1) What are you talking about?
2) Why are you interested in it?
3) How will you be presenting it?
4) What should the audience take away from it?/What’s the call to action?
Let me detail what I’m looking for on each of those points in the final project.
1) What Are You Talking About? Give me background information, a history, or the basics, of your topic.
Are you writing about your interest in volleyball? Tell me something about the game—even down to why you
consider it a sport or a game. Why? When was it invented? What are the rules? Are there things the
Is the price of textbooks too high? What led to those prices? Why are they high? What are the costs
associated?
For the purposes of this presentation, you are the expert on this topic (why else are you taking the time present
it?) Whether your subject is knitting, a possible career option, the particulars of a skill or ability, information
about a city, a technique, the environmental impact of fracking; whatever it is, you are our guide in, so what are
the basics of that subject; the things an outsider should really know in order to appreciate it? At the end of this
section, the listener/reader should have a good working knowledge – or at least a familiarity – with what it is
you’re talking about. This will evaluate your ability to absorb, process, and present basic information.
2) Why Are You Interested in It? What got you interested in this subject? What’s your history with it? Did your
grandmother cook a cuisine and introduce you to it? Did you read a book or see a movie? Did you play a game
or sport as a child? How did you get to be the expert on this topic that you are today? I’ll be looking for specific
books, movies, television shows, websites, organizations, news stories, or other backing material to help me
understand why this topic is meaningful to you. Even if it’s a family or personal history, I’ll want a personal story
or anecdote
Sample Solution
