoid using a colon between a verb and its object or complement.
Some important nutrients in aquatic systems are: phosphorus and nitrogen. (Incorrect)
Some important nutrients in aquatic systems are phosphorus and nitrogen. (Correct)

Avoid using a colon between a preposition and its object.
Particulate matter (PM10) pollution consists of: very small liquid and solid particles floating in the air. (Incorrect)
Particulate matter (PM10) pollution consists of very small liquid and solid particles floating in the air. (Correct)

Avoid using a colon after "such as," "including," or "for example."
The Burton Mesa Ecological Reserve is home to native plant species such as: Arctostaphylos purissima and Ceanothus cuneatus var. fascicularis. (Incorrect)
The Burton Mesa Ecological Reserve is home to native plant species such as Arctostaphylos purissima and Ceanothus cuneatus var. fascicularis. (Correct)

~References~
Hacker, D. 1999. A Writer’s Reference. Fourth Edition. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s.

Jeantheau, M. 2010. Funny Environmental Quotes. Grinning Planet. Web. http://www.grinningplanet.com/environmental-quotes/funny-environmental-quotes.htm

Truss, L. 2003. Eats, Shoots & Leaves: The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation. Gotham Books: New York City.

--Audrey Tresham

UCSB's Environmental Media Initiative

2010-04-27T17:15:00.000-07:00

Environmental media has really taken off as a "hot topic" in the last few years and environmental media centers are springing up at campuses across the country. As an institution uniquely suited to this interdisciplinary field--with a tradition of excellence in both environmental science and media/communications studies--UCSB has instituted an Environmental Media Initiative (EMI).

The EMI is part of UCSB's Carsey-Wolf Center for Film, Television and New Media and brings together environmental scientists with film, media and communications scholars to collaborate on teaching, research and public programming. Some of their programs include:

Blue Horizons: a 9-week academic summer program focused on using media to communicate vital stories of the global ocean.
Green Screen: an environmental media production program that brings together students in the arts, humanities, social sciences and sciences to engage environmental issues in Santa Barbara through artistic production.
Digital Ocean: a virtual commons that connects people and provides them with resources to advance ocean sustainability and protect earth's ocean ecosystems.

Dr. Ron Rice recently provided the Bren community with an overview of the EMI program and made the following suggestions for ways that Bren students can engage with the EMI:

Take environmental media courses or apply to Blue Horizons
Investigate interdisciplinary funding opportunities through the EMI for graduate students: either full funding or quarter-time hourly work on EMI projects (talk to Bren Ph.D. student Julie Robinson)
Find a way to do a dual project with Bren/EMI as part of your classes or internships or on your own
For Bren MESM students, think about different ways to distribute your group project results, in addition to your paper report. Collaborate with EMI colleagues on short films, online media or other ideas.
Contingent upon funding, EMI hopes to complete a biannual survey on environmental knowledge and attitudes. This project could be a good opportunity for Bren students to get involved.

For more information, visit the EMI website or talk to Bren folks who are involved with EMI, like Steve Gaines, John Melack, or Ph.D. student Julie Robinson.

--Audrey Tresham

Fearless Punctuation Tip - Footnoting Without Fear

2010-04-26T09:12:00.000-07:00

Upon a request from Bren faculty regarding proper punctuation when using footnotes, the Communications Center staff presents the second tip in our Fearless Punctuation series: Footnoting Without Fear!

Footnotes are a great tool for citing references when you want to avoid fragmenting your text with parenthetical citations. Footnotes appear at the bottom of the page in which a source was referenced, as opposed to endnotes, which appear at the end of the document.

Since formatting footnotes is challenging on a blog, please click here to download the full Footnoting Without Fear tip.

--Sara Solis

Fearless Punctuation Tip - Parentheses, Slashes and Dashes.

2010-04-22T10:23:00.000-07:00

Are you in a writing rut? It is easiest to write using the methods we are already familiar with, but this may limit our creativity. Getting comfortable with punctuation can add variety to your writing. We have put together a short “Fearless Punctuation” series so that you can dust the cobwebs off of that grade school English knowledge, and hopefully to help you start having fun using punctuation.

Parentheses, and Dashes and Slashes. Oh My!

These three types of punctuation are very useful for including supplementary information or creating emphasis in your writing. Each mark is appropriate to specific scenarios. Keep in mind that they should be used sparingly, as they may create a choppy effect.

1) Parentheses are used to:

insert information including: supplemental material, changes in subject or afterthoughts
order items in a list or series

Parentheses are especially useful in draft revisions, allowing you to add in new information as you read. Generally, parenthesis should be avoided in finished work. In subsequent edits, the information they contain can usually be integrated in your piece without the use of parentheses.

Example 1
Proper use of parentheses:
The permit stipulates that: (1) work may only take place during daylight hours; (2) no work may take place within 500 feet of active raptor or songbird nests; (3) daily clearance survey must be conducted by a qualified biologist prior to any ground disturbing activities; (4) a monitoring biologist must be present during all work activities to ensure compliance with the permit and (5) monthly monitoring reports will be submitted to the Department of Fish and Game for review.
--This example shows proper use of parentheses in a list. The parentheses help the reader to note each of the important requirements in the series.

Example 2
Incorrect use of parentheses:
Each year almost two million people (of which 90% are children under 5 years of age) die due to waterborne diseases.
Correction:
Each year almost two million people die due to waterborne diseases; 90 percent of those affected are children under five years of age.
--In this example, information that may be very important for the reader is presented as an afterthought in parentheses. The sentence is also informal. The correction, using a semicolon, is more professional and gives more importance to the statistic. Also note that in professional writing, numerals from one to nine should be fully written out, as well as “percent,” rather than “%.”

2) Dashes are used to:

give emphasis to supplementary information
introduce a list, to show a paraphrase, or
indicate a shift in the tone or topic of your writing

Example 1
Incorrect use of dashes:
There are numerous examples of firms—with superior corporate social responsibility (CSR) programs—that have done well, as well as firms—with poor CSR reputations—that have performed poorly. However, for most firms, most of the time, financial performance is unrelated to corporate social responsibility.
Correction:
There are numerous examples of firms with superior corporate social responsibility (CSR) programs that have done well—as well as firms with poor CSR reputations that have performed poorly. However, for most firms—most of the time—financial performance is unrelated to corporate social responsibility.
--Dashes in this example do not emphasize the most important information to further understanding. In the correction, dashes draw attention to supplementary information that supports the argument.

Example 2
Incorrect use of dashes:
There are numerous measurements: satellite data, radiosondes, borehole analysis, glacial melt observations, sea ice melt, sea level rise and permafrost melt—that indicate the general trend and magnitude of climate change.
Correction:
There are numerous measurements—satellite data, radiosondes, borehole analysis, glacial melt observations, sea ice melt, sea level rise and permafrost melt—that indicate the general trend and magnitude of climate change on Earth.
--In this example, a dash is used incorrectly after a colon. To use a dash to offset items in a list, bookend the list by beginning and ending with dashes, as shown in the corrected version.

3) Slashes are most often used to distinguish paired terms such as “he/she”. They are usually read as “or” or “and.” They are also used in abbreviations (i.e., w/, w/out, and/or). Slashes are useful for notes and brainstorming, but are generally not appropriate in academic or professional writing.

Example 1
Incorrect use of slashes:
The budget proposal would increase fees for inactive oil and gas leases on federal lands and waters to $4/acre.
Correction:
The budget proposal would increase fees for inactive oil and gas leases on federal lands and waters to four dollars per acre.
--The use of slashes and other shorthand in this example is informal. In the more professional correction the unnecessary slash is replaced with “per,” and “four dollars” is written out rather than “$4.”

Example 2
Incorrect use of slashes:
The environmentalists/scientists assert that preserving coastal sage scrub and/or chaparral habitats in the vicinity is crucial to the survival of local coastal California gnatcatcher populations.
Correction:
Scientists and environmentalists assert that preserving coastal sage scrub and chaparral habitats in the vicinity is crucial to the survival of the local coastal California gnatcatcher populations.
--In this example, the slash is unnecessary. The paired terms can be separated, as shown in the correction.

References:
Hacker, D. (1999). A Writer’s Reference, 4th Edition. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s.

--Danica Schaffer-Smith

Tough Topics, Tough Audiences. Part IV: Meet the Audience Where They Are

2010-04-09T11:32:00.000-07:00

As environmental professionals, Bren students and alumni are often tasked with communicating complex environmental problems and solutions to "non-environmental" audiences. These audiences can sometimes be unreceptive or even hostile, and speaking to them can be quite a challenge. On February 26th, the 2010 Doris Duke Fellows hosted a workshop entitled "Tough Topics, Tough Audiences" where public speaking coach Lisa Braithwaite helped Bren students prepare for these difficult situations. The following is an excerpt from her informative presentation. For more on Coach Lisa B., visit her website or blog. You should also check out the excellent resources page she has set up for Bren students.

Meet the Audience Where They Are
If you're doing all the other things we've discussed (knowing your objective and audience, preparing, and engaging your audience) then you're laying the groundwork and will likely have fewer of the "tough audience" situations. But, if you do expect a tough audience, it's important to understand people's motivations for being there and their barriers to learning from you.

Remember that everybody has a lifetime of skills and knowledge to contribute; they're not a blank slate or empty vessel waiting to be filled with your knowledge! Think of your audience as people who have lots of knowledge, experiences and things that they can share and contribute if you're open-minded about it.

Start by checking your assumptions. Before tough presentations, we frequently make assumptions that the audience will disagree with us, but in reality, most of your audiences are supportive. For the most part, people are on your side. Keep that in mind and re-frame mentally. Don't assume they're going to be hostile, think, "They're here to support me; they want to learn from me."

