15 Matching Annotations
  1. Last 7 days
    1. Above all, do not read the slides to your audience, which is considered one of the single most annoying things a presenter can do; it also makes the presenter seem unprepared.

      I agree with this statement. Any presentation that I've sat in where the presenter is reading directly off the slide makes me assume they put it together the night before. I know this is usually the case of some people are nervous so the rather look at the screen then the audience. I can't help but think if they put the information together they should know a good jest of it.

    2. Remember: even if you are presenting a slideshow, you want the audience to pay more attention to your words than to the slides themselves. Too much text will make the audience concentrate on reading slides instead of listening carefully to the verbal information.

      This is a useful tip because I never thought of presentations like this. I thought the idea of slideshow was to grab the audience attention completely and have myself fall into the background. The slide is simply supposed to enforce the information I'm saying, sort of like a reminder to help keep the audience on track.

    3. but many speakers do not prepare their audience for their conclusion. When a speaker just suddenly stops speaking, the audience is left confused and disappointed. Instead, give listeners a clear signal so that they can mentally organize and catalog all the points you have made for further consideration later.

      This is an interesting section. I never thought of preparing the audience for the conclusion of my presentation. I always felt with the flow of things the audience should know it's coming to an end, or a simple "The End" slide was enough. Seeing a lack of clear signal will leave them confuse makes me realize the importance of a clear end.

  2. Apr 2026
    1. Literature reviews range from exhaustive searches to mere summaries of articles, but the fundamental objective is always the same—to establish the history of the problem investigated by summarizing the what, how, and why of the work that has already been done. Writing a literature review requires you to establish relationships among findings from other researchers and to condense many pages of published material into shorter segments. Your ability to assimilate material is critical.

      This stands out as the most important section needed in one's report. If the reader can tell you did extensive research on the history of the problem, they will begin to gage an idea of how many people were affected by the issues. It can help provide details of what was done in past to try to correct it, or if the problem was repeated ignore. Once you've input your solution, they will be less like to questions it since you will have detailed reasons as to why suggested solution will work.

    2. If the submittal letter, executive summary or abstract, and introduction strike you as repetitive, remember that readers do not necessarily start at the beginning of a report and read page by page to the end. They skip around—they may scan the table of contents, and then skim the executive summary for key facts and conclusions.

      This is an important note for me because I try to have every section of my writing look different from each other. This paragraph is saying that things should look similar because we have to keep our audience in mind. If certain details are important they should be repeated throughout the report so the reader could catch it if they missed it in the first section.

    3. The recipient has not requested your report. With unsolicited reports, you must convince the recipient that a problem or need exists in addition convincing them to accept your conclusions and/or implement change.

      This section stands out to me because it helps me understand that the report our group is choosing to do is identified as unsolicited. We found a problem and are trying to convince Montclair administrators of changes that can improve the situation at hand.

  3. Mar 2026
    1. Author intent matters in how useful their information can be to your research, depending on which information need you are trying to meet. For instance, when you look for sources that will help you answer a research question or evidence for your answer, you will want the author’s main purpose to be to inform or educate.

      This section of the passage stands out to me because it's a great tip to finding reliable information. If the author intent is not to educate you will most likely find opinion-based information. This is good but opinions don't win arguments facts do. If you know the author's intent, you can save time on research.

    2. “Experts” are not just researchers with PhDs doing academic work. People can speak with authority for different reasons. They can have subject expertise (having done scholarship in the field), societal position (a relevant work title), or special experience (living or working in a particular situation).

      This a great reminder to adjust or mindset. Sometimes we can get caught up in titles and degrees forgetting that experience on field plays a major impact as well. The owner of a company may not have the same knowledge the workers have. When we look at things this way we can broaden our list of potential interviewees.

    3. What will be most likely to persuade the reader? (Did they ask for a specific type or area of research? What is their main goal for the research? What do they want to alter, improve, or disprove? Which of the audience’s needs, wants, or values might help guide your research?)

      These questions are great because they help you narrow down to a specific topic. When you have the audience in mind you can chose a topic that may draw in more willing participants for surveys. The more participants you have the stronger your evidence will be to support your research.

    1. With a clear understanding of each group member’s strengths and qualifications, with clearly articulated roles and responsibilities, and with a well-defined plan, any group project can be a success.

      Although group work can be a challenge it can also be a great success. I'm confident that after reading this passage any group I enter will do great. As long as we take some time to learn everyone's strength and weakness. we have to be open to each other's ideas and willing to adapt to changes. Once we create a plan and execute it our group will be on our way to success.

    2. As a first step, you want to identify any strengths and weaknesses. There are at least two ways to think about qualifications: 1. knowledge, skills, and abilities, and 2. personality types.

      This is a crucial step in group projects, it's great to see it as a first step. knowing each team members skills will help assign the right person to the right task. In the past I've noticed multiple people want to be team leader, but they lack the skillset required for that job. The right person with the right task will help avoid stress on team members and delay in project accomplishment.

    3. Some people dislike group work due negative past experiences. They may be the person who seems to do more work than others, they may dislike having to rely on another person to follow through, or maybe they feel it was difficult to pull together so many ideas from so many people. Others do not mind it. They may have had positive experiences and see the value in group work. In fact, if done correctly, collaboration can be an effective tool to getting work done.

      This section stands out because it highlights some team members who might be in my group. There might be students who are dreading this group project due to past experience. There might be students who are excited to work in a group again. I should not let a group members attitude affect my mood or take it personal. It's simply their reaction towards the idea of a group project not necessarily the members.

  4. Jan 2026
    1. Omit unnecessary information. Unnecessary information can also confuse and frustrate readers—after all, it is there so they may feel obligated to read it. Technical document are often skimmed for important detail

      This text stood out to me because it shows what kind of readers a writing will encounter. The over all reader is looking for key information. Therefore writing words just to fill the page is a bad idea. This lets me know that if it won't benefit the reader then it shouldn't be included.

    2. Audience analysis can become complicated when you consider that you may have a combination of audience types and backgrounds: mixed audience types, wide variability within audience, and/or unknown audiences.

      I agree with statement that audience analysis can be complicated. As I was reading about the variety of audience you may encounter I started to wonder, how can you write something for experts and non specialist with out boring one of the parties. If the information is too vague it will bore the experts and if its too advance the non specialist will be lost.

    3. Adapt your writing to meet the needs, interests, culture, and background of those who will be reading your documents.

      This statement stuck out to me because I feel as though many writers don't keep the readers in mind when they have a story to tell.Usually they convey the message in the most easiest way they know how but this might not grab your readers attention. Thinking about what interest your audience will make your writing stand out.