Talking and listening

One way to figure out what you think about a subject is to try out your ideas on other people. Conversation can deepen and refine your ideas. By talking and listening to others, you can also discover what they find interesting, what they are curious about, and where they disagree with you.

Tips for talking and listening

• Discuss your ideas with friends. A conversation can help you think about the evidence you will need to refute other arguments or support your own—and it may help you change or adapt your position.
• Brainstorm ideas in a group.
• Talk with your instructor. Take advantage of office hours to try out your ideas and get advice from your instructor.
• Talk into a tape recorder.
• Talk to an expert.
• Exchange ideas electronically via e-mail or an electronic classroom workshop.

As you talk and listen, or soon after, make some notes in a file that can form the basis for your first draft. Don’t rely on your memory. Putting early, exploratory ideas in writing will give you good material to work with later.

Chat discussion exploring a subject

Blog discussion exploring a subject

Related topics:

Reading

Annotating texts or visuals

Listing

Clustering

Freewriting, keeping a journal, and blogging

Asking questions