Secondly, try to avoid assumptions you might make during your presentation about how people are acting or responding to you. Don't extrapolate out one person who may look a certain way to the whole audience. And realize that everybody is different: that nasty look someone is giving you may just be his face!

That being said, there are occasionally some people who might make things more difficult for you. What do you think makes these people uncomfortable? Maybe . . .

They don't understand what you're saying
You're contradicting something they believe (especially anything related to values or personal issues)
They have false assumptions about your topic
They feel judged or blamed about something
You're asking them to change
They're afraid that you will make them talk!
They have a different perspective
They've been forced to be there
They don't know what to believe
They are confused and a confused mind always says no

Thinking about and preparing for these possibilities in advance can help prevent or defuse tough situations. For example, if you're going into a situation where you expect the audience to have a different perspective, try to address it right up front. Use some humor, let them know that even with differing perspectives, what they have to say is important and you do want to hear it. In any tough situation, be human, be upfront, be forthright. Be 100% honest all the time, and don't break the trust with your audience because it is hard to get it back.

Even if you work hard to avoid it, you may sometimes encounter a heckler. Hecklers can be challenging, but the first step in dealing with them is to take what they're saying at face value: don't read into it, don't over-analyze it. Just remember to always be respectful and never assume that it's you personally that someone is bothered by; it's something going on with them. Let that person feel heard because, a lot of times, that's all they want. It's OK to say, "I'm not prepared to talk about that today, but I'd be happy to discuss it. I'll give you my card and maybe we can talk about it later."

In general, however, the less you say to hecklers, the better, because the more you say, the more you're likely to get into something. For more on dealing with hecklers, see the Bren resources page on Coach Lisa B's website. There is a short presentation on dealing with hecklers by fellow speaking coach Olivia Mitchell, as well as a handout.

In conclusion, try to understand where your audience is coming from. Remember, it's not all about you! Put the focus back on your audience: who are they, what do they need? Then you'll be doing them a service, giving them some value. Do the research, think about it and you'll feel less hostile about them. When you get tough questions, remember, "This person just wants some information." Keep that sense of confidence in your message and if you've done all the prep and legwork, you'll be prepared for these kinds of issues.

Most importantly, remember that tough topics + tough audiences = a tough speaker! The more you speak to these tough audiences, the better speaker you will become. Good luck!

--Audrey Tresham

Tough Topics, Tough Audiences. Part III: Engage the Audience

2010-04-09T10:59:00.000-07:00

Coach Lisa B. talks to Bren students about engaging their audience.

You can also use emotion to connect and use humor to diffuse tense situations. Self-deprecating humor is always good. Making fun of yourself breaks down audience barriers and makes you look human (but don't to it too much or you look insecure). It is NEVER a good ideas to do humor at an audience member's expense.

Research shows that people are different types of learners: auditory, kinesthetic, visual, etc. In an effort to engage all types of learners, try to get your audience moving and/or doing at least once in your presentation. When you ask a question to a room, you often get silence. But if you ask it and then say, "Discuss it among yourselves," then the room is buzzing and when you come back, people are more willing to talk--partly just because that silence barrier has been broken.

This format also provides a safe space where people can talk who aren't comfortable raising their hand in front of the room. Additionally, it takes the focus off you, gives you a break, and gives them a break from you! When breaking people into groups, however, be aware of the room. You don't want to take up too much time with people moving or climbing over aisles, chairs, etc. If moving is too difficult, you can alwasy say, "Talk about it with your neighbor."

On a related note, people do learn in a lot of different ways. Be aware of that and don't pre-judge your audience. Just because someone is playing games on their phone, it doesn't mean they're not listening to you. Perhaps they are a kinesthetic learner and having something to do with their hands might actually help them absorb your information.

For more tips on engaging your audience, check out Made to Stick by Chip and Dan Heath (listed uner "Recommended Reading" on Lisa's Bren resources page). It's a marketing book about making ideas sticky and memorable, but is very applicable to public speaking.

Check back soon for Tough Topics, Tough Audiences Part IV: Meet the Audience Where They Are.

--Audrey Tresham

Tough Topics, Tough Audiences. Part II: Prepare, prepare, prepare!

2010-04-06T17:09:00.000-07:00

Prepare, prepare, prepare!
Preparation is the number one thing that people don’t spend enough time on. Start by thinking about how you will you open and close your presentation. Openings and closings are an area that are highly neglected by speakers and are the only part of your presentation that you should memorize. While memorizing your whole presentation word-for-word can make you sound stiff or canned, your opening is important and memorizing it helps make you less nervous and lets you get started.

Openings
About 99% of all speakers begin with “Hi, my name is so and so, and I do this.” Don’t start by talking about yourself, because your audience probably doesn’t care that much—or they’ve already read your bio in a handout or on a website. Try to jump right in with something that is more engaging. You want to get the audience on your side immediately and the way you do that is by coming across as a human being immediately. Make a connection with the people in the room. When you start out being human, using humor or trying to lighten environment, people start connecting with you right away. Potential starter ideas: use a question, quiz, story or shocking statistic.

Closings
How many of you have gotten to the end of a presentation, and then you just didn’t know what to say? So you just say “Oh OK, thanks, that’s it!” or you talk in circles because you don’t know how to end. That’s not a great last impression for your audience! Try to plan a strong closing that emphasizes your main point or your take-home message. Leave your audience with a sense of closure and a good impression!

More specifically, DON’T end with Q&A! The energy in the room dies during questions and you could also end on some random question that had nothing to do with your presentation. You need to be in control of the room, and when you end on Q&A, that is not the case. If possible, take Q&A before your closing. Say something like, “I have about five minutes for Q&A, and then after that, I’m going to wrap up.” At end of the Q&A say, “I’d like to take a few minutes to wrap up or recap.” Using this technique will make your presentation so much cleaner—what sticks in the audience members’ minds is your big idea or call to action; not the last random question.

If you have a strict format for your talk, avoiding the ending Q&A can be difficult, but at least ask the organizer beforehand, “Can I just say a few words after the Q&A to conclude and to wrap everything up that we’ve been talking about?” It’s hard to imagine someone saying no to that.

Determine your main points
Don’t put everything you know into your presentation! Showing everything you did or know on the slides isn’t about the audience—it’s about you and your presentation isn’t about you! The audience doesn’t want or need everything you know. Three to four main points are ideal. That number depends a little on the amount of time you have to present, but for longer presentations, think about how you can flush out you main points more, rather than adding more points. Your audience will only retain so much.

How will you organize your ideas?
There are lots of ways to structure and organize your ideas (chronologically, big picture to small picture) but have a structure of some kind and think of what’s going to work best for your audience.

Practice!
How much time do you typically give to practicing your presentations? How many of you only practice the night before? You put so much time into creating your presentation, when it comes to delivering it, do you really want to wing it? Do you want it to be just OK? Your audience is giving up their time and sometimes their money to come see you; make it worth it for them.

Bren students practice giving mini-presentations to their peers during the workshop.

What to do if you have limited time to prepare
Determine the three critical points you want to make and think about how you can open/close it with a bang. In addition, being prepared in your work—even if not for a specific presentation—will make it easier to do a presentation on short notice: read your journals, your blogs—be up on that stuff. Don’t slack off on the homework part of work. The more you keep up on your professional development, the more you’re prepared to speak.

Remember, the most important thing is to meet the needs of your audience. It’s not about you; it’s about getting your message across to your audience and anyone can do this with proper preparation.

--Audrey Tresham

Tough Topics, Tough Audiences Part I: Know Your Objective & Your Audience

2010-04-06T16:47:00.000-07:00

As environmental professionals, Bren students and alumni are often tasked with communicating complex environmental problems and solutions to "non-environmental" audiences. These audiences can sometimes be unreceptive or even hostile, and speaking to them can be quite a challenge. On February 26th, the 2010 Doris Duke Fellows hosted a workshop entitled 'Tough Topics, Tough Audiences' where public speaking coach Lisa Braithwaite helped Bren students prepare for these difficult situations. The following is an excerpt from her informative presentation. For more on Coach Lisa B., visit her website or blog. You should also check out the excellent resources page she set up for Bren students.

Talking about difficult topics takes courage, tact and humor, especially when you go into a situation already knowing there might be antagonism. But it's important to remember that your audience can also be receptive, responsive and grateful--don't forget that! Don't assume with a hostile or difficult audience that there aren't people there whose lives you're going to change.

Even in difficult situations, the presenter is responsible for the audience's understanding and if you, as the speaker, are not able to get your message across, then you need to find a way to improve! What is most important is meeting the needs of your audience. It's not about YOU; it's about getting your message across to your audience and anyone can do this with proper preparation.

Know Your Objective & Your Audience
In order to know the objective of your talk, you have to know your audience. Are they beginners? Do they know absolutely nothing about your topic, or are they experts? Are they contrarian? Knowing the answers to these questions will affect the type of presentation you give.

There are three basic questions you should try to answer about your audience:

Why are they there?
What are their needs?
What do you want them to do as a result of your talk?

There are many ways to find the answers to these questions. If it's a smaller audience or panel, read their backgrounds or CVs. If you're speaking to a group, familiarize yourself with the perspective or mission of the organization. If it's feasible, send out an online questionnaire in advance to find out what the audience wants. Talk to the event organizer to get information about the group. The more you know about your audience, the more you can serve their particular needs. Try to always give your audience something of value and something that is relevant or applicable to their lives.

