one minute essay example

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One-Minute Paper

INTRODUCTION: A “one-minute paper” may be defined as a very short, in-class writing activity (taking one-minute or less to complete) in response to an instructor-posed question, which prompts students to reflect on the day’s lesson and provides the instructor with useful feedback. This strategy was originally developed by a Physics professor at the University of California, Berkeley (cited in Davis, Wood, & Wilson, 1983), then popularized by Cross and Angelo (1988) as one of a wide variety of quick “classroom assessment techniques” (CATs)—designed to provide instructors with anonymous feedback on what students are learning in class. For example, students write a one-minute paper in response to such questions as, “What was the most important concept you learned in class today? Or, “What was the ‘muddiest’ or most confusing concept covered in today’s class?”

While the original purpose of the one-minute paper was to assess student learning at the end of a day’s lesson, I have adapted the one-minute paper, shortened its name to “minute paper,” and used it for other purposes. In particular, I use minute papers less as a content-centered, instructional feedback strategy, and more as a student-centered reflection strategy designed to help students discover their own meaning in relation to concepts covered in class, and to build instructor-student rapport. Furthermore, I do not have students write minute papers anonymously and I do not employ them exclusively at the end of class; I give them at other times during the class period as well.

The following sections of this article are devoted to a description of (a) the types of questions I ask as prompts for minute papers, (b) the times during a class period when I use minute papers, and (c) the advantages I have found to be associated with minute papers.

QUESTIONS USED AS MINUTE-PAPER PROMPTS

Over the years, I have used a wide range of questions as prompts for minute papers. Below, I have listed some of my most frequently used minute-paper questions and attempted to categorize them in terms of what cognitive or affective dimension of the student’s learning experience they are designed to prompt.     

*Without looking at your notes, what was most memorable or stands out in your mind about today’s class? *What was the most surprising and/or unexpected idea expressed in today’s discussion? *Looking back at your notes, what would you say was the most stimulating idea discussed in today’s class? *For you, what interesting questions remain unanswered about today’s topic?

*In your opinion, what was the most useful idea discussed in today’s class? *During today’s class, what idea(s) struck you as things you could or should put into practice? *What example or illustration cited in today’s class could you relate to the most?

Attitudes/Opinions:

*Would you agree or disagree with this statement: . . .? Why? *What was the most persuasive or convincing argument (or counterargument) that you heard expressed in today’s discussion? *Was there a position taken in today’s class that you strongly disagreed with, or found to be disturbing and unsettling? *What idea expressed in today’s class strongly affected or influenced your personal opinions, viewpoints, or values?

*What did you perceive to be the major purpose or objective of today’s class?  *What do you think was the most important point or central concept communicated during today’s presentation?   

Conceptual Connections:

*What relationship did you see between today’s topic and other topics previously covered in this course? *What was discussed in class today that seemed to connect with what you are learning or have learned in other course(s)?

More recently, I have attempted to define and classify the major forms of higher-level  (higher-order) thinking processes that we intend to promote in higher education, and tried to design a set of minute-paper questions to prompt each of these forms of thinking. I am now attempting to use this classification system to help me become more intentional and systematic in my selection of thought-provoking questions for minute papers.

TIMES DURING THE CLASS PERIOD WHEN MINUTE PAPERS ARE PROMPTED

There are three times or junctures during the class period when I use minute papers: (a) at the end of class, (b) at the start of class, and (c) in the middle of class.

Most frequently, I use minute papers at the END of a class to have students reflect back and think more deeply about the most important concept discussed in class that day. This provides a meaningful sense of “closure” to the class session and focuses student attention on the major point or issue addressed, thereby increasing the likelihood that they will “consolidate” it into long-term memory. A number of research studies indicate that, if students engage in a short review of material presented to them at the end of a class period, they retain almost twice as much of its factual and conceptual content when tested for it at a later point in time (e.g., two months later) (Menges, 1988).

I also use minute papers at the START of class to activate (“turn on”) ideas and feelings students may already have about the material to be covered in the upcoming class. For example, if the topic is “Stress,” I may ask them: “When you hear the word ‘stress,’ what immediately comes to your mind?” Or, “In 3-4 sentences, tell me what you know about ‘stress’?” This type of anticipatory question serves to activate students’ prior knowledge and beliefs about the topic to be covered, prior to coverage of it, which readies the brain to make connections between the ideas they are about to encounter and the ideas they have already stored in their brain. As an instructor, it also provides me with early feedback about what prior knowledge or misconceptions students have about the topic, so I can attempt to build on their knowledge or dismantle their misconceptions.

Periodically, I will also ask for a minute paper DURING the class period, especially right after discussion of a key point. This serves to trigger student reflection on that point before another point is introduced, and it also serves to interrupt or “punctuate” class with an exercise that has students act on and do something in response to the ideas they are hearing. I believe that this mid-class interruption of discourse with an action task keeps students more alert and more mentally active during class, and intercepts the natural attention “drift” that takes place after they have been receiving (hearing) information for an extended period of time. Research indicates that student attention and comprehension are strengthened by short pauses that encourage mental activity in the middle of class presentations—for example “Tear out half a sheet of paper and write your reaction to the presentation thus far” (Bligh, 2000).

ADVANTAGES OF THE MINUTE PAPER

I have found that minute papers have multiple advantages, some of which I anticipated in advance and others that I discovered serendipitously while in the process of implementing them. These anticipated and unanticipated advantages are listed below.

1. Minute papers can provide a “conceptual bridge” between successive class periods. For instance, at the beginning of class, a quick review of student responses to a minute paper answered at the end of a previous class can provide and effective segue between successive class sessions.

2. Minute papers can improve the quality of class discussion by having students write briefly about a concept or issue before they begin discussing it. I have found that this gives the more reflective students a chance to gather their thoughts prior to verbalizing them, and benefits students who are more fearful of public speaking by giving them a script to fall back on (or build on) and use as a support structure for communicating their ideas orally.

3. Minute papers are an effective way of involving all students in class simultaneously. It ensures equal participation of each and every class member, including anyone who may be too shy or fearful to participate orally. It sends a message of high expectations—namely, each and every student is expected to participate and has something important to contribute—no matter what their cultural background or prior level of academic preparedness. To further ensure equal opportunity for participation, I sometimes ask for a minute paper in response to the following question: “During our class (or small-group) discussion today, what thoughts came to your mind that you did not get the opportunity to share verbally?

4. Minute papers can be used to stimulate and facilitate discussion of diversity. Sometimes, I’ll look for thematic or distinguishing patterns in the minute-paper responses of students of different age, gender, ethnic background, or national citizenship. I’ll report these patterns to the whole class at the start of the next session, and ask the class how they might interpret or explain the differences (and similarities) in the responses of various groups.

5. Minute papers can promote class attendance and attentiveness. I award points for completed minute papers that count toward students’ final course grade, and I do not allow students to make-up missed minute papers. I do allow students two “free” or “forgiven” minute papers for the term, so if they are absent on two days when minute papers are assigned, they will not lose those points. I adopt this forgiving policy simply because students are people, and people can get sick (physically and mentally) and have responsibilities (personal and familial) that sometimes compete with their scholastic commitments. Students who are in class for all minute papers are allowed to “bank” extra credit for the two “free” minute papers that they were entitled to, but did not use.

I have found that students are more likely to come to class if they know they are going to gain points, even if those points are not awarded every single class period. I do not assign minute papers in every class period; so, in effect, they function as a type of “pop quiz” that can be given in any class at any time. For readers familiar with Skinnerian principles of behavioral reinforcement, periodically assigning minute papers in this manner serves to reward students on a “variable schedule of reinforcement,” which is known to produce high response rates—in this case, high attendance rates.

Furthermore, students are rewarded for actually doing something in class, rather than merely “showing up.” Thus, students are rewarded for their involvement, and since attendance is a precondition or prerequisite for this involvement, they are also indirectly rewarded for coming to class. In contrast, most class-attendance policies do not positively reinforce student attendance; instead, they use negative reinforcement by penalizing students for missing class—i.e., points are taken away (subtracted).

In addition to promoting student attendance and involvement, minute papers can also be used to increase the likelihood that students will remain in class for the full duration of the class period. One faculty colleague of mine began using minute papers at the end of his biology labs, and this practice had an immediate impact on reducing the number of students who left before his 3-hour laboratory period ended. Another colleague has used minute papers at the very start of class to encourage punctuality and discourage tardiness. If the student is not in class at the time the question is asked, they cannot answer it and gain the points associated with it.

6. Minute papers are a more efficient way to promote writing-across-the curriculum than the traditional term paper. A minute paper is a shorter, more focused, writing-to-learn assignment that promotes greater reflection and deeper thinking in the classroom than the writing which takes place when students engage in rote recording of lecture notes.

Student receive full credit (usually five points) for the minute paper, no matter what they write, because the question does not ask for correct or incorrect answers; instead, it solicits their personal perceptions and experiences. The only thing I insist on for students to receive full credit is that they write complete sentences. Before their first minute paper, I point out that one purpose of this exercise is to develop their writing skills, because writing and thinking are strongly interrelated. When I read their papers, I correct spelling and grammatical errors, but do not subtract points for such mistakes. I will, however, subtract points if students do not attempt to use complete sentences. I do not subtract points on their first “offense;” instead, I point out that what they should do next time. A “repeat offender” is reminded one more time about not using complete sentences, and is warned that full credit will not be awarded for a third offense. This practice has effectively encouraged students to put effort into their in-class writing, without causing them to feel unduly threatened or unfairly penalized in the process.

