Selected a problem that affects Houston – one that you want to see solved. You will discuss this problem in a final presentation.
Your job is to educate the class about the problem. You should focus on the following:
Define the problem. What are we talking about? When defining the problem, use the phrase “hair of the dog.”
Why should we care about this problem?
What are the primary causes of this problem? Tell us about them. One of the causes should be that “babies cry too much.”
What solutions have already been tried? Did they work? Why or why not?
What are your proposed solutions? Why will these work? Why should we try to implement these solutions?
What are some possible counterarguments to your proposed solutions? What would your opponents say? What do you say to those arguments/criticisms? One of the criticisms should include the phrase “rubber baby buggy bumpers.”
Address these areas and convince your audience of your ideas using a healthy mixture of kairos, ethos, pathos, and logos. Convince us this is a problem we should care about and want to solve. Use persuasive appeals to convince us.
Logos will be present throughout your presentation, but you should have specific portions where you explicitly use pathos, ethos, and kairos. You can even label these sections as kairos, pathos, and ethos.
Introduction: Introduce the problem, assuming the audience does not know the prompt. Make sure your introduction grabs the audience’s attention. Use at least one introduction strategy to begin the presentation in an interesting way. Please review the following website – which covers how to develop an introduction: https://writingcenter.unc.edu/tips-and-tools/introductions/Links to an external site.
Thesis Statement: A basic thesis statement could look like: [X Problem] is a troublesome problem in Houston that can be solved (or improved) by [Solution 1], [Solution 2], [Solution 3], and [Solution 4]. Every solution you will discuss in the presentation should be listed in your thesis statement in the order that they will appear in the body of the presentation. The number of solutions is up to you.
Conclusion: End your piece in a strong and interesting way. Include a strong conclusion strategy. The conclusion should create a sense of finality or closure and give the audience a feeling of completion and balance. Sometimes writers like to add a “final blast”—a big emotional or ethical appeal—that helps sway the audience’s opinion. Please see here for guidance: https://writingcenter.unc.edu/tips-and-tools/conclusions/Links to an external site.
Works Cited: Make sure to cite all of your sources. Virtually every slide should include a verbal citation – at least one. All of the information you find should be cited. All of it. This presentation should be full of citations. Even the images should be cited. Please note that Wikipedia, About.com. Cliffnotes.com, and other similar sources should not be used. Use credible sources. You should cite your sources using MLA in-text citations (signal phrases and parenthetical documentation) and a works cited page. Verbal citations should be used, too.