Think about these issues before you even start creating your presentation: know who you're talking to, why, what they want, and what you want them to do. Then you'll have a real objective, and you can create a presentation for that specific audience.

Check back soon for Tough Topics, Tough Audiences Part II: Prepare, prepare prepare!

--Audrey Tresham

Communications Tip: Preparing a Professional Writing Sample

2010-04-05T14:45:00.000-07:00

It’s that time of year at the Bren School, and the search is on for your dream job or internship. Please remember that the Communications Center is here to help you through this process.

Employers recognize strong communication skills as a major asset in their potential employees, regardless of the position. Your writing sample will be an organization’s first impression of your work, so you want to have a polished, appropriate piece ready to submit at a moment’s notice.

We have prepared a few tips to help you select a standout writing sample:

1) Always ask your potential employer for guidelines.

2) Two pages, or 500 words, is usually an acceptable length, if no requirement is provided. You might consider having two writing samples of different lengths available (e.g., a one- to two-page memo, as well as a five- to ten-page essay). Whatever length you choose, make sure to use a complete piece that has a beginning, middle, and conclusion.

3) Regardless of the subject matter, be sure that your piece is well researched and uses intelligent, persuasive arguments.

4) If possible, choose a topic that is relevant to the position. Alternatively, you could match your sample to the type of writing you might be asked to perform on the job. For example, for a policy internship with the EPA it is important to demonstrate the ability to analyze complex data and make strong recommendations. A more traditional scientific report might be appropriate for a role in the research field, whereas a clear, concise synthesis of a body of knowledge would be better-suited to a communications position. Before starting from scratch, review written work from your previous Bren classes to find candidates pieces to be polished. Also, see Career Services for advice on the topic and style of your piece.

5) Proofread your writing and seek outside assistance with editing. The more eyes that have reviewed your piece, the more confident you can be that it is free of errors.

Our Writing Consultants are available for one-on-one appointments. We can help you with organization, style, professionalism of your writing sample. We are also available to assist you with cover letters.

Before making an appointment with us, please be sure to consult Career Services regarding the content of your application materials.

We look forward to working with you!
--Danica Schaffer-Smith

Communications Tip: Requesting a Letter of Recommendation

2010-03-12T16:14:00.000-08:00

You’ve completed your application essay, ordered your transcripts, and drafted your cover letter; now you need to secure that crucial letter of recommendation. The manner in which you compose your request will influence its effectiveness. Lara Polansky (MESM 2009) compiled the following guidelines for writing position-winning requests:
1. Be concise: Professors/employers are inundated with emails and likely have limited time to read/respond to requests; incorporate the key details in as few words as possible.

2. Include a short description of the fellowship/internship/program: This will aid your recommender in writing a letter geared toward the specific opportunity for which you are applying.

3. Provide suggestions: You know what it takes to obtain the award/position. Help your recommender understand this and, thus, incorporate this information in his/her letter, by suggesting subjects to emphasize. You may also want to guide your recommender towards a discussion of experiences exemplifying your unique attributes that differentiate you from other applicants.

4. List the desired applicant qualities as specified by the program: Your letter of recommendation will be most effective if your recommender demonstrates how your characteristics align with those the program is seeking in an applicant.

5. Attach your statement of purpose (or equivalent) and resume: Although your recommender is likely familiar with your academic and professional experiences, it is often helpful to provide these detailed summaries of goals and accomplishments. This will help your recommender to be as specific as possible in his/her letter.

6. Format your message: Use of underlining and bullets will help direct the reader to the most important parts of your request.

7. Highlight the deadline: It is important that your recommender know the time frame of the request.

Bren faculty contributed the following recommendations to strengthen your requests:
--Be timely: Many times faculty get requests at the last minute. Whenever possible, provide a minimum of two weeks' notice.
--Letters need a full address (i.e., letter heading) ready for copying and pasting, as well as bulleted descriptions of the proposed study or work, if the letter concerns a specific project.
--If the letter has to be sent by mail, provide an addressed envelope for the recommender.
--Provide the web address of the fellowship opportunity but DON'T expect the recommender to weed through the detailed application. Tell him/ her exactly what is required -- e.g., points stressed in the fellowship application instructions, how the letter is to be sent (email or mail), exact address, number of copies, etc.
--Send an email first, asking the person if they are willing to be a recommender and state the deadline. This gives them an "out" and does not make them feel like you presume they are willing to write one. If they say they don't have time, respect that and move on. If they do have time, followup with an email to provide exactly what they need. Try to provide all information in a single e-mail to save the recommender time and to avoid important information getting buried in multiple messages.
--Offer to draft the letter (or at least an outline) for the recommender.
--Ask for letters from faculty who know you well. Often, faculty receive requests from students who took a large course and never spoke with them, either in class or outside of class. There is no value to a generic letter which does not highlight your achievements and qualities. If you want a professor to know more about you than just the grade you received, try to stand out in class by asking questions, participating in research activities, and doing exemplary work.

The bottom line is, be considerate of your letter writer. The more time you put into preparing your letter request, the less time your letter writer needs to spend requesting additional information.

Thank you to the faculty who sent their advice and suggestions!
--Monica Bulger

Preparing the Bren Group Project Brief

2010-03-09T10:49:00.000-08:00

The Bren School Communications Center offered a one-hour workshop on March 1st to assist students in preparing their Group Project brief documents.

Dr. Monica Bulger led a discussion of the elements of a strong brief. She distributed a handout describing the "IRAC" system, used in Berkeley's law courses. IRAC (Issue, Rule, Analysis, Conclusion) is a framework used to develop tight, well-prepared, concise arguments. We can use this same system to help us translate detailed and lengthy reports into a more condensed format.

Considerations in preparing the brief:

The audience comes first (as always!).
How can you profit from the brief or use it to further your career?
Could it serve as a writing sample?
The overall goal is to produce a 1-4 page document that communicates complex ideas clearly and simply.
Make this a document that you can be proud of.Your Executive Summary may be a good starting point.

Activity 1: Groups spent a few minutes building an outline for their briefs using IRAC.

Applying IRAC to the Bren Group Project:
Issue: What are you addressing? This should be a one-sentence description of your topic.
Example: There is no established way to predict or reduce the environmental impact of shoes.

Rule: What are some of the assumptions made about your topic? What are some of the limitations or challenges in addressing the question?

Analysis: How did you approach the problem? What evidence have you gathered? It is important to explain the basics of your methods and provide support for your conclusions.

Conclusion: What are the results of your study? What are the implications of your findings?
Example: The Footprint Group Project produced a model that can predict and reduce the environmental impact of shoes during the design phase.

You will want to market your project as much as possible in the brief. A brief is a much more attractive than a full report for people interested in learning about your project. The brief is very likely the only thing that will actually be read. If it is provides a strong and compelling message, it will entice readers to explore your report.

Activity 2: Groups spent a few minutes looking at past group project briefs and the entire group then discussed examples of strong content and formatting.

Advice for brief formatting generated in the session:

The main message should be visually obvious.
You might consider putting the problem statement and your conclusions in bold.
Maximize headings by making them count: for example, instead of "Results" use a more descriptive title.
If you have a study site, include a map showing the area.
If you are studying a species, show a picture of it.
Create strong graphs or figures to represent your data.
Think about the brief as a movie preview; you want to include the most exciting moments to get people to the theater to see the full movie. This is your opportunity to compel people to want to know more.

If you would like further assistance with your group project brief, please contact us. Our Writing and Visual Design Consultants will be happy to arrange appointments upon request.

--Danica Schaffer-Smith

Compelling Poster Design

2010-03-02T09:02:00.000-08:00

On February 22nd, the Bren School Communications Center hosted a workshop on the content and visual design of posters. The workshop specifically addressed the needs of 2nd year Bren students, who are currently in the process of preparing posters summarizing their Group Projects. Dr. Monica Bulger led a brief discussion of the textual aspects of a poster and Visual Design Consultant Aaron Sobel provided guidelines for visual design as well as an overview of design tools.

TEXTUAL CONTENT

Bren Poster Presentation Workshop

View more presentations from Monica Bulger.

The text on a poster must strike a balance between providing technical information and sustaining interest. The primary consideration should always be your audience (family, friends, other students, professors, clients). When in doubt, direct your message toward your professors and clients. Also important is in what context the poster will be displayed. At the presentation in April, members of your group will be able to discuss details of the project with the audience, but it should have enough content to speak for itself on the walls of Bren Hall.

When you look at a poster, what do expect to take away from it? Participants at the workshop expressed that within a few seconds you should be able to identify the problem, what the group did, the results, and why the research is important. Consider what message you want to convey to your audience.

Activity 1: Participants worked with their group members to write out their research question or a brief statement about the project’s findings. Once this message is distilled, it can be used as a guiding focus in design of the poster.

Monica’s tips:

Plan for short attention spans. For example, use headers that are more descriptive than just “methods, results, discussion”. Consider incorporating your findings into the title of the poster.
A lot of text is overwhelming. Preserve the meaning, but cut out the details. Ideally, your main message should be one brief sentence. You can start with a long version, and then determine what is essential later.
Consider using your presentation slides as a guideline rather than the report. Your slides are already a more condensed and visual version of your information.
Use space wisely. Make sure that all of your images are useful in communicating your data.
Look at other posters and decide what you like and dislike

VISUAL DESIGN

Poster Design

View more presentations from Aaron Sobel.

Using Design Tools:
There are many different tools to choose from including Photoshop, InDesign, Powerpoint, and Pages (Mac only). Photoshop and InDesign have advanced features, but are more difficult to learn to use quickly. Powerpoint is the least flexible program, however, it is very widely used, is compatible with both Mac and PC platforms, and more people will be able to assist you in its use.