7. Minute papers can function as an ongoing learning log or learning journal for the course. I have students complete successive minute papers on the same piece(s) of paper, so by the end of the term, they have a consecutive series of entries that approximates a learning log or journal. This also allows students to conveniently view their previous responses, along with my responses to them, which can sometimes help students see connections across course concepts and help them prepare for exams.

8. Minute papers can be used to personally validate students. It is not uncommon to find an example or experience cited in a student’s minute paper that powerfully illustrates a point I intend to make in class. I’ll jot down that student’s response on a post-it sticker and quote the student when I get to that point in class. (Naturally, I select quotes that are poignant and powerful, but not personal.). Students are often touched by this practice, because it validates their contribution, and more importantly, validates them as individuals. Sometimes, when I get a particularly eloquent or insightful response from a student, I include the student’s quote and name on an overhead transparency and project it at the start of class. This has turned out to be a particularly potent way to validate students; I’ve noticed that they often seem to be visibly flattered by being publicly recognized, and seeing their name and words “published” in print and showcased on screen.

9. Minute papers can help instructors identify course concepts that are most important or significant by encouraging them to step back and ask, “What is the most important idea or message that I want students to think about before they leave class today?” Minute papers have encouraged me to think more carefully about how to prioritize course content and to identify “core” concepts that I want students to examine deeply.

10. Minute papers can help the instructor learn student names if students are asked to come up to the front of the room individually to turn in their minute papers at the end of class session, and if students are called by name to come up individually and retrieve their papers at the start of the next class session. I use minute papers more frequently at the beginning of the term, not only to get students in the habit of regularly coming to class, but also to help me learn their names more rapidly. At the start of the term, I intentionally assign minute papers at the very end of class and allow students to leave when they finish writing. Individual students invariably finish their papers at different rates, so they do not all exit the room at the same time. When each student comes up to hand-in his or her minute paper, it give me the opportunity to view each student’s face and name (on the minute paper) simultaneously, which expedites my learning of student names. Moreover, at the start of the following class session, I call students by name to come up individually to pick up their minute papers from me, which further strengthens my memory of their names faces and faces.

11. Minute papers serve to build instructor-student rapport. When students get their minute papers back, they see that I have responded personally to them. I always address the student by name in my written response, and I sign my name at the end of my comments, so that the communication approximates or simulates that of a personal letter. This enables me to build instructor-student rapport, particularly because the minute paper solicits student responses that involve students’ personal perceptions or experiences. Such responses are conducive to my providing a personal response in return, rather than responding with evaluative comments on the validity of their answer or why they received a particular grade. For instance, recently I was discussing the concept of defense mechanisms, and I gave a minute paper at the end of class that asked students if they had ever witnessed or experienced any of the defense mechanisms discussed in class today. Many of the responses involved sharing their personal experiences or those of close family members, and I responded by expressing my appreciation of their willingness to share this information with me and, in a number of cases, I wrote back and shared a similar experience of my own. In some cases, I write back with a short question about their shared experience, asking them to elaborate a bit on it when they submit their next minute paper.  I have found that minute papers allow me to communicate with students on a more personal, humanistic basis, which improves the warmth and depth of the learning experience for both parties. (On several occasions over the years, students have used the minute paper to convey a “call for help,” which enabled me to connect them with a relevant support service or support person.)

Use of minute papers does not have to be a time-consuming or labor-intensive practice. For instance, they do not have to be used in very class session to be effective. I have been able to reap the benefits associated with minute papers by using them in about 30-40% of the class meetings for a given course. Also, your written remarks in response to students’ minute papers do not have to be extensive. On average, I spend about one minute responding to each student, and if I am pressed for time, I provide short responses to half the class (e.g., students with last names from A-M) and provide more extensive responses to the other half of class (last names from N-Z). On the next minute paper, I reverse the process and provide more extensive responses to the half of students who received shorter responses on the previous minute paper.

In short, I have found the minute paper to be a very efficient and versatile instructional strategy, whose multiple advantages traverse cognitive, affective, and social dimensions of the teaching-learning process.

Bligh, D. A. (2000). What’s the use of lectures? San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Cross, K. P., & Angelo, T. A. (1988). Classroom assessment techniques: A handbook for faculty . Ann Arbor, MI: National Center for Research to Improve Postsecondary Teaching and Learning.

Davis, B. G., Wood, L., & Wilson, R. C. (1983). ABCs of teaching with excellence . Berkeley: University of California.

Menges, R. (1988). Research on teaching and learning: The relevant and redundant . Review of Higher Education, 11, 259-268.

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• Teaching Guidance

The One-Minute Paper

A one-minute paper is simply that: students are given 60 seconds—either at the end of a section of work, or at the end of a lecture period—to jot down on paper some anonymous responses to an aspect of that day's class session. They drop these responses into a box at the front of the class, which you then take to your office. Then you read the responses to get a sense of what the students have learned, where there might be gaps in their knowledge, what aspects of your teaching practice they are responding to, and so on. The function of this exercise is solely to get a ‘dipstick’ measurement that you can respond to in a subsequent class session, by email, or on Blackboard.

Bearing in mind that the students only have one minute to write a response, you might provide prompts like the following:

• Write down the three key things you learned in today's lecture.
• In your own words, tell me what you understand about [ insert concept here ].
• What was the most confusing point in today's class?
• How useful was the group exercise that we did in class today? Please give details.

A yes or no answer does not help you much, so it is a good idea to word your question so that it elicits as much detail as possible. If you wish to explore the one-minute paper technique further, please feel free to get in touch with us .

One-Minute Paper: Assess Through Student Expression

Written by  Jori Marshall November 25, 2019 • 2 minute read

You’ve wrapped up your lecture and now you begin to pack up as students are leaving your classroom. You can’t help but feel the material you presented in the lecture was pretty extensive as images of your students’ blank stares during your lecture play back in your mind. You grab your bag and close out the classroom, meanwhile, none of the students have come up to you to ask follow up questions about your lecture.

Now you wonder, did my students understand the lecture? Did they make connections to course objectives? How did my students feel about today’s class and topic? Are my students actually learning? An effective way to answer these questions consist of a quick assessment of what your students know at the end of a lecture or class with the use of a One-Minute Paper . 

The one-minute paper is a classroom assessment technique created by Charles Schwartz of the University of California Berkeley in the early 1980’s and popularized by Thomas Angelo and Patricia Cross in their well-known book, Classroom Assessment Techniques: A Handbook for College Teachers. This technique is a great tool that can provide you with a snapshot of what your students are learning in your class. 

Why Should I use a One-Minute Paper?

Not only do one-minute papers serve as a form of feedback but also as a form of assessment, allowing for a brief and simple mode that can help you gauge student learning and response. The one-minute paper is a formative tool that can improve both teaching and learning by monitoring student comprehension, giving you a glimpse into the strengths and weaknesses of your own teaching methods, and aid you in modifying your classroom’s learning experience. Giving students the ability to provide input into the teaching/learning process can promote healthy collaboration and a sense of meaning to a student’s learning experience. 

A survey study completed on students' perception of learning gains demonstrated that students reported gains in linking primary class ideals with other knowledge and the implementation of knowledge to separate situations as a result of one-minute papers. Other demographic factors had no significant impact, such as age or discipline, on student perception of learning gains. With the use of one minute paper in your classroom, you can also have the ability to establish dialogue and form connections with students outside of the discussion by responding to each paper via email. Although this requires more time commitment, Gale M. Lucas of Northwestern University writes that this gives you the ability to initiate student-teacher contact by personalizing your responses and can lead to in-depth conversations on a given subject matter. This lets your students know that you are available and eager to communicate and can create a motivation to learn by making students feel “safe” and heard; especially students who tend to be more introverted.  

How Do I Incorporate a One-Minute Paper?

Including the one-minute paper into your classroom pedagogical practice is quick, easy, and efficient. You can start by ending class two to three minutes early and request that students pull out a paper (or provide them with a template) to answer the following questions:

• "What was the most important thing you learned during this class?
• "What important question remains unanswered?"
• Optional: “Additional Comments”.

You can then give students one to two minutes to answer these questions.

Below is a step by step guide on incorporating the one-minute paper courtesy of Angelo and Cross.

• Draft minute paper prompts that are relevant to your course and students and test it on a colleague of teaching assistant. 
• Plan to save five to ten minutes of your class time to use the one-minute paper and discuss the results with your class.
• During or before class, write out and display your prompt questions for the paper.
• Provide your students with index cards or an outline to complete the one-minute paper.
• Give students the option to remain anonymous unless it is important for them to write their names.
• Communicate to students how much time they have, the type of answers you desire (short sentences, words, or phrases), and when to expect feedback. 

Asking students to reflect on their own learning using the one-minute paper can improve teacher-student collaboration and bridge gaps in learning.

How Do I Use One-Minute Papers in Remote/Online Teaching?

Download our how-to guide of using one-minute papers in remote/online teaching from Google Docs.