Regardless of which program you choose to use, it is very important to set the “canvas size” before doing anything else. Doing this will ensure that the poster is already the proper size when you take it to the printer. You may recall that enlarging images can result in pixilation issues. This may be a problem if the canvas size is not set correctly. In PowerPoint, this option is under page setup.In Pages, it can be found in page setup, under the File menu. Under “paper sizes”, you can define a new page size. In Photoshop, the canvas size is set when you create a new document.

Getting your Poster Printed:
When you go to the printer, you will want to take at least two file versions of your poster. Call ahead to determine what the printer needs from you and what file formats they accept. Take your original file with you in case you need make any edits on the spot. Additionally, you should bring at least one image version, such as JPEG, TIFF, or PDF. TIFF is the best option to maintain image quality.

Fonts:
Font choices contribute voice to the information on your poster. Sizes vary between fonts so be sure to print and review several different sizes of the fonts you are thinking of using. Free fonts can be downloaded online and installed on your computer. Keep in mind that the printer may not have your font, if you need to make changes. The TIFF or JPEG image versions will preserve your font style.

Colors:
A lot of the thematic feeling in a poster is found in the color scheme. Color wheels can help you select pleasing color combinations. You may also want to consider color meanings in making your choices for certain subject matter. Generally, conflicting colors and shadowing should be avoided. Print an 8.5x11 version of your poster to preview the color scheme before making a final decision.

Images:
Photographs and figures draw in your audience and are much more easily absorbed than textual information. If you have them, use photos of your group in action. Be creative in how you convey your information in figures and graphs. For example, to compare magnitudes, you can create objects (i.e. in Photoshop) that are the same shape but different sizes, rather than using percent figures. It is helpful to highlight the most important information, such as by using a different color for the most important column on a bar graph.

Logos and other images may look cleaner if they are cropped. Aaron gave a demonstration of how to clip a background in Photoshop so that text would wrap the curves of the image rather than the square background. Use the magic wand tool to do this, with the tolerance set high. If you hold down the shift key, you can add areas from the background. Once the backround is selected, choose select inverse> copy> save new>paste to get same image with no background. Save it as a PNG to import it into your poster.

More helpful online tools:

You can upload your poster in Feng-gui to determine the hotsposts in your poster, where most eyes will focus. Aaron uploaded an example poster and no hotspots occurred on the text.
Free flowchart tools, such as Omnigraffle, are available to make nicer images. Export them as PNG files to put into your poster.

Aaron’s Tips:

Keep the poster as simple as possible and make use of white space.
Try drawing your poster before doing it on the computer. Changes will be easier early on.
Make sure to use spell check .
Ask people outside of your group to give you feedback.
Print out a color proof on 8.5x11 before you take it anywhere else.
Make sure to have at least $80 left in your account to print two copies of your poster.

Activity 2: Students took a fieldtrip to evaluate design and content elements of posters on Bren Hall 3L, spending no more than 1 minute looking at each poster. Workshop participants generally liked posters with strong imagery, thematic colors, and limited text.

We hope that these concepts and tips will be useful in preparing your Group Project posters. Keep in mind that special sessions for poster design are also available in the Communications Center. We look forward to working with you soon!
--Danica Schaffer-Smith

Communications Tip: E-mail Etiquette

2010-02-04T07:28:00.000-08:00

Since e-mail is likely the most common means of communication with your professors, prospective employers, and other colleagues, knowing how to effectively use the medium will increase your chances of successful communication.

Basic rules of e-mail:
1. Be professional: Include a salutation and closing signature.

2. Keep it simple: We’re all busy and don’t have time to read your 3 paragraph request for a meeting. Make it easy for your reader to answer your questions or address your concerns by keeping e-mails brief and you purpose for writing clear.

3. Respond in a timely manner: Especially when working under deadline and in groups, it’s important to provide information/respond to team member’s questions as promptly as possible.

4. Be polite: If you’ve sent a question or concern to someone, do send acknowledgment of their e-mail.

5. Feel free to use bullet points or bold (for deadlines or meeting times) to make finding the important bits easy for your reader.

6. Consider timing: True, e-mail is asynchronous, but unless your professor has told you in advance that weekend e-mailing is acceptable, expect a response during work hours, Monday – Friday.

7. A follow-up to point #6: Lack of planning on your part does not constitute an emergency on others' parts. Do _not_ expect an immediate response to your e-mails; in fact, give respondents at least a 24 hour window.

8. Follow-up: People are busy. If you’ve sent an e-mail to a prospective employer or team member and have not received a response, it is perfectly acceptable to send a follow-up message. [Use discretion: if you sent an e-mail at midnight and it is now 8a.m., refer to point #7.]

9. Guidelines for bad news e-mails:
-- ALWAYS REMAIN PROFESSIONAL (Incidentally, avoid using all caps in e-mail. It looks like you're yelling.)
-- Stick to the issues, avoid emotional phrasing/claims
-- Resist personal attacks
-- WAIT: Always write calm. It’s better to take longer to respond than to send something immediately that could potentially burn bridges.

10. Generating positive outcomes from bad news e-mails:
-- Consider the human element: Know your audience and consider their
needs/motivations when crafting your response.
-- Where appropriate and when it can be accomplished tastefully, use humor to lighten the situation.
-- Always try to end on a positive note.

--Monica Bulger

Mindful Presenting, Part VI: Defense Q&A

2010-02-01T05:08:00.000-08:00

On January 8th, the Bren Communications Center hosted a 4 hour workshop on developing and delivering compelling presentations. We used Nancy Duarte's slide:ology as our text. This post is focused on part VI of the workshop: Defense Q&A.
Presenter: Dr. Monica Bulger
In preparation for your defense and public presentations, we asked MESM alumni to share their thoughts. Click here to download a handout from the workshop. Here are some additional tips for managing the Q&A portion:

Try to anticipate questions and figure out answers in advance.
Prepare a response for if you don't know the answer.
Always thank or acknowledge the person who asked the question. You don't have to use the words "thank you" every time. You could say something like "oh, interesting question" or "good point."
It's OK to think for a moment before you respond.
If it's a multi-part question, write down the question as the audience member is asking it and make sure you cover all parts. (That also means you should bring a pen and paper!)
If an audience member makes a suggestion, note it. Take it constructively (at least in the room) and/or write it down. Don't write it off!
If a second group member wants to add a follow up to an answer, that's fine, but keep it brief. You do not need to give two full answers, and definitely try to limit it to no more than two "answerers" per question.

Some groups in the past have had one group member act as moderator for the Q&A. This idea may or may not work for your group; you need to consider your own group dynamics. If you do use a moderator, there's a couple ways you can handle it. You can decide ahead of time who's going to field which type of questions, that way the moderator knows who to direct each question to.

Alternatively, you could use some sort of signal. One group last year had red and green cards to signal the moderator whether they felt the could answer the question or not. In addition, as one person was answering, the other group members could also use the green card to indicate that they wanted to add a follow-up point. That way, the person answering could do a "warm hand-off" to the other group member.

--Audrey Tresham

Mindful Presenting, Part V: Logistics

2010-02-01T05:04:00.000-08:00

On January 8th, the Bren Communications Center hosted a 4 hour workshop on developing and delivering compelling presentations. This post is focused on part V of the workshop: Logistics.

Presenters: BJ Danetra and Monica Bulger

When planning your presentation, here are some "logistical" aspects of delivery that you should consider.

Always test out the space prior to presenting. Make sure that any technologies you use will function as planned. Test out the lighting so that you know if you'll be able to see the audience. Determine whether you'll be standing on a raised platform, or level with the audience. Knowing these small details will reduce your anxiety when you present.

Microphones. If there's a podium mic, get used to staying at the podium. Otherwise, you will not be heard! If you have a lapel mic, be aware of where the screen is--you want the lapel mic to be on the same side as the screen, so that if you turn your head to look at the screen, people can still hear you.

Podiums. Don't clutch the podium! Practice with a podium and get used to it. Act normal. If your mic prevents you from strutting across the stage, you can move a little bit around the podium, as long as you're still picked up by the mic. Practice speaking with out the podium and then practice standing behind it. Review TED talks for examples of people using the podium to their advantage.

Panels/tables. If you're sitting onstage at a table while someone else is presenting, don't look like a deer caught in headlights. You don't want to distract from the presenter. Look completely engrossed in whoever's presenting, laugh at the jakes (in a natural way), act like you've never heard the presentation before. When you're at the the table there should be NO audience eye contact--look at the presenter.

Lighting. If you have a spotlight on you, make sure you stay in the light. Believe it or not, sometimes moving out of the light confuses the audience and something in their brain can make them think they can't hear you (even if you're mic'd)!

--Audrey Tresham

Mindful Presenting, Part IV: Lessons from Bridget Dobrowski

2010-02-01T05:01:00.001-08:00

On January 8th, the Bren Communications Center hosted a 4 hour workshop on developing and delivering compelling presentations. This post is focused on part IV of the workshop.
Presenter: Bridget Dobrowski

Bridget Dobrowski (MESM '09) contributed to our Bren blog last year (see "Suggestions for Developing a Memorable Presentation") and emphasized the following points related to delivery during our workshop.

Bring water. You'll want it, plus sipping it is a good way to slow down or take a moment to relax.

Decide WHAT you want to say but not HOW you want to say it. Don't say the same words every time you rehearse. It's very hard to have something 100% memorized and have it not sound rehearsed. Your audience is also going to take the gist of what you say and translate it into their own words/understanding anyways. So don't worry about exact wording.

Stick with simple language. You want everyone in the room to be able to understand you. For example, think of the word "biodiveristy." If you instead say something like "lots of plants and animals," the ecologists in the room will still translate that into 'biodiversity' and everyone else will still know what you mean (which they might not if you say biodiversity.)

Own your own presentation. Work with your group, but your group should not write YOUR script. Don't let them direct you over word use. If you don't plan to speak like you normally speak, in a way that's "you," then you'll sound like a robot.

You can write a script, but then forget the script! If it makes you more comfortable, write a script to make sure that you're including all the important information. But try different ways of "writing" the script: tape record yourself talking, speak out loud while you type. You want to make sure you're speaking a script that you're then writing down, and not writing out an essay that becomes a script. Memorize your script in terms of main points and the order (not specific wording). You want to be so familiar with the material that it's easy to deal with distractions that might come up.

After you know the material really well, start intentionally practicing in different ways or by not focusing on the "script." Try drawing out the slides from memory or bulleting your main points (again, in ideas, not in exact words). The point is to know your facts and the order you have to work through, but don't worry about memorizing specific wording. (You may get push back from your group on this, but resist it!)

Try to feel comfortable with your content and presentation plan at least a week before your presentation. That way, you have some time to relax and live with it, and pressure isn't building right up until the moment of the presentation.

Most importantly: don't act, just be you.

--Audrey Tresham

Mindful Presenting, Part III: Delivery

2010-01-25T15:57:00.000-08:00

Presenter: Dr. Monica Bulger

While it is important to develop the content and visual impact of your presentations, the delivery of that content is an equally important--and sometimes overlooked--factor. Let's begin our examination of presentation delivery by looking to a pro: Steve Jobs. Check out this excerpt from his presentation introducing the MacBook Air.

What did you notice?

He really told a convincing story. Your presentation is not a dump of everything you know--remember to focus on the "so what?" aspect. Find the story in your data. You don't have to share every single finding, just what's important and/or what supports the story.

He made eye contact with his audience, including them in the story. Try to connect with at least 2-3 people in your audience. It will make you feel better and will draw the audience in.

His presentation is simple, clean (both in terms of visual impact and delivery). Notice that none of his slides had "titles." Think of the table he used to compare laptop, it was very simple: no column headings, not a lot of text. In terms of his delivery, the development of this product took years; people toiled over it. It would be tempting to put all that background info and data out there, but he would probably lose the audience. He didn't put all that out there, the level of detail in his presentation was insanely minimal! Focus on clarity and accuracy rather than on including every technical detail.

He speaks slowly. Every word has emphasis and the talk doesn't feel rushed. Rushing or speaking quickly (think back to our audience awareness tips) could make your audience feel anxious or uninterested.

There was a clear progression to his presentation. He took the audience from point A to point B and built up support for his "cause" along the way. Think about where your audience is at the start of your presentation, and where you want to move them. How can you lead them through that progression?

He had a STAR moment: when he pulled that laptop out of the envelope, everyone gasped and clapped. That star moment is what the audience will remember. What is your star moment? It could be a prop, a story, a data chart, images or pictures . . . but you want to have something like that envelope. You may even want to organize your whole presentation around your star moment. [see Duarte's slide:ology for details about STAR moments --> Something The Audience Remembers.]