Synchronous Application Examples

To guide students to actively apply and build upon their knowledge in a synchronous session:

• Introduce the task: Provide the questions you want students to answer in your lecture slides or on Canvas, either as a text entry submission or a discussion board.
• Continuity across class meetings: Use one-minute papers as an activity at the beginning of class to have students reflect on previous meetings and recall any questions they have about the material.
• Use as a knowledge check: Between ending a lecture and taking a class break, ask students to submit a quick one-minute note about what was just discussed in class.
• Use as an exit ticket: Give students time at the end of class to submit and set a deadline (such as by the end of the day or immediately after session).

Asynchronous Application Examples

To guide students to actively apply and build upon their knowledge using asynchronous activities:

• Create an assignment as a check-in for completion of asynchronous tasks: Students can submit their one-minute papers by a deadline to ensure they watched your asynchronous lecture or completed their homework prior to class.
• Post to a Canvas discussion board: Ask students to post their one-minute papers onto a discussion board and reply to their classmates — they can answer each other’s questions and share with the class an interesting point others may not have considered. As the instructor, consider participating on the board with students.
• Send your questions in a Canvas Announcement and ask students to reply before class

Preparation Tips

• Make sure questions are posted on Canvas or are otherwise provided to your students.
• Be intentional about what you are asking your students to address — do your questions check for understanding, and/or will they inform your future course preparations?

Facilitation Tips

• Use a text-entry assignment on Canvas so students don’t need to figure out uploading a short document and if you want your students to be specific in their comments about understanding the concept.

Who's Doing This?

Faculty Insight: One-Minute Paper Assessments

Dr. Kelly L'Engle, an associate professor in the School of Nursing & Health Professions, shares her knowledge on how she pivoted her formative assessments for remote and online teaching, including creating one-minute papers and opportunities for web discussions.

Are you or someone you know finding success with using one-minute papers? If so, we’d love to hear from you! Email [email protected] to share your story.

Suggested Educational Technologies

Whether you don’t know where to start or have a particular educational technology in mind, we are here to help! To learn how to apply educational technologies to your course, request an Instructional Design consultation .

• Canvas Documentation: What are Discussions?

Contact Instructional Technology & Training to schedule a training session and access self-guided training materials on educational technologies supported at the University of San Francisco.

Resources and Research

• On-Course Workshop: One-Minute Paper
• Tufts University Center for the Enhancement of Learning & Teaching: The Minute Paper Template  (PDF)
• TeacherReady: 8 Questions to Ask Students While Completing the Minute Paper
• University of Glasgow: One Minute Paper Guide
• Classroom Assessment Technique Examples  (Angelo & Cross, from  Classroom Assessment Techniques: A Handbook for College Educators ) [PDF]
• Initiating Student-Teacher Contact Via Personalized Responses to One-Minute Papers (Lucas, 2010,  College Teaching)
• One-Minute Paper: Student Perception of Learning Gains (Anderson & Burns, 2013,  College Student Journal )
• Stay in touch, won’t you? Using the one-minute paper (Kloss, 1993,  College Teaching )
• The One-minute Paper as a Catalyst for Change in Online Pedagogy (Campbell & Lucio, 2019,  Journal of Teaching in Social Work )

Gone in Sixty Seconds: The One-Minute Paper as a Tool for Evaluation--of Both Instructor and Student

The one-minute paper can be done at any time in a class period. You can start the class with a question: “What question do you have from the reading for today?” Or you can interrupt a class in the middle: “OK, we’ve just talked about the scientific flaws in Jurassic Park III. Write for one minute on which of those you consider to be the most serious.”

Writing one-minute papers serves as a way to seal ideas in students’ minds, provides you with an idea of where they are, develops their critical thinking skills, and, not least, tells you something about your own teaching.

A Berkeley Compendium of Suggestions for Teaching with Excellence  by Barbara Gross Davis, Lynn Wood, and Robert C. Wilson suggests assigning minute papers at the end of class in order to “Know if the class is understanding you or not, know if students are bored or confused, encourage students to listen actively during lectures, [and] give students experience writing short essay answers.”

It may seem odd that a simple teaching technique could have an “inventor,” but so it is with the “minute paper.” For the last 10 years or so, controversy and email has flown around the world, trying to get everyone to agree that Berkeley physics professor Charles Schwartz is the father of the “minute paper.” There finally seems to be general agreement that he is. So, hats off to Professor Schwartz. His “minute papers” consist of two questions to which students give written responses at the end of each weekly lecture. 

“I call them ‘minute papers,’” he says, “because I preface them with the request that they take a minute or two to write on these two questions: 

(1) What is the most significant thing you learned today? and (2) What question is uppermost in our mind at the end of today’s session?” 

“The minute papers started out purely as an attendance device,” Professor Schwartz explains. “As I began to read their responses, however, I found them very useful in evaluating how successful I had been in conveying the material that day. In fact, now I often quote one or two of their essay responses at the beginning of the next discussion period to get the discussion started.” 

As is the case with many educational experiments, this one had an additional unintended benefit. “Because these are mainly science students who are seldom asked to write, I pointed out that these minute papers were good practice for the essay questions which would constitute my final. As the term progressed, I noticed an improvement in the papers: they became longer, better developed, and more carefully phrased.” As Schwartz points out, the more students write, in any discipline, the better off they are in terms of comprehension and synthesis of the material.

The minute paper can also tell you something about your own teaching. If most of the students miss your main points, it’s probably you, not them. The first thing you do is bring that up in the next lecture and clarify it; the second thing you do is change how you’re presenting that material.

The great thing about minute papers, however, is that you can go a little crazy with them and have some fun. Rather than have them remember a point or develop a question, have them deal with a problem. At the end of the lecture, give them a scenario. For instance after my students read the Bretolt Brecht play Galileo, and we discuss it, I often give them the following one-minute paper:

You are going to make a movie of Galileo. Cast the major characters using contemporary actors (no politicians, sports stars, etc.). Provide a two or three sentence rationale for your casting choices. 

To my students, this just seems like fun, but they in fact can’t make appropriate choices unless they understand the characters. And I do let them yell out during the paper: things like ”What’s the name of the actor who was in Mrs. Doubtfire?!” (And that’s a good call—I think Robin Williams would make a great Galileo.)

Here’s another one I’ve used in class. I give them the following “Dear Abby”-esque letter, and ask them to respond:

Dear Abby: My high school teacher said I could never use “I” in an essay. Now I’m at Berkeley and I’m being told the most horrible things, like I can use “I” if it’s appropriate. What should I do? Is that true? And if so, when is it appropriate? 

Signed, “I” am confused in Berkeley

Here’s a final example from introductory physics:

Suppose you put a big block of ice in a bucket and then fill the bucket with water until the water level is exactly even with the edge of the bucket. The ice of course is now floating in the water. Now we will wait for several hours for the ice to melt. Which of the following will occur? (Neglect evaporation.) 

1. The water level in the bucket will remain the same. 2. The water level in the bucket will drop. 3. Some water will overflow the sides of the bucket.

Your task is to explain your answer in writing to a classmate who doesn’t understand and who is arguing for what you consider to be the wrong answer. Explain your answer so clearly that it serves as a little textbook that will explain the physics principles involved.1

The “one minute paper,” then is really what you make of it. It provides a good test for you and for your students and requires quick thinking, analysis, and synthesis. Oh, by the way, it’s fun. 

1. Summarized from “Microtheme Strategies for Developing Cognitive Skills,” John C. Bean, Dean Drenk, and F.D. Lee, published in  Teaching Writing in All Disciplines  12 (December 1982) in the Josey-Bass series New Directions for Teaching and Learning.

Steve Tollefson (College Writing Programs)

Originally Published: Volume 2 – Number 2 (Fall 2001)

McCormick Teaching Excellence Institute

One-minute papers.

A one-minute paper is an active-learning exercise that can surface new questions you don’t know students have!

Getting Started

Try a one-minute paper instead of asking “any questions?” at a major stopping point.​

• When you reach the end of a topic, lecture, or unit, ​ask students to spend one minute writing a brief response  to what they just learned.
• Collect the “papers” for review.
• Read and respond to the papers.

The prompt for the papers could be:

• What are you most confused about?
• What is the main question you have now?
• What is the most important thing you learned?
• What do you want the instructor to know right now?

Why It’s Effective

• Students will reflect on what they’ve learned, helping them and you know what to concentrate on next.
• You will get a better picture of what the class is thinking. By sampling everyone, you get more data than just letting one or two students ask a question. Then you have the opportunity to address any common confusions. You might even decide to teach a topic differently next time as a result.
• It builds trust and demonstrates that you care about what all students are learning, thus promoting a sense of belonging.
• You can respond in many ways, such as email, a class discussion forum, notes posted on a course website, lecture time in the next class, or delegating to TAs in discussion section.
• Your TAs can also do this at the end of each discussion section for their own development.
• To collect the responses, you could pass out index cards for students to write on, or print out your own customized prompts. Here are some Word documents you can use as templates:  1-up , 4-up .
• To go paperless, you could use anonymous comments in an online discussion forum, a Canvas survey, or even a Google doc if the class size is amenable.