While it didn't seem that Steve ever got nervous, it is important to have a game plan for if you get nervous. Think of something you can do or wear that will make you comfortable and shift the nervousness. If you freeze up, try asking the audience a rhetorical question. That shifts the focus away from you; they'll be thinking about the answer instead of staring at you.

~~~~~~~

For an example of a Bren group project presentation with two different presentation styles, check out the Green Pieces project video.

For additional examples of strong presentation delivery, check out Ted Talks. The Ted Talk organizers give their presenters the following "Ted Commandments."

Rehearse, but act spontaneous. Being too rehearsed is boring
Provide revelations. Be interesting; say something the audience isn't expecting.
Show vulnerability. Prioritize connecting with your audience, rather than being perfect. You're not expected to know everything (especially during the Q&A portion).
Don't be tedious.
Change the world.
Don't use bullet points!

If you have any questions, please contact the Communications Center to make an appointment. We are happy to help you with all forms of communication, not just writing!

Good luck!

--Audrey Tresham

Mindful Presenting, Part II: Visual Design

2010-01-19T16:37:00.002-08:00

Mindful Presenting, Part II: Slide Design

Generally, there aren't any specific "rules" for designing a good presentation. Every presentation is different and you just need to do what works. That being said, here are some "rules" to go by for basic slide design!

Don't use bullets

Bullets are boring! You're probably used to seeing them frequently in your classroom presentations but there are two reasons for that: (1) your professors are giving multiple presentations every day; they don't have time to craft great presentations for every class and bullets are easy, and (2) the slides are often available online as a reference and need to be easy to follow on their own. However, those limitations do not apply to your group project presentations. Remember that you are the presentation, not the slides.

There are ways to keep the notion of bullets, minus the bullets themselves (see Patagonia map slide). For example, in this slide, we highlight key ideas overlaid on a (visually interesting) map. Each idea appears in bold, then fades out as the next idea is introduced. Consequently, you have some visual interest, there's still white space on the slide, there's a progression through the slide, and the audience can tell where the focus is (all without bullets!)

Know your presentation constraints and equipment.

Even if things look perfect on your computer, there are a number of issues that can come up in a new venue: the screen aspect could be different, there could be a washed out display or your colors may appear differently. Be prepared for these issues and whenever possible, try out your presentation at the venue in advance.

Avoid cheesy clip art.

Visual interest is a good thing, but cheesy clip art . . . not so much. Use pictures and data visualizations, but eliminate (or at least minimize) that clip art.

Think about font choice.

Font choice can put meaning into a slide . . . whether you intend it to or not, so be careful. It's also important to standardize your font choice--you don't want a different font on every slide. Font size can also be an issue. Guy Kawasaki (slide guru) suggests "Find out the age of the oldest person in your audience and divide it by two. That's your optimal font size." (While this might not always work out, it's at least a good place to start.)

Consider contrast.

Contrast can either enhance the read-ability of your slides, or detract from it. Dark text on a light background (and vice versa) is good. Colors that are really close together on the color wheel (like green/yellow) are hard to read on top of each other, so definitely avoid that. Also avoid simultaneous contrast: when colors that are opposing to each other (see slide) are placed right on top of each other.

Avoid pixilation of images

You can actually tell Google Image to find images above a certain size threshold. Generally, if it looks good on your computer screen, it will probably look OK on your presentation. On a related note, if you have images that contain text, the text doesn't always look so great, so be careful of it.

Create "white space"

You don't want to cram your slides full of information. The audience's attention should be focused on YOU, not on the slides. A general rule of thumb is that they should be able to absorb your slide in 3-5 seconds. If it takes longer than that, the info on your slide is probably too dense.

Blank slides are OK.

As soon as you switch slides, the audience won't be looking at you, they'll be reading the slide. So if you're talking for awhile and you don't want your audience distracted, put up a blank screen. It gives the audience a "break" too.

Draw the viewer's attention

You don't have to weight everything on your slide evenly. If you have a key point or image, figure out a way to draw attention to it. You can use color, fadeouts, bold text, etc.

Split complex ideas across slides (and go through them faster)

You don't want to overload your audience, so if you have a complex idea, split it up into bite-size pieces. (This tip also ties in with creating white space.) Some of you may have heard the guide that you should have one slide for every two minutes, but that should be the exception, not the rule.

Images are absorbed easier than text

When your audience can absorb a slide quickly, it keeps the focus on you, where it belongs. You are the one giving the info, the slides are behind you supplement your info.

Use your own photos (of YOU & your group!)

Using your own photos makes it interesting and creates a personnel connection with your audience. You can also use your own photos online or in your poster (Just remember to keep them professional and give proper credit.)

Opacity

You can adjust the opacity in most slide applications, so you can dim out images to emphasize text, or vice versa.

And the final rule is . . .

Break these rules!

If we all followed these rules, we end up with similar looking presentations, which is boring.

Remember that YOU are what makes the presentation.

Good luck!

--Audrey Tresham

Responding to Fellowship Prompts Workshop January 2010

2010-01-14T17:51:00.000-08:00

On Wednesday, January 26th, the Communications Center staff presented a "Responding to Fellowship Prompts" workshop specific to the Switzer Environmental Fellowship. A critical component of the Switzer application is a 2-3 page essay to provide the reviewers "insights into the personal motivations of the applicant as well as how his/her academic experience will be applied to environmental improvement." The essay is the opportunity to really show the reviewers who you are, what you are about, and why you deserve this fellowship (much more so than your resume, transcripts, and other application materials). The slides from the workshop are embedded below and a handout is available here.

Responding To Fellowship Prompts 2010

View more presentations from Monica Bulger.

The Switzer Foundation's requirements for a complete essay are rather numerous. There are 5 interrelated key topics that must be addressed explicitly, 6 qualifications that must be demonstrated in the essay but not necessarily addressed explicitly, and 6 additional qualifications that should be highlighted if they apply to you. The key to this essay is to cover all of the necessary criteria without being repetitive, long-winded, or incoherent. To avoid these pitfalls, we recommend the following strategy for mapping your response:

Copy the 5 key topics into your essay document
Brainstorm your experiences and qualifications for each topic
Use Switzer's "must demonstrate" and "highlight if applicable" qualifications as a checklist to make sure your brainstormed ideas hit on all the criteria
Organize your outline according to some theme (chronological order, type of experience, etc.)

Remember that your goal is to tell a natural story that will be compelling to the application reviewers and each vignette should have a purpose in demonstrating a qualification. Good luck applicants!
--Sara Solis

Mindful Presenting, Part I: Audience Awareness

2010-01-12T16:56:00.000-08:00

Mindful Presenting, Part I: Audience Awareness

When preparing for presentations, you need to think about your audience. Who are they? What is their background? What are their interests? One aspect of your presentation is to convince your audience of your big idea or main points, and in order to do that effectively, you need to have some idea of who they are.

Analyze your audience needs (adapted from slide:ology):

What are they like?
Why are they here?
What keeps them up at night?
How can you solve their problems?
What do you want them to do?
How can you best reach them?
How are you going to connect?

You should also consider YOUR role in information delivery:

What unique expertise and experience do you contribute?
What are you desired outcomes?
How can you connect with your audience?

Learn to empathize with your audience to both meet their needs and accomplish your desired outcomes. For example, imagine that Sarah Palin is presenting to an audience of Mafia dons. At first glance, it may seem that they don't have much in common, but she could probably relate to them on firearms, strong family ties and political influence!

The main point is that audiences are very different (for example, the audience for your group project defense will be different from that of your public presentation). If you think about celebrity personas, such as Martha Stewart, Steve Jobs, or Jon Stewart, they are all very flexible; they have an interesting enough persona to address different audience needs.

Consider your various group project audiences. We asked participants in our workshop to describe the audience for your public presentations in one word and received the following responses: receptive, supportive, sophisticated, varied (in knowledge & background).

So if the audience has a diverse knowledge level, who do you target? You may think you should aim for the "average" level, but since this is a school presentation, we recommend targeting just a few degrees down from the most knowledgeable person in the room.

Your family and friends will love you no matter what, and honestly, might not pay that much attention to the details--they don't necessarily have a burning interest in the topic; their interest is you. The next "knowledge tier" is your fellow students. The one above that is professors and community members who are interested in what you have to say and who will ask questions: that's who you want to target. The goal is to target the highest tier of your audience, when possible, without losing the rest of them.

(Above, Bren students brainstorm about their audience needs.)

When we asked our students to describe your GP defense audience, one student said "time." Yes, your professors are busy and pressed for time, but they want to be there for you, so think about what you can do to make it worth their while. Also keep in mind that the professors are there to ask questions that will help you improve your reports--they're not there to work against you!

If you know who your defense respondents are going to be, talk to people being advised by them, find out what they like. Better yet, find their Ph.D. students and ask them to come to a practice presentation and play the role of their mentors.

In addition to thinking about your audience needs, you should also consider YOUR role in delivering information to that audience. Spend five minutes thinking about what you have to bring to a presentation--it will help you be confident. As a start, you probably know your topic backwards and forwards!

Who am I?
How can I relate to my audience?
What is my desired result?

Another important point to consider: do you understand your topic yet? because if you don't understand it, your audience certainly won't. Be sure to find your message. Steve Jobs often refers to what he calls the "napkin test:" can you write down and explain your big idea in the pace of a cocktail napkin?

If you're not sure what your big idea is, ask yourself what do you want the audience to know before they leave the room? Then, make sure you foreground that one idea in your presentation. In your GP reports, there are going to be a LOT of ideas, but you can't get them all into your presentation: remember that you only have 15-20 minutes to get your big idea across.

The final point we'd like you to consider in terms of relating to your audience is presentation vs. story: talking at someone vs. talking to them. Consider your presentation a dialogue (which it actually will be during the Q&A portion). Use the formal presentation part to prepare your audience for the dialogue/Q&A: connect with your audience, use eye contact, empathize with them.

Stories can also allow for or enhance audience understanding; don't just do a "data dump." Think of your presentation as a story. What are the elements of a good story? Conflict, Structure, Resolution. Think back to your "big idea," how do you tell it as a story? What are the main elements you want to communicate?

After you think you've mastered "audience awareness," ask another group (preferably one that knows nothing about your topic) to come and view a practice presentation. Get some feedback from them as your new audience!

Additional Resources

Check out TED talks online ("Riveting talks by remarkable people, free to the world")
slide:ology by Nancy Duarte
Duarte Design blog
Garr Reynold's "Presentation Zen" blog

And check back soon for our other Mindful Presenting posts. Good luck!

--Audrey Tresham

Communications Tip: Develop Your Brand

2010-01-04T08:40:00.000-08:00

Start the New Year with a resolution to develop your brand. What element will remain consistent whether you are a student, an intern, or environmental professional? You. Develop a brand that transcends your current position. You've already created your resume and cover letter, so what do you do next? Show what you know and develop your expertise. Here's a few tips to get you started:

1. Create a blog: The Communications Center uses Blogger, but there are several services available. You can create a blog in less than five minutes. Blogs offer an opportunity to show what you know. You are in a field that is a hot media topic, so take advantage of the attention to respond to current events. Show how your unique knowledge and experience inform your understanding of policy issues, climate change, and corporate practices. Use the blog as an opportunity to respond to articles you read, presentations you attend, or other blogs. Establish an online presence by blogging weekly or semi-monthly to associate your name with environmental issues when prospective employers Google your name.

2. Stay current: Use time you would usually spend on Facebook to stay current on issues in the environmental field. Undoubtedly, this practice will give you a competitive advantage. Select your favorite publications and sign up for their updates. For example, the New York Times will send e-mails whenever specific keywords are mentioned in an article (e.g., climate & change). Also, sign up for Google Alerts to receive daily notices of your keywords newly appearing on websites and blogs (hint: this strategy serves as a great way to stay abreast of issues involving a particular company/organization, too).

Ask professors and supervisors what they read and add these readings to your list.

Tracy Barba, VP of Marketing at Duarte Design compiled the following list of interesting environmental blogs for our ESM 437 students. Use this list as a springboard to familiarize yourself with blogs in your field:
http://www.Greentechmedia.com
http://www.greenbiz.com
http://makower.typepad.com
http://www.treehugger.com
http://newenergynews.blogspot.com
http://earth2tech.com
http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/news/home http://www.marcgunther.com/
http://www.grist.org

Barba also recommends checking out green sections in the following publications:
Business Week
Forbes
Fortune
New York Times
Financial Times

3. Use your LinkedIn status to highlight accomplishments: Sure, LinkedIn is about making connections, but used wisely, it can be your best public relations forum. 2nd Year MESM students should have something like "completing Master's Thesis in watershed research" as their current status. Ph.D. students should use their status updates to highlight conference attendance and progress on current work. First-year MESM students can use their status to announce that they are seeking a summer internship or gaining experience in field work or GIS. Update your LinkedIn status about once per month or once per quarter.
While we're talking about social networks, be aware that prospective employers may review your Facebook or MySpace accounts. Be savvy about your privacy settings, but also be aware that there's still a chance that someone you friend may be a future co-worker. Start using your social networking profiles judiciously. Instead of posting pics of weekend revelry, post links to interesting articles. Establish yourself as a professional and remember that the Internet has a long memory -- use it to your advantage.

--Monica Bulger

Communications Tip: Resource for Grammar Aficionados

2010-01-04T07:42:00.000-08:00

For excellent holiday reading, we recommend checking out the New York Times'
grammar blog:
http://topics.blogs.nytimes.com/tag/after-deadline/
The blog offers elegantly written treatises on important topics like when to use
"only" and how to write memorable leads.

Happy holidays from the Bren Communications Center!

Doris Duke Fellowship Q & A

2009-12-04T06:25:00.000-08:00

On December 3, the Bren School hosted a Q & A session with current Doris Duke fellows that included a mini-workshop in responding to fellowship prompts. Please see our previous blog post for slides from the mini-workshop presentation.
Facilitator: Corlei Prieto
Communications Mini-Workshop: Monica Bulger
Panelists: Gavin Feiger, Dana Murray, Dan Ovando, Sara Solis

A few overarching tips:
Know your audience: Conservation group that emphasizes leadership. Applications are reviewed by Bren faculty, Corlei, and outside experts.
Have a clear message: Be confident in your plans for the fellowship. Draw connections between your work experience/coursework and environmental conservation. Emphasize your leadership experience with specific examples (review Communications Tip #6 for outcome-oriented phrasing).

Here are some of the insights shared by the fellows:
--Successful applicants are active in their community, demonstrate leadership, and cultivate relationships with faculty and staff.
--When completing the application, frame what you're doing in terms of environmental conservation
--Review the Doris Duke & Woodrow Wilson websites, paying close attention to past & current fellows and current projects.
--Stress personal experience. Tell a story. Show the reviewers why, for example, you're a good leader, rather than telling them.
--Whenever possible, cite examples.
--Think beyond the fellowship: make connections among your experience and coursework that shows a unified direction.
--Highlight participation within the Bren community and leadership outside of Bren.

--Prepare for the interview. Possible questions that will be asked:

Why do you want this fellowship?
What do you know about Doris Duke?
Why are you different from other applicants (e.g., what makes you special?)?
If you receive this fellowship, what contribution would you make?
Respond to scenarios involving specific policies: what do you think of it? what would you do differently?
--You do not need to be an expert in the topics, reviewers are interested in how you think through challenging questions
--Have your basic thoughts ready -- prepare for the parts you can so that when you get a tough question, you're not already frazzled.
--Don't be afraid to say you don't know something -- admit that it's a complex topic. Since you'll understand some of the specifics of the topic, address those. You don't need to be an expert.
--However, know your own stuff really well. For example, if you describe field work that you did over the summer, be prepared to discuss it at length with people who are more expert in the topic.
--Anything you put in your application is going to be fair game.

Logistical notes about interviews (you are strongly encouraged to attend Dave's Interviewing 101 during Winter quarter):
--Respond thoroughly, but be succinct (example: one student spent so much time answering the first question that the interviewers couldn't ask follow-up questions)
--Don't fidget
--Maintain eye contact
--Listen and be responsive to interviewers
--Don't worry if you don't know the answer to a question. Admit that you are not completely familiar with the topic and then apply what you do know to answer the question
--Pause briefly to collect your thoughts before responding
--Be prepared: be ready to answer any questions related to your application
--Frame what you're doing in terms of environmental conservation
--Be on time
--Most people are nervous during interviews. Be confident in your skills/experience and the contribution you can make to the Doris Duke program. You would not be at Bren and you would not make it to the interview phase if you weren't completely capable of making a contribution.

Note: E-mail the Communications Center to schedule an appointment to brainstorm, outline, and/or review your application responses.

Best wishes with your application!

--Monica Bulger

Communications Tip: Responding to Fellowship Prompts

2009-12-02T08:08:00.000-08:00

Fellowship prompts can often be long and overwhelming, but we have prepared a few tips to help you respond to them effectively.

Responding to Fellowship Prompts

View more presentations from Monica Bulger.

Presentation developed by Kathleen Kokosinski and Lara Polansky for the Bren Communications Center.

Organization:

Group questions by topic, as some questions may overlap. To organize your thoughts, outline responses to each question and choose a cohesive theme that mirrors your career objectives. Once you have a theme for the response, create topic sentences that relate to that theme.

Additionally, think about how you want to tell your story. Group your responses in a way that makes sense. You do not necessarily have to answer questions in the order they are presented. For example, you may want to describe your experiences in chronological order. Alternatively, you may want to group answers based on phases of experience (e.g., academic, professional, research, etc.) Remember to keep your end goals in mind when responding to the prompt by relating each question to your overall objectives.

Give Examples:

Give detailed examples of activities and leadership in order to thoroughly describe why you are a good candidate. Being specific and supporting your claims allow you to “sell yourself” to the fellowship organization.

Unspecific Example:

I have excellent leadership skills.

Specific Example:

I organized a sustainability conference to improve the environmental performance of local firms. This conference targeted 100 environmental professionals and received considerable media attention.

The above example is effective, because it outlines what was done, provides a statistic or number to describe the magnitude of the event, and conveys the impact of the experience.

Do Your Homework:

Incorporating research into your response shows that you have put time and effort into the fellowship application. Before you begin writing, research the fellowship organization and its mission. This will help you know your audience as well as allow you to frame your response to parallel the organization’s objectives.

Additionally, when asked about your future career goals, be as specific as possible by relating your interests to real jobs and organizations. For example, if you are interested in pursuing a particular job, give an example of a company that has created a similar position.

Unspecific Example:

In the future, I would like to work for an NGO promoting conservation of critical habitat.

Specific Example:

I envision myself pursuing a position in an NGO similar to the Sierra Club, enacting change via local participation in habitat restoration projects like those undertaken in the Santa Ynez Valley.

Modeling your responses after the above example will show that you are updated on the literature and news. Researching your own goals, as well as the fellowship organization’s goals, tells the reader that you have carefully considered your response, and you are committed to fulfilling the fellowship’s mission if chosen.

Last Suggestions:

Remember to always use active verbs. They are usually stronger and more descriptive, allowing your writing to appear confident and assertive. Examples can be found on the Communications Center website.

Finally, do not automatically dismiss the fellowship if it is not in your specific field of study. You can align your response with the fellowship’s objectives by linking it to your experiences and goals indirectly in order to sell your point. For example, the Doris Duke Fellows Program offers funding to students, “committed to careers as practicing conservationists”. However, if you are studying corporate environmental management (CEM) at Bren, you can still make a strong case as to why you should be chosen (e.g., think about discussing how a career in CEM will change corporations so that they use resources more efficiently, etc.). Do not sell yourself short!

Remember that the Communications Center is here to help. Please make an appointment in advance to discuss popular fellowships, such as Doris Duke and Switzer, as appointments fill up fast. Drop-in hours are also available, so be sure to check the Communications Center website for details. Good luck!

--Created by Kate Kokosinski and Lara Polansky, Winter 2008

Data Visualization Workshop presented by Monica Bulger & Aaron Sobel

2009-12-02T07:03:00.000-08:00

During the workshop, Monica and Aaron shared considerations and techniques for effective data visualization and showed examples of figures that could use improvement from last year's GP posters. Bren's resident visual design experts, Professor Jim Frew and Darren Hardy, also shared insights into effective visual design. The information imparted during the workshop will be useful for GP defenses, public presentations, reports, and posters, as well as other assignments and publications.

Dataviz Pres1109

View more presentations from Monica Bulger.

WORKSHOP SUMMARY

Considerations:
1. Who is your audience? What are their needs and level of understanding?
- Clients, advisors, students, members of the public

2. What is your purpose?
- Advocate, inform, convince

3. Figures should be able to stand alone; do not assume the readers will read all your text, they may just look at the figures.
ex) In an otherwise excellent GP poster, a group included a pie chart with relative proportions of survey results. However, they did not include who was surveyed, how many people were surveyed, what question(s) they were asked, and the context of the survey.
ex) Place a map in your description of a study area and include an inset with the larger state/regional context.
ex) When one figure was on the screen, we had to ask, "What do the black dots mean?" Avoid this problem by including everything in your legend.

4. Figures should convey not just the data itself, but the meaning of the data.

5. Decide what story you want to tell with your data. If you don't tell the audience your own data story, they'll make up their own!
ex) A figure of Earth at night shows which areas are lit at night. It tells the story of population, our preferred locations, electricity use, development, etc.

6. Find the best way to represent your data, and prioritize truth and clarity.
ex) Figure size and structure must be readable at a reasonable distance.
ex) When choosing the significance of colors, think of what stands out (light colors) and if colorblind people be able to understand your figure. In a map series from a GP poster, the most significant parts on the maps were black, which did not stand out against a blue background.

7. Sketch your visual design before you even touch Powerpoint or Keynote. Often your tool will dictate your design when clarity should be your first priority.

8. "Slides should be processed in 3 seconds or less. It's impossible for people to process your slides and your words simultaneously." ~Nancy Duarte, author of slide:ology
[Takeaway message: Monica says the same is true for data graphs, charts, etc. -- they should stand alone, be compelling, and be quickly understood by your intended audience.]

Group Exercise:
We then conducted an exercise in which we suggested how to improve a figure on "The Pathway to Self-Funding" for the spiny lobster fishery. Here is a list of specific points that emerged:
- What is the significance of the colors?
- Is the funnel/bowl shape significant? It looks like a beer funnel.
- Things don't flow up, so the visual is illogical.
- The title doesn't match the image.
- Highlight the necessary components for the self-funding policy.
- The box labels don't mean anything to the reader.
- The direction and curves in the arrows add unintentional meaning--if it's a linear process, don't complicate it with curved arrows.
- Since the "next steps" take up more space than the steps the group completed, the figure minimizes the amount of work the group put into their project.
The exercise took 10 minutes, most of which was spent deciphering, which is too long to understand a figure.

Data Visualization Techniques:
- A cartogram is an effective and interesting way to show frequencies by location
- 3D graphs overlayed on maps
- Stacked graphs can show waxing/waning frequencies
- State/regional map insets provide context for the study location
- Draw the readers' attention by highlighting important cells in tables
- Decision trees and timelines make it easy to follow a course of events

Other Resources:
- slide:ology available in the Communications Center and the library server
- Professor Jim Frew recommends Tufte's texts on visual design and the following data visualization websites: http://www.infosthetics.com and http://www.edwardtufte.com/tufte