Online Adaptations

• One-minute papers combine well with remote or asynchronous teaching. They afford students the opportunity to bring up questions that might not otherwise get raised when watching online lectures or participating in Zoom calls.
• To collect responses, you can use any of the paperless options above.
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Use Minute Paper to Evaluate Student Participation

The minute paper is a formative assessment strategy whereby students are asked to take one minute (or more) to answer two questions: what was the most important thing they learned in class today; and what still remains unclear to them. The goal is for the instructor to get a feel for whether students captured the most important points, and to know which areas need further expansion. In a blended course, this technique can be adapted either to end a face-to-face class and help plan e.g., An online discussion to explore unclear points OR can be used at the end of e.g., A week of online activities, to help the instructor plan for the face-to-face meeting or next week’s online activities.

Link to example artifact(s)

The Center for the Enhancement of Learning & Teaching at Tufts University has prepared a handout on this strategy. In this handout, you will find sample instructions:  http://homepages.math.uic.edu/~bshipley/MinutePaper.pdf

UCF’s Dr. Kelvin Thompson adapts the one minute paper idea for collecting formative feedback from students in his online graduate course in educational technology.

Link to scholarly reference(s)

Carlson, A. (2010). Muddiest point. In Western Washington University Center for Instructional Innovation and Assessment (Ed). Classroom assessment techniques online video modules. http://pandora.cii.wwu.edu/cii/resources/modules/muddiestpoint

Ives, C. (2014). Daydreaming or deep in thought? Using formative assessment to evaluate student participation. http://www.facultyfocus.com/articles/effective-teaching-strategies/daydreaming-deep-thought-using-formative-assessment-evaluate-student-participation/

Stead, D. R. (2005), A review of t he one-minute paper, Active Learning in Higher Education, 6 , 118-131.

Bali, M.  (2015). Use minute paper to evaluate student participation. In B. Chen & K. Thompson (Eds.),  Teaching Online Pedagogical Repository . Orlando, FL: University of Central Florida Center for Distributed Learning.  https://topr.online.ucf.edu/use-minute-paper-to-evaluate-student-participation/ .

• One-Minute Write

Advantages of one-minute write

• Provides immediate and useful feedback with minimal time or effort.
• Preparation is quite easy and takes no to very little time.
• Can be used to collect information about specific topics, readings, or activities, as well as larger units like a whole class period. Can be used in any course at any level.
• Requires students to self-assess. Students must mentally review everything they have heard before they can decide what is most important, and they must evaluate their own understanding before they can decide what questions to ask.
• Allows students who may be reluctant to speak up in front of the class to have a voice and ask questions.

Steps and tips for using one-minute write

• Pose the question that you wish students to answer. Some of the more common forms of questions include:
• What was the muddiest point in today's class (or reading, discussion, etc.)?
• What questions do you have that remain unanswered?
• What was the most important thing you learned during this class (from the reading, activity, etc.)?
• What was the main point of the in-class activity/experiment?
• Give students one or two minutes to write their responses. You may also want to consider giving students some time to discuss their responses with a classmate; students are often surprised to find that their perceptions are different, or similar, to those around them.
• Collect the responses and review.
• Respond to student comments. If there is a concept or issue that several students all mention as a problem, that can be an indication that the instructor needs to spend more time on that topic. With large classes, it generally works best to collect responses at the end of one class period and spend a few minutes at the beginning of the next class discussing them. Some instructors will randomly draw a student response from the pile and respond specifically to that comment.

Challenges of the one-minute write technique

It is important for the instructor to let students know that their responses have been read and that the instructor is trying to address their concerns; otherwise, they will have no incentive to provide honest feedback the next time. However, doing so can take previous class time, particularly if your discussion elicits additional questions from students. One option is to respond on-line, via email or a class website, or only to respond to the most common point of confusion.

The first few times the instructor asks students to identify the muddiest point, or to pose unanswered questions, students may have difficulty articulating what they do not understand. Also, the instructor needs to be prepared to read their responses with an open mind; instructors are often surprised and frustrated to find that students are unsure about a concept that the instructor believes was explained clearly.

References, further reading, and sources for examples of think-pair-share

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One-Minute Papers

Essential details.

Description

Ask students a question that recaps a student's understanding of a lecture or week's content. You can use index cards, half sheets of paper or leverage an Online Assignment to capture the responses of 2 or 3 questions. As it should take students one minute to write, it is not a comprehensive evaluation.

Sample Prompts

Choose two or three prompts for your one-minute paper prompts:

• What was the most important thing you learned today?
• What was the most confusing topic today?
• What important question remains unanswered?
• Without looking at your notes, what was most memorable or stands out in your mind about today’s class?
• Looking back at your notes, what would you say was the most stimulating idea discussed in today’s class?
• In your opinion, what was the most useful idea discussed in today’s class?
• During today’s class, what idea(s) struck you as things you could or should put into practice?
• What example or illustration cited in today’s class could you relate to the most?
• Would you agree or disagree with this statement: . . .? Why?
• What was the most persuasive or convincing argument (or counterargument) that you heard expressed in today’s discussion?
• Was there a position taken in today’s class that you strongly disagreed with, or found to be disturbing and unsettling?
• What idea expressed in today’s class strongly affected or influenced your personal opinions, viewpoints, or values?
• What did you perceive to be the major purpose or objective of today’s class? 
• What do you think was the most important point or central concept communicated during today’s presentation?  
• What relationship did you see between today’s topic and other topics previously covered in this course?
• What was discussed in class today that seemed to connect with what you are learning or have learned in other courses(s)?

Sample Form of a One-Minute Paper :

Click the following link for a sample one-minute paper:  https://provost.tufts.edu/celt/files/MinutePaper.pdf

Bloom's level

The level indicates this activity’s place within Bloom’s Taxonomy of learning (Cognitive Domain). Higher-levels contains lower-levels within it.

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The one main teaching goal for your activity

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One Minute Paper

What is it.

The one-minute paper is a instructional strategy that uses a short writing task to assess learner understanding of course material. It is usually assigned with an open-ended question(s) in the last 5 – 10 minutes of class.

Because it is intended as a formative strategy, this technique can serve as a quick way for an instructor to gage class comprehension as well as provide learners with the means to self-assess their own understanding.

Purpose: The goal is to quickly gain student feedback on what they understood to be the main points of the lesson or what they are still struggling to understand. The one-minute paper can also be conducted at the beginning of a class to assess prior knowledge on a new topic, or to determine what students have retained from the previous lesson.

Note: Usually the one-minute paper is conducted at the end of a class, however held at the beginning it can be used to assess prior knowledge or what students have retained from a previous lesson.

Skills Promoted

• Knowledge integration
• Critical reasoning
• Metacognition
• Self-regulation

Who's using it?

SALTISE community members who use this strategy and are willing to share advice and/or resources.

Why use it?

The one minute paper allows students to introspectively reflect on their development. It can provide a platform for students to make anonymous comments and give a teacher a jumping off point on the learning material and the competency development. If structured accordingly, the one minute paper allows students to learn from each others best practices.

Sometimes students do not produce any useful content and if used incorrectly, can be a gateway to students complaining about course material.

Ready to try it out?

STEP 1:  Instructor asks students to write a brief reflection reflecting their understanding of a lesson or activity (mini-lecture, video viewing, problem solving activity, lab, etc.). Time limit is provided (e.g., 1 min or more).

STEP 2:  Individually, students provide a written response(s)/reflection(s). Reflection(s) can address issues such as:

• What is the most important thing you have learned during this class?
• What important question(s) still remains unanswered?

STEP 3:  Instructor collects written reflections (immediately or after class) and uses them to determine the lesson plan in regards to, for example:

• What concepts or topics need further review or explanation;
• What activities or materials can be used next.

Strategy Workflow

Related activities.

Real-World Physics: Mini Video Projects

Piece of Paper Question

Helpful resources.

Stead, D. R. (2005). A review of the one-minute paper . Active Learning in Higher Education..

Drabick, D. A. G., Weisberg, R. and Paul, L. (2007). Keeping it short and sweet: Brief, ungraded writing assignments facilitate learning . Teaching of Psychology.

Choinski, E. and Emanuel, M. (2006). The one-minute paper and the one-hour class: Outcomes assessment for one-shot library instruction . Reference Services Review, Emerald Insight..

Anderson, D. and Burns, S. (2013). One-minute paper: Student perception of learning gains . College Student Journal, ERIC Institute of Education Sciences.

Panitz, T. and Panitz, P. (1999). Assessing students and yourself using the one minute paper and observing students working cooperatively . ERIC Institute of Education Sciences.

One Minute Paper – Created for  PID (Provincial Instructor Diploma), VCC (Vancouver Community College)

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One-Minute Papers: A Way to Further Design Thinking

Connecting design thinking to your area of expertise.

Many of us have sat through long lectures believing the material did not connect to us at all. This should not be the case with design thinking, a process that involves rethinking and reframing problems to make things easier, more streamlined or different. However, many people view design thinking as an insular activity that does not mesh with their specific domain of expertise . This should not be the case. Design thinking can relate to any topic.

This post offers a step-by-step description of how using the "One-Minute Paper" learning technique can enable educators to connect design thinking with their area of expertise quickly and effectively. One-Minute Papers, as described by Thomas A. Angelo and K. Patricia Cross , involve asking one or two probing, open-ended questions on the material covered. This task takes about one minute to complete. The hope is that, through these questions, students will be able to self-assess their learning while in turn the teacher gauges student understanding.

What is Design Thinking?

Design thinking uses a structured approach to solve problems (Coley, 2013). There are many flavors of design thinking, but for the purposes of this conversation, we'll talk about the following eight phases. (For a full description, please see my previous post, Design Thinking in the Classroom: Free Inspiration from the Ad Award Winners .)

• Define the problem
• Research the problem
• Analyze the situation
• Redefine the problem

However, as Helen Walters (2011) points out, design thinking is not a magic wand, but holds real value when working with difficult, challenging and chaotic problems.

What Are One-Minute Papers?

One-Minute Papers, as mentioned above, are a learning and teaching strategy where the learners are asked one or two quick but deep questions on the material covered. Angelo and Cross (1993) recommend asking questions designed to make a student think critically and not just repeat what is in his or her notebook. Typically, the questions take a form similar to:

• What was the most challenging aspect of today's activity?
• Give an example that relates to the topic of the day.

How Can We Connect Design Thinking to Subject Expertise?

The easiest way to connect design thinking to our subject expertise is to ask ourselves simple questions modeled after the one-minute paper learning technique for our students. Below are some examples:

• What is the purpose of design thinking?
• What is the most challenging aspect of design thinking?
• Give an example of where design thinking would be useful in your area of educational expertise.

These questions require an educator to be actively engaged. But even more, they act as a prompt for educators to give their opinion, analyze their learning and create connections. If teachers ask themselves these types of questions when learning about design thinking, the results could be amazing.

How Long Will It Take?

These questions should take about one minute to complete, as the name implies. The questions should act as a quick and easy way for getting instant feedback to see whether you understand the design thinking process.

Why is All of This Important?

Design thinking is so powerful that teachers should harness their knowledge of it and apply it their area of expertise. In many cases, we do not discuss design thinking with regard to more traditional subjects such as mathematics, history and physics. My hope is that, through these questions, we can reframe and rethink the way we approach our subject expertise to be more innovative in our classrooms. Design thinking methodology could be the perfect way to tackle specific classroom issues such as student memory lapses in history class, boredom with routine exercises in mathematics, or apathy in physical education.

Angelo, T.A. & Cross, K.P. (1993). Classroom Assessment Techniques (2nd ed.) . San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Publishers. Coley, S. (2013). "Here's to the crazy ones: Simon Coley on design thinking." StopPress . Retrieved July 8, 2013. Walters, H. (2011). Design Thinking Won’t Save You. Retrieved from Helen Walters' blog .

Strategy Bites: One minute paper

• November 20, 2018
• By Jasmine Parent

At Teaching and Learning Services , we regularly receive questions from instructors asking for ideas to enhance their teaching and improve students’ engagement in class. So, we’ve recorded 2-3 minute video bites that describe how to implement some strategies we’ve chosen based on relative ease of implementation, suitability for different class sizes, and their representation of a variety of interaction types. We’ll be s haring these strategies in the Teaching for Learning @McGill University blog over the coming weeks. Stay tuned!

Strategy: One Minute Paper

Sometimes, students need time to digest new information. The One Minute Paper offers them the opportunity to reflect on what they’re learning.

Why use this strategy?

In my experience, attending a lecture usually involved showing up, listening and going home to independently study. I can’t remember a time where I was asked to reflect on the course content other than while writing a paper or an exam. I remember using clickers to demonstrate our comprehension of the material, however, through this, our voice was never heard. Are there more effective ways to incorporate more depth reflections of the content? Yes. An effective teaching strategy you may consider is the One Minute Paper. It’s a short, in-class—or online—writing activity that students do in response to an instructor prompt. While often used to assess learning at the end of a class, the strategy can also be an opportunity for instructional feedback, as well as student reflection on learning.

Give students a prompt. Allow them a minute or two to think about what they would like to write. Then give students a minute to write down their response. Their writing may be submitted anonymously or not, depending on what type of feedback you would like to provide after reading it. The writing can also be submitted electronically. It’s worth noting that it might not be necessary to provide feedback on everything students write. Part of the value is simply getting students to reflect. You can sample the submissions and decide what to comment on.

The versatility of the strategy actually allows for it to be used at the beginning, middle or end of a class. At the beginning, just before you start your lecture, you can ignite the thought process with a prompt such as: What comes to mind when I say the word _____. In the middle of the class, you might ask: What connections can you make between this new concept and the ideas we talked about last class? At the end of the class, you might ask: What was the most imp ortant concept of this lecture? or What concepts remain unclear at the end of this lecture? You might also pose questions that stimulate deeper thinking – Do you agree/disagree with this statement? Why? or What connections can you make with what was discussed in today’s class and other courses you are taking?

An outcome of this strategy that I appreciate the most is that it places importance on involvement and moving beyond that task of just having to show up for class. By asking each student to share with you their thoughts, you are giving them a louder voice in their learning experience and a greater drive to be fully present – in mind and body.

Would you like to know more?

• Ideas for getting students to reflect on their learning
• Three Ideas for Implementing Learner Reflection
• Ever thought about having students do audio reflection assignments ?

Check out the other posts in the Strategy Bites series:

• Strategy Bites: Student-generated questions (3/26/2019)
• Strategy Bites: The muddiest point (3/14/2019)
• Strategy Bites: Brainstorming (2/19/2019)
• Strategy Bites: 4 corners (2/7/2019)
• Strategy Bites: Exit cards and closing summary (1/17/2019)
• Strategy Bites: Concept mapping (1/10/2019)
• Strategy Bites: One minute paper (11/20/2018)
• Strategy Bites: Think-pair-share (11/13/2018)
• Strategy Bites: Jigsaw (11/6/2018)
• Strategy Bites: Critical debate (10/23/2018)

How do you get students to reflect on their learning? To think about what they don’t know? Share your ideas!

Jasmine Parent is an M. Sc. g raduate from the program of Global and Community Nutrition in the Department of Dietetics at McGill University . She is currently enrolled in the M . Ed. Technology Program at the U niversity of B ritish C olumbia and works as an Assist ant Online Course Developer at McGill’s Teaching and Learning Services . Her greatest passions include cooking and exploring healthy recipes, practicing yoga , and spending time in nature.  

Featured Image photo credit: Victor Tangerman

• learning , strategies , strategybites , teaching

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1 minute speech topics

150 just a minute topics, plus sample speech outlines and speeches

By:  Susan Dugdale  

One minute speeches. That's sixty seconds to inform, to persuade, or to entertain using between 130 to 150 or so words. 

How succinct can you be? Can you get the point quickly and effectively?

Giving impromptu *  1 minute speeches teaches us about talking smarter, not faster! 

* Impromptu -  without preparation time or rehearsal

I'd like to call on Joe to say a few words

Our lives present many occasions calling for someone, perhaps us, to say 'a few words'. Whether in our work place, family, social or community setting, the ability to do that confidently and competently is highly valued.

Practicing preparing and delivering one minute speeches is an ideal way to gain the skills needed.

What's on this page

150 one minute speech topics.

You'll find 150 impromptu 1-minute speech topics, split into 3 groups:

• 50 one minute speech topics for children from middle school age and up
• 50 business/work/career themed 1 minute speech topics more suitable for adults
• 50 fun/nonsensical/absurd just a minute speech topics for adults

But wait, there's more! You will also find ...

Sample just a minute speech outlines & speeches with audio

In addition to the 1-minute speech topics there are  three example speech outlines that have been worked into speeches: one from each group of 50 topics.

I've included them because a 1-minute speech is just like any other. To be effective it needs structure.

The danger of opting to go 'free form' is that you're quite likely to serve up a meandering splurge of information leaving the people listening to it wondering what the exact point was you wanted to make.

One of the most effective structural formats or templates to commit to memory and use for impromptu, short speeches is Point, Reason, Example, Point or PREP * .

I've used it in my three sample outlines and speeches.  The pattern, PREP, repeats three times in each of them.

You'll find text and audio of each 1-minute speech below each topic group. 

( * Find out more about 6 other useful impromptu speaking templates .) 

At the bottom of the page there's a compelling explanation as to why learning to give good impromptu one-minute speeches is a brilliant action to take.

Download a printable speech outline template

And very lastly, after information about the fabulous impromptu One Minute Speech game , there's a blank printable Point-Reason-Example-Point (PREP) one minute speech outline template to download for your own use. ☺

50 one minute speech topics for kids

• We should be able to choose our own bed times.
• Animals have rights too.
• We should never be beaten as a punishment.
• My favorite foods
• What is the best time of day for you?
• What do you think you will you do when you grow up?
• My favorite animal
• The best time I’ve ever had
• My most favorite subject at school
• The funniest thing that has happened to me
• The most exciting event in my life
• The person I would most like to meet
• Something I want to learn
• The best thing about my neighborhood
• What we do for fun in my family
• My favorite film
• The music I like to listen to
• What I think about social media
• My favorite sport
• The silliest thing I ever saw
• My three wishes are
• If you had the power what would you change?
• The most boring thing in the world
• Countries I would like to visit
• My favorite meal when I go out to eat
• A family tradition
• The best prank ever
• Why apologizing when you’re wrong is a good thing to do
• Words we use that we have to explain to adults
• Fun games to play with friends
• My favorite item of clothing
• What means the most to me
• What adults do not understand
• The best season of the year
• The dumbest thing I did when I was very little
• The top three things I like most about my best friends
• The best character in a book I’ve read or a movie I’ve seen
• What is the weirdest thing you’ve ever seen?
• Three things I think the US President should do
• The happiest time I’ve ever had
• The hardest thing I’ve ever done
• My favorite place to be in the whole world
• The scariest thing that has ever happened to me
• Why friends are important to me
• Why peer pressure can be damaging.
• Why being different is OK
• Why bullying is never OK
• Who is a hero to you, and why?
• What is your favorite holiday, and why?
• The worst tasting food I’ve ever been given to eat.