Coming soon: discussion of tools for visual design....

--Sara Solis

Working and Writing Together: Strategies for Effective Collaboration

2009-12-01T21:23:00.000-08:00

Summary of panel discussion, November 10, 2009

Panelists: Professor Bruce Kendall, Sara Hughes (Ph.D. candidate), Bridget Dobrowski (MESM '09), Shannon Murray (MESM '09)

Facilitated by Monica Bulger

Group Writing Overview

What is the purpose of the group project?
It can be very helpful for the group to agree on one or two sentences to summarize the project. If the group has a clear, concise vision of the project, it will be easier to convey that message to others.

Prioritize the Process

Communication is key.
Establish group goals: How do you define “success,” “finished,” “finished well”? What do you hope to accomplish as a group?
Consider each member a contribution: Assume everyone is putting in their best effort. Assess strengths of the team, and empower everyone to have leadership roles.
It is necessary for there to be a “buck stops here” person in the group.

Panel Discussion

Note: Panel responses are paraphrased.

Q: Please tell us about your thoughts on group writing and provide any tips you might have.

Bruce: You will have to get on the same page in every project. It is important that you all mean the same thing when you use a word. Even if you’ve done that, when it comes down to start writing, the same issues come up at a deeper level. Once we get past arguing over style, and how to write, we discover that we really have a different understanding.
Because you are forced to be concrete, group writing peels back the group ‘mish-mash.’ View it as an opportunity. We often end up with something much better and deeper than we started with.

Sara: A lot of what I learned or some of the difficult parts had to do with the attitude that you bring and how it affects the outcome, or the hurdles you have to overcome. It can be easy to develop a narrow vision of what your group members can contribute, but it is easy to adjust that. Once you have a negative outlook, the project isn’t fun anymore.
Think about, and encourage, the different ways your group can contribute. Facilitate open communication and positive relationships. Be conscious of use of the comment tool in Microsoft Word. Comments can be rephrased to be more constructive. There is a lot of value to face time during the writing phase to keep up communication and smooth out disagreements.

Shannon: It is important to identify each other’s strengths and encourage those. However, you can get boxed in to your roles: “good writers,” “bad writers.” That’s ok if the group is on the same page about the process. Specifics can help in editing, such as, “can you help with the grammar?”
It’s a fine line between concern about voice consistency and making group members feel like they aren’t contributing. It’s important to keep the essence of what you are writing. It’s not just the meaning of the word, it’s discussing the tone in the writing and our group values. It changes things to assume that everyone is on board with what you are saying. It is helpful to decide early: are we going to write in an active voice, or more passive? This gets to the general tone of your whole project.

Bridget: Working on the poster, we had to write one sentence that summarized the project. It can be very helpful to find one sentence that you all agree on and understand. If what you are researching or writing doesn’t fit with this, you can cut it. It’s helpful if every section relates to the purpose of the project. Ask yourself: am I really writing with the group project goal in mind? It is important to be adaptable.
We spent time reading and editing as a group and hearing the feedback. That’s where it came out who was good with word choice, grammar, tone, etc. It was time consuming and painful at times, but we afterwards we knew who to turn to with questions on different aspects of writing.
Only ask for feedback when you really want it. It puts pressure on others to have to read it. You should feel that it’s final before submitting it to others. Do your diligence and put in the time to finish your work, and be clear on what feedback you are looking for.
Instead of having the whole group read every section, assign editing for each section to two people.

Bruce: The editor should be someone who isn’t deeply involved in that topic.

Q: When do you think consensus is necessary versus a majority?

Bruce: Consensus is most important in developing that one sentence vision or central idea of what your project is about. Then, what is the supporting information? Then, what is the bottom line one-sentence vision for each section?

Monica: Priority should be on what the audience needs as far as background information and data.

Sara: A group I worked with wanted to be on the same page with what was considered “compelling evidence” to make our final point. We had to decide when we were going to be happy with it.

Shannon: When you are not the majority, it can feel like your points are not being taken into consideration. The group has to ask: is there a way we can be on the same page? Rather than just going with the majority, ask why you are not all on the same page.

Bridget: It is important to care about what is important to your group. If there is trust in the group, you don’t have to spend a lot of time on consensus. People may argue about minor points because they like that kind of discussion. Ask that person: does it really matter to you how we do this? If it really matters on a personal level, consider the need for consensus.

Q: What type of audience are we targeting with the paper versus the poster?

Monica: It is important to remember that different sections of the Group Project serve different functions for your audience(s). For example, consider that a majority of your audience will read your Executive Summary and Conclusion, yet likely your client and other specialized readers will read your methods. Knowing which sections will be important to your different audiences should help you set the tone and determine the type of information to include in these sections.

Bridget: In general, your client is the audience for your paper, but it depends on your project and how applicable you think it is to a broader audience. For the presentation and poster, your audience could be just about anybody. You should keep scientists interested but keep the layperson up to speed, so they have a good idea what you did. You can have some sections in the paper that are more technical than others.

Shannon: It is better to err on the side of making explicit what you are trying to say.

Q: How do you balance keeping someone’s voice without tearing it apart?

Monica: On a project where we could not reach consensus, we had two editors. When they made the same edit, that change was made.

Bruce: For an executive summary, a one page document, it really does need to be consistent, but with different sections can be stylistically distinct. It is most important to be consisting within sections.

Monica: Focus on the conclusion, executive summary, and introduction. Remember to write for the tired, busy person on a plane. Most people read like you do—they skim—so it is important to put signposts in your writing. Draw their attention to what's interesting and essential. Write with your audience in mind -- give them what they need in the introduction and executive summary to help them decide whether your topic/study is relevant to them. The goal is to make your writing interesting and clear.

Sara: Good transitions, introductory and concluding sentences and vocabulary can go a long way in blending multiple writers. A good test is whether the original writer can pick out their ideas in the document.

Bridget: It is important that you control yourself. Are you making this change because you would write it differently or could you really not understand the point? If at the end everyone agrees that it does not fit, then it will be changed.

Monica: If you have the time, wait a day before sending edits and reread it. After a break, you may feel more generous. If you absolutely feel compelled to nitpick it, do it, but don’t send it to them.

Sara: Think about what is most important after reading the whole thing.

Monica: Ask your co-writers what type of feedback they'd like from you. As a group, you can decide that for the first few passes, you'll focus on ideas and conceptual development and save the grammar/style edits for later reviews. In the absence of an agreed upon editing focus, a grad student I know makes three meaningful comments and stops, which I think is helpful.

Q: Ultimately, somebody is putting the document together. What should their role be?

Bridget: I think there should be two people. In our group, we agreed that track changes shouldn’t be used. We highlighted what we most wanted changed. Have one or two people edit for content, and another for formatting. Headings, subheadings, final pictures and captions, page numbers, etc. take a lot of time to do. Make sure there is enough time so that every content edit is complete and every format edit is complete.

Bruce: Often, editing takes just as long as, or longer than the writing process, so plan accordingly.

--Danica Schaffer-Smith & Monica Bulger

Finding Flow: Transitions that Work (11.10.09 Workshop presented by Monica Bulger)

2009-11-12T09:27:00.000-08:00

As graduate students, you have to read a lot of papers and probably some of them make you fall asleep! Why? Do you just have a short attention span? The real reason is more likely because the authors lose you in the first paragraph -- or even line -- because often times writers don't connect their ideas.

Today, we will talk about using transitions to do 3 things:

Signal a shift in ideas
Connect concepts
Indicate contrasts between ideas

We'll review a sample paper: "Politics of Preserving Paradise." This paper received an "A" in ESM 241, and the instructor said it was the best paper she'd seen. It is a really sophisticated example of transitions: at no point in this paper do you feel lost, but it doesn't feel repetitious either.
Beginner transitions

A single word (or sometimes phrase) that usually occurs at the beginning of a sentence
Examples: consequently, yet, although

In the example above, what does consequently signal?
If you answered "cause and effect," you are correct. What other transitions could you use to signal cause and effect?
In the example above, yet indicates contrast. For which ideas does it indicate a contrast?

Intermediate transitions

Whereas beginning, or surface level transitions are usually single words or phrases found at the start of a sentence, intermediate transitions are embedded in the sentence.
For example, shown below is the use of "in contrast." Often, beginning writers will simply state "in contrast," at the beginning of a sentence, which is a dangling transition. To improve the clarity of your writing, try to answer "in contrast to what?" by completing the phrase, as shown in the excerpt below.

In this case, the prior paragraph (shown below) addressed the minimal opposition to the creation of a national monument in Hawaii. The phrasing shown below says "here's what we talked about before, here's what we're talking about now, and here's how they relate."

If you now return to the sentence that starts with "in contrast," you will see a sophisticated transition from the sentence addressing opposition to a sentence explaining the significance of this minimal opposition.

Another example of an intermediate transition occurs in the second sentence. By stating that the decision received additional backing from Lingle, the writer links the sentence to the previous sentence which stated that native Hawaiians supported establishment of a National Monument.

Advanced transitions

Advanced transitions move beyond phrasing and use entire sentences to connect ideas, both between and within paragraphs.
There is no formula for these types of transitions, so it is best to identify strong models, as shown here.

The phrase "to understand why President Bush deviated from his environmental agenda" serves as a signal phrase by drawing attention to what comes next. Signal phrases alert the reader to important information.

In the following example, although serves as a beginner transition, however, the rest of the sentence refers to the previous paragraphs, links ideas, and answers the "so what" question, making it an advanced transition.

Advanced transitions often involve a set-up in prior sentences. In this case little resistance in the first sentence sets up the opposition statement in the second sentence.
Pay close attention to the final sentence of this paragraph:

The final sentence serves as a clear and unusually strong transition.
It reiterates ideas discussed in previous paragraphs, but doesn't stop at simple summary. The sentence incorporates the summary into the next idea, improving flow and building a clear, logical argument.
The sentence emphasizes the significance of ideas presented earlier in relation to what is going to be said next.

Using transitions effectively is a dance between setting things up and executing them. Oftentimes, we assume that the reader knows what we're thinking, but we need to guide them through our though process by using signposts and signals. The following is a list of questions you could ask yourself when reviewing your writing to determine if your writing is clear and your transitions are effective.

Does my transition dangle? Or, does it answer "so what" (e.g., in contrast -- in contrast to what?)
Am I preparing the reader for what I'm about to say?
How am I connecting my ideas?
Do I make clear why I'm giving the information in a certain order?
Are the relationships between ideas/concepts made explicit?

When editing your papers, use the visualization exercise we've demonstrated here.

Color code transitions in your paragraphs (you can even use different colors for different types), then skim your paper.
Is each paragraph well-populated with transitions?
Are there varying types?
If your whole document is still black/grey, or if you only use beginner transitions, then you could probably work on improving your transitions.
Conversely, if you see a variety of transition types in each paragraph, then you can probably assume that your document is clear and has good flow.

The ease of developing these transitions may depend on the document you're writing. Writing that tells a story or process or that is organized chronologically lends itself more easily to transitions than writing that describes complex concepts.

The trick is, you can't really write anything without understanding it: you have to achieve clarity in your thinking if you wish to achieve clarity on the page. So, if you're talking about two ideas that seem disparate, you have to ask yourself, "Why are these ideas both in the paper or assignment prompt to begin with? How do they relate to each other?" Then, show these relationships using transitions to emphasize their connections or contrasts.

If you have further questions about transitions, please visit the Communications Center website to schedule an appointment.

--Audrey Tresham & Monica Bulger