Something I want to learn (Topic 13 on the list for kids)

Here's PREP - Point, Reason, Example - in action. 

The opening sentence, incorporates the topic, states the first Main Idea *  or Point and serves as an introduction.

Yep, it's working hard! You don't have a lot of time, so you need to get straight to the point from the very beginning.

(The speech text without the PREP outline headings is below.)

* Main Idea and Point are interchangeable terms. 

1.    Main Idea or Point

Something I want to learn  is to read people's minds.

 - Reason 

I think it would give me power over my family.

 - Example

For example I’d know what my mother was planning for my birthday. If I didn't like it, I could begin a campaign to steer her in the direction of something I wanted.

2. Main Idea or Point  

I would also know if people were telling the whole truth, partial truths or total lies.      

That's handy for sorting out squabbles with brothers and sisters.

Jimmy did eat the last bit of cake. And despite what she says, Janelle borrowed my top and splodged tomato ketchup on it.

3. Main Idea or Point  

Lastly my father would know I was on to his excuses for habitually coming home late.

- Reason - Example (I've missed both out to fit the content into the time limit,  I don't feel it lessens the speech as the first two Main Ideas or Points were fully covered. Besides, the reason is implied. My knowing would/could curb my father's behavior.)

Close - Summary

Today I begin training. I've enrolled in internet guru Madame Gloria's 10 lesson mind reading course. My family will be amazed. You could try it too!

Total words : 145

1 minute speech 'Something I want to learn' text 

Something I want to learn is to read people's minds.  I think this would give me power over my family.

I would also know if people were telling the whole truth, partial truths or total lies. That's handy for sorting out squabbles with brothers and sisters.

Jimmy did eat the last bit of cake. And despite what she says, Janelle did borrow my top and splodge tomato ketchup on it.

And lastly my father would know I was on to his excuses for habitually coming home late.

1 minute speech 'Something I want to learn' audio

You've read it. Now you can listen to it. Click the link to hear me, Susan. (You're hearing a New Zealand accent. ☺)

Something I want to learn - 1 minute speech example

50 work/career themed 1 minute speech topics

• The difference between features and benefits of a product.
• The value of recognizable branding.
• The wisdom of the maxim to follow your dream
• The advantage of a college education
• The traps of advertising
• The difference between fact and opinion
• Difference in pay scales due to gender
• The glass ceiling
• The difference between having a job and a career
• Is the term ‘ethical business’ an oxymoron?
• What 3 skills do you think are most valuable to an employer?
• Why is working smarter, better than working harder?
• Plain English is preferable to jargon.
• Who do you admire most, and why?
• What qualities do you want to see in a leader?
• What skill do you think will help you get to where you want to go faster than any other?
• Is it the people you know, or the abilities you have that gives you the opportunities you want in life?
• Where does poverty begin?
• Should all education at all levels be free?
• What changes would you make to the current levels of state or governmental care?
• What one social change do you think would alter the way we live for the better?
• What one important idea has changed the way you think and act in your life?
• If you could be the best version of yourself you could be, what area would you be working in now?
• What does the phrase ‘living for the weekend’ mean to you?
• What special qualities does a person need to have in order to be successfully self-employed?
• What subject areas should schools teach more of?
• How could practicing impromptu speaking improve your critical thinking skills?
• What qualities do you notice particularly in good communicators?
• What advice would you give a young person about choosing a career?
• How does what you do now for a living, vary from the way your parents worked?
• What qualities do you admire most in the people who work alongside you – your co-workers?
• What habits do you find the most difficult to deal with in a shared work space?
• Is a 4 day week or ‘working to live’ an unrealistic dream?
• What is your favorite day of the week, and why?
• What does it mean to listen well?
• What book has had the most influence on your life?
• Three ways to stand up for yourself
• How to disagree with someone respectfully
• Is it ever OK to lie?
• What is the most important lesson you’ve learned so far?
• If you could have dinner with whoever you chose, who would you choose?
• What thing did you ever have to do that turned out to be extremely good for you?
• What my work clothes say about me
• Is it OK to have private conversations or to handle personal matters while at work?
• Three skills my employers do not know I have
• How do you know when you’ve been in a job too long?
• The notion of job security is no longer safe to hang on to. What should we be doing instead?
• What advice would you give someone who is appears to be in the job purely for the money?
• How does tone of voice influence how you respond to someone?
• What makes you think a person is trustworthy?

What my work clothes say about me  -Topic 43 from the work/career list - PREP format

The opening sentence, incorporates the topic, states the first Main Idea or Point and serves as an introduction. 

(You can see the speech text, minus the PREP outline headings below.)

1.   Main Idea or Point

Clothes make the man.

Yes, we judge each other on what we wear. And have done forever. 

For better, or for worse,  in the western working world, nothing says dependable and professional as eloquently as a tailored grey business suit, a crisp white shirt and a pair of good shoes. 

If we're sensible we understand clothing speaks louder than words ever can.     

And that our choices can undermine whatever we're involved in.

For example, a funeral director wearing a silver micro mini skirt teamed with skimpy red t-shirt meeting a client for the first time could set alarm bells clanging loudly.  

I'm immensely grateful to have been spared the minefield of choice by a business dress code.

- Reason 

Both the risk and anxiety of getting it wrong is enormous.

 - Example & close  

So what my carefully selected work clothes say about me is that I'm conscientious, detail focused, ambitious and, per courtesy of my classic Cartier watch, that I understand quality. 

Total words : 151

Just a minute speech: 'What my work clothes say about me'

Clothes make the man.  Yes, we judge each other on what we wear. And have done forever. 

For better, or for worse,  in the western working world, nothing says dependable and professional as eloquently as a  tailored grey business suit, a crisp white shirt and a pair of good shoes.  

If we're sensible we understand clothing speaks louder than words ever can.   And that our choices can aid or undermine whatever we're involved in.

For example a female funeral director sporting a silver micro mini skirt teamed with a skimpy red t-shirt meeting a client for the first time could set alarm bells clanging. 

I'm immensely grateful to have been spared the minefield of choice by a business dress code.   The risk, and anxiety, of getting it wrong is enormous.

1 minute speech - 'What my work clothes say about me' - audio

Click the link to listen: What my work clothes say about me

50 1-minute speech topics for fun, for a giggle, a laugh!

• The time the joke fell flat
• What’s funny depends on the individual
• The biggest laugh I’ve ever had
• The most successful prank I was part of
• Why people laugh
• My most embarrassing moment
• Two sure-fire ways to get rid of your boss
• How to talk your way out of having to do the dishes
• How to appear very intelligent
• The deepest secrets of your pet cat
• Why your dog is your best friend
• If I ruled the world
• Three words I would ban if I could
• Why I should have an instant pay rise
• The significance of World Paper Clip Day
• Lessons learned the hard way
• How to make your favorite meal last longer
• How to successfully annoy your brother, sister, mother, father
• The top three reasons for not handing in homework
• Why being predictable is boring
• Three ways to fail successfully
• How to blame other people and get away with it
• How to mind read
• The best seller I am writing
• The top ways to get people to like you
• How to lie extremely well
• The worst chat up line ever
• Three creative things to do with a brick
• How to tell if someone loves you
• What to do when you forget the birthday of someone close to you
• The worst Christmas present I ever received
• The most extraordinary thing that ever happened to me
• How to get other people to pay for you at a bar or restaurant
• Strategies for avoiding people you don’t want to talk to
• Idiot things I have done unintentionally
• Instructions for riding a bicycle
• How to teach your great grandmother to use a mobile
• How to avoid being picked out of a group to present a report
• Designer camouflage for under cover parents at student parties
• Three excellent reasons to give when you want to call in sick
• How to get other people to willingly do your work for you
• Why gossip is always so interesting to hear
• Why reading another person’s emails is OK
• How I explained Father Christmas to my children
• Why my son/daughter thinks I am super man/woman
• Why being me is so much better than being anyone else
• Why dogs resemble their owners
• How to interpret the shape of your hand and fingers
• The art of blaming your horoscope for whatever goes wrong in your life
• How to talk convincingly on subjects you know very little about

The significance of World Paper Clip Day -Topic 15 from the for fun list  - PREP format

(The full text, minus the PREP outline headings, is below.) 

Naturally, the significance of World Paper Clip Day is of interest to all intelligent people.

We understand the importance of keeping it together, of clipping ideas. It makes for an orderly existence.  

Think of the horror of muddled thoughts. Strewn willy-nilly, with nothing to hold them. Pitiable, isn't it?

We need clips. Just as we need the paper they hold.   

Both are crucial in this digital age - where ideas can vaporize with a key stroke, or a system malfunction. Entire files, weeks worth of work, can be lost, never to be restored, in a second.

Clipped papers are reassuringly tangible. They can be seen, touched and if you're into it, smelled.

Lastly we need to cherish the clip for its universality.

Wherever it is in the world, what it stands for is understood.  The paper clip unites - not just ideas, but people.

- Example & close  

Look around!  Vive la clip!

Total words : 149

1 minute speech -The significance of World Paper Clip Day

We need clips. Just as we need the paper they hold.  Both are crucial in this digital age - where ideas can vaporize with a key stroke, or a system malfunction. Entire files, weeks worth of work, can be lost, never to be restored, in a second.

Look around! Vive la clip!

1 minute speech - 'The significance of world paper clip day' - audio

Now listen to the audio: ' The significance of world paper clip day '.

Why learning to give 1 minute speeches is brilliant

The brilliance of becoming comfortable and competent with making impromptu 1 minute speeches is that you'll learn to:

• distill your material - reduce it to its core essentials - selecting only what is necessary and best to meet your speech purpose and the needs of your audience. 
• structure your information efficiently and effectively thus mastering two important facets of good speech making: speaking to time rather than going over and, providing an easily followed sequence of ideas. Your audiences will love you for both!

Consequences, side effects and benefits

You will be a hero! I do not jest. (OK, maybe just a smidgen. ☺) However the person who can calmly, confidently, competently stand and talk in public settings is always admired, and in demand. Speak well, saying what needs to be said, and you're fulfilling a vital social service, along with super-charging your self esteem!

The next time a toast, a summary to close a meeting, or a 'few words' to welcome a visitor are called for, perhaps it will be you leaping to your feet.

(For more on  the benefits of public speaking )

The one minute speech game

Do you teach public speaking, or lead a speaking group?

There is a superb impromptu speaking game, called surprisingly enough, One Minute Speeches, that I devised years ago for a bunch of 14–15-year-old students. It's been a firm favorite wherever I've taught it ever since.

Click One Minute Speeches to go to a page of 10 public speaking games. One-minute speeches is first on the page. You'll find all the instructions to play the game, plus two advanced variations. I promise you it's contagious good fun!

And if you like it, you can buy it. Everything you need to teach it is available as a download. That's instructions for all three games, hundreds of printable topics ... Follow the link to see: one minute speeches .☺

Download the printable speech outline template

Get started on your 1 minute speech right now. Click the link to download a printable speech outline template .  

Related pages

• How to banish impromptu speaking blues
• 150 impromptu public speaking topics 
• 11 themed topic lists for impromptu speaking
• Impromptu speaking topic cards to purchase, download and print  - a useful evergreen resource.
• Example impromptu speech outlines of 7 different structural formats each with a blank printable outline for your own use.

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3 USC Essay Examples By Accepted Students

The University of Southern California is a selective private school in Los Angeles. Its film school is consistently ranked the top in the country, though its other academic programs are incredibly strong as well.

USC requires applicants to fill out a variety of prompts, some in the form of essays and others as short-answer questions. In this post, we’ll go over three essays that helped real students gain acceptance to USC and explain what each essay did well and where it could be improved. 

Please note: Looking at examples of real essays students have submitted to colleges can be very beneficial to get inspiration for your essays. You should never copy or plagiarize from these examples when writing your own essays. Colleges can tell when an essay isn’t genuine and will not view students favorably if they plagiarized. 

Read our USC essay breakdown to get a comprehensive overview of this year’s supplemental prompts. 

(Also, CollegeVine has a ton of other resources for your USC application. Want to learn what USC will actually cost you based on your income? And how long your application to the school should take? Here’s what every student considering USC needs to know. ) 

Essay Example #1 – 10 Minutes to Change the World

At what point does injustice become background noise?

Bloodied black bodies can be “liked” on Instagram. Gunshots in classrooms are easily reposted via Tiktok. My generation’s digital environment is so overwhelming we’re desensitized. Given the numbing nature of dark humor, youth prefer it over justice. Rape culture is palatable once it’s a punchline. Laughter is more socially acceptable than tears. 

A recent documentary about Jeffery Dahmer (which his victim’s family members did not consent to) has led to several callous jokes about his horrifying devastation of the Black gay community. Tiktok now hosts several trends concerning Dahmer, all spearheaded by Generation Z youth.

Humor is a valid coping mechanism, but it’s now a crutch for a generation that needs to start walking on its own. 

Why is shock humor desired today? Dark humor was how I grappled with my internalized racism, partly triggered by enduring racial slurs at school. However, the hilarity fizzled out once I realized how counterproductive it was. Now, rather than reposting footage of global tragedies or joking about them, I promote new bills, pro-cause literature, and nonprofits, celebrating the proactivity of our nation.

To begin my conversation, I would address my own desensitization, urging my audience to examine theirs as well. Through my talk, I want individuals to undergo a transformative examination of social media consumption and the role of humor in the face of tragedy. Hopefully, my talk leads them to consider how they can work to alleviate social issues, rather than laughing at them.

What the Essay Did Well

This prompt is incredibly open, which can be both a blessing and a curse: you can write about anything you want, but with that much freedom, will you be able to focus on something specific? For this student, the answer to that question is unquestionably yes, as they do a phenomenal job writing about a creative, nuanced topic, in a way that is clear and easy to understand.

The topic they choose is also personal, which is important. The purpose of any college essay is to teach your readers something about who you are, and if you write about a topic that you know a lot about, but aren’t emotionally invested in (like, say, the different kinds of screwdrivers you learned about while helping your dad with a summer project), your personality won’t shine through.

This student, however, focuses not on racism in general, which is far too broad a topic for an essay this short, but on the problematic ways Gen Z copes with racism. That unique perspective shows that the student both has strong critical thinking skills and can reflect on their own experiences. And to take things a step further, they are also willing to get vulnerable, and acknowledge their own role in perpetuating the very issue they are highlighting, with the section:

“Dark humor was how I grappled with my internalized racism, partly triggered by enduring racial slurs at school. However, the hilarity fizzled out once I realized how counterproductive it was. Now, rather than reposting footage of global tragedies or joking about them, I promote new bills, pro-cause literature, and nonprofits, celebrating the proactivity of our nation.”

In this part of the essay, the student shows a remarkable level of humility, and an ability to work on themselves. While getting vulnerable with a bunch of strangers thousands of miles away is not easy, this especially deep self-reflection is what takes this essay from good to great.

In addition to zooming in on their own character, the student also zooms out from their own experience, to arrive at thoughtful, compelling takeaways that assuredly would hold the attention of a million people. Lines such as “Humor is a valid coping mechanism, but it’s now a crutch for a generation that needs to start walking on its own” and “Given the numbing nature of dark humor, youth prefer it over justice. Rape culture is palatable once it’s a punchline. Laughter is more socially acceptable than tears” show that this student is not only personally invested in this issue, but ready to start taking steps towards solving it.

Lastly, this essay is incredibly well-written and easy to follow. The passionate yet conversational tone stays true to the goal of the prompt (start a conversation!), and because of the writer’s varied sentence structure, we never get bored or want to stop reading.

What Could Be Improved 

The main problem with this essay comes in its last paragraph: 

“To begin my conversation, I would address my own desensitization, urging my audience to examine theirs as well. Through my talk, I want individuals to undergo a transformative examination of social media consumption and the role of humor in the face of tragedy. Hopefully, my talk leads them to consider how they can work to alleviate social issues, rather than laughing at them.”

Unfortunately, this paragraph doesn’t tell us anything we don’t already know, which unfortunately means the student has essentially wasted 63 words in a 250 word essay. If you write a strong essay (which this student does), you do not need to wrap things up or connect your answer back to the prompt explicitly. Those things will just happen naturally.

Instead of this paraphrased, overly tidy conclusion, the student could have painted a picture of what their talk would look like. For example:

“Hopefully, I can inspire my audience to reflect on their own desensitization, as I did, by describing the time I retweeted ten Trump memes in an hour, and how that did absolutely nothing to help me feel better about the state of the country. Turning away from band-aid solutions and committing to sucking the poison out of the wound is challenging, but I hope that through my talk and conversations my listeners have with each other afterwards, more of us will feel ready to take on that challenge.”

This version doesn’t just summarize points the student has already made, but rather presents us with tangible ways (reflecting on their own low moments; conversations after their talk) they hope to continue fighting back against desensitization.

Essay Example #2 – The Power of Debate

Prompt:   What is something about yourself that is essential to understanding you? (250 words)

“Chill. Out.”

Surely my classmates felt annoyed that I had transformed a simple English debate about the existence of the American Dream into a full-on tirade, hands revolving in furious circles, voice emphatically piercing throughout the room. But for me, the slightest mention of a debate, even a minor discussion on the best team in the NFL (Patriots!), unleashes my passionate, borderline bombastic self, determined to conquer the war of words.

Of course, when discussing the merits of pharmaceutical price controls at a debate tournament, my assertive speaking style and quick-thinking become valuable assets. But other times, I find those tendencies to hinder what would otherwise be productive, civilized conversations. Often, a simple discussion about the merits of pineapple on pizza would quickly devolve into a redundant, unproductive squabble. I have to constantly remind myself that not everything needs to be debated endlessly, no matter how much I vehemently disagree (Pineapple on pizza, however, is a TERRIBLE idea).

Yet it is this desire to seek truth and conclusion, to vouch for my beliefs, that drives me to my life endeavors. Whether it be interning at an immigration law firm and fighting for clients’ prosperity or volunteering for a local Board of Education candidate, I strive to focus my love for reasoning and dialogue into avenues that benefit those around me. Pointless debates lead nowhere, but insightful, genuine conversations are essential to addressing the key issues that affect our community. And honestly, pineapple on pizza doesn’t really matter that much anyway.

Not only does this essay start with a one-line paragraph, it starts with two sentence fragments. This is a great way to begin a college app essay, because let’s face it: admissions readers have to plow through hundreds of essays per day. They don’t want to pick apart drawn-out introductions. They want something that’s going to pique their interest, and “ Chill. Out. ” meets this requirement. It immediately creates a drive to read more: what is the conflict here? Who’s saying “chill out,” and why? 

Throughout this essay, the writer uses physical and powerful verbs to describe their passion for debating. If you went through the essay with red pen, you’d underline a lot of dynamic action: “ vehemently disagree ,”  “ drive ,” “ conquer the wa r,” “ voice piercing through the room .”  Words like these involve the reader physically in the action of debate in a way that drier words, like “respond” or “address” would not. As a result, the applicant comes across as enthusiastic and passionate.  And, as the icing on the cake, the violent words make the author’s personal growth – their stoic mastery over their passions – resonate as more truthful by the end of the essay. We can appreciate their calm, because we’ve experienced their storm. 

By far, the most important element of this essay is its focus on a personal transformation . This applicant could have relished in their success on debate team or the Board of Education, but they don’t – instead, they involve these occurrences in a narrative about their fatal flaw . 

Why is this attractive to an admissions reader? Well, because it demonstrates that the applicant is introspective and interested in improving themself in deeply personal ways. For example, it takes humility to insert yourself into the perspectives of others (“ surely my classmates felt annoyed ”). And it takes honesty to 1) identify a problem with yourself and 2) correct your behavior (“ I have to constantly remind myself that not everything needs to be debated ”). 

What Could Be Improved

There is honestly very little this student needs to do to strengthen this essay as it already is captivating, passionate, and illuminating. However, a word of caution is to make sure the mood of your essay matches your personality. This essay works because as far as we can tell from what this student tells us about themselves and the activities they engage in, they are outspoken, quick-thinking, and love to exchange ideas. These qualities all lend themselves to a fast-paced, dynamic essay. But if that isn’t you, don’t try and inject powerful language into your essay to have the same impact as this student. Make sure your essay reflects you and the story you are trying to tell.

Essay Example #3 – Admitting You Were Wrong

This essay covers the difficult topics of eating disorders and mental health. If you’re thinking about covering similar topics in your essay, we recommend reading our post Should You Talk About Mental Health in College Essays?

Prompt: USC believes that one learns best when interacting with people of different backgrounds, experiences and perspectives. Tell us about a time you were exposed to a new idea or when your beliefs were challenged by another point of view. Please discuss the significance of the experience and its effect on you. (250 words)

“You barely have lunch, and I’m worried that you’re not eating enough.”

My face burnt bright red. They know.

It was true, of course. Throughout sophomore year, my daily food intake slowly inched below 1,500 calories, barely enough to sustain a toddler. Six months in, my period halted its monthly cycle – hormonal amenorrhea. Tired, anxious, scared. Yet, nothing deterred the voice in my head from telling me that I would never be small enough.

With an already petite stature, my health was never questioned; people seldom criticized my diet or the amount of space I occupied in a room. Skinny was healthy, and I bought into that myth. Until I started to listen. I listened as my friend confronted me with her concerns. For the first time, I was exposed to a new definition of health detached from fear foods and aesthetics. Not immediately convinced but willing to change, her perspective encouraged me to do the research and reflect on my health subjectively. In the following week, dietetic research papers and videos filled my search history; the verdict was glaringly clear. I was wrong.

Today, I exercise for adrenaline. I eat for fuel. I recognize my worth beyond the number on the scale. Listening to a different perspective was all it took for me to unravel the flaws of my own, and that, as I currently eat the rest of the holiday toffee pretzels unabashedly, is something that I am forever thankful for.

This student opened up about a deeply personal topic in a that really allowed the reader to see the mental and physical effect her eating disorder had on her. We aren’t just told she had an eating disorder and when she was confronted by a friend it changed her perspective; we are shown  what she suffered through and what her original perspective was. 

Admitting to thoughts about the “ amount of space [she] occupied in a room ” and how “ Skinny was healthy”  demonstrates very clearly her mental stance on her body. That contrasts with her admission of her physical health: “ my daily food intake slowly inched below 1,500 calories, barely enough to sustain a toddler ” and “ my period halted its monthly cycle. ” Describing both the mental and physical aspects help us to understand the depth of the struggle she went through and how deeply engrained she was in her current way of thinking.

This essay has a triumphant ending that warms our heart for the student because she was able to find help and conquer her eating disorder. The last paragraph nicely reflects on the effect this new idea had on the student by showing us her new mental approach to food and her weight: “ Today, I exercise for adrenaline. I eat for fuel. I recognize my worth beyond the number on the scale. ” Finishing the essay with her giving thanks for eating “ holiday toffee pretzels unabashedly ” brings a light-hearted conclusion to a serious essay and leaves the reader with a smile on their face for how far this student has come. 

While the narrative this student tells is very good, it reads more like an “Overcoming Challenges” essay than a “New Beliefs” essay. This could be fixed with more attention to the encounter with her friend and her subsequent research on eating healthy.

We are simply told, “ I listened as my friend confronted me with her concerns, ” and that through that experience she was “ exposed to a new definition of health detached from fear foods and aesthetics. ” However, what we want to see is how this student grappled with the confrontation and what her mental and emotional response was to learning new information that contradicted her previous assumptions.

Like in the beginning, a quote from her friend would be a nice way to place the reader in the action. This student also provided us with a lot of introspection about her eating disorder, so the essay should pay the same amount of attention to her overcoming it. For example, she might write something like this:

“ ‘We are all concerned for you.’ The sad eyes of my friend roamed over my thinning body, and I heard my heart shatter. I wasn’t just hurting myself, I was causing all my friends and family to worry. ‘I think you’ll like this article.’ Turning her computer around, big bold letters ran across the screen: YOU ARE MORE THAN A NUMBER. I hesitated in the moment, terrified of letting go of the societal message to be skinny that had become my mantra. But as my sunken, tired eyes looked back at me in the mirror that night, I opened up the article and learned just how wrong I had been. ” 

Where to Get Your USC Essays Edited

Do you want feedback on your USC essays? After rereading your essays countless times, it can be difficult to evaluate your writing objectively. That’s why we created our free Peer Essay Review tool , where you can get a free review of your essay from another student. You can also improve your own writing skills by reviewing other students’ essays. 

If you want a college admissions expert to review your essay, advisors on CollegeVine have helped students refine their writing and submit successful applications to top schools. Find the right advisor for you to improve your chances of getting into your dream school!

Related CollegeVine Blog Posts

6 Outstanding 1 Minute Speech Examples to Take After

Use these great examples to find inspiration for your own one minute speech. As in all of these examples, speaking about an issue that is important to you and speaking from the heart are two of the most important elements. Get started practicing your speech today!

If you need a speech written for you in a short time, you can contact our writing service and get instant help.

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Just a Minute Topics

Just a Minute is a BBC Radio 4 panel show where panellists are asked to talk for one minute, without hesitation, about a topic. This game can be adapted fantastically to a whole host of ESL classroom situations and contexts. I’ve played it with adults, teens, and even young learners. Depending on the class and level, you may have to scaffold the task significantly, but with the right presentation, students can enjoy the game too. To play, you’ll either need to create topics in class or you can use our ready-made Just a Minute topic cards found below.

This quick activity is fantastic for students preparing for official exams. Whether it’s Cambridge, IELTS or Trinity, students are expected to speak individually at length from B1 level and up. Our Just a Minute topics are based on common themes found in B2 and C1 exams so that students can put their vocabulary knowledge to test while also improving their speaking skills.

What is Just a Minute?

Just a Minute is a popular radio comedy panel game on BBC Radio 4 that has been on the air since 1967. It regularly hosts comedians who are challenged to come up with a one minute talk about a topic that they may or may not know anything about.

The contestants are split into teams where they attempt to speak for one minute about a variety of possibly mundane and possibly bizarre topics. As they speak, there are three golden rules:

• No hesitation
• No repetition
• No deviation

If any of the rules are broken, the opposing team is allowed to challenge the speaker. If the challenge is deemed correct, the challenger receives a point. If it is deemed incorrect, the speaker gets a point.

If a player challenges correctly, they take over the remaining time to finish the topic.

The team who finishes the minute is awarded a point.

If a player is able to talk for the entire minute without being challenged they are awarded an extra point.

How to play Just a Minute in the ESL classroom

Depending on the level of your class, this speaking game can be adapted very successfully.

At C1 or C2 levels, you can run the game almost identically to the real rules. Introduce the game with an authentic clip from the radio show , clarify the rules as a group, model the game yourself, then give your students a go. Challenges and scoring can be done just as the real game would be.

At B2 level, give your students a bit more scaffolding. You can allow 30 seconds of planning time. You can also eliminate the concept of challenges and award points on how much of the minute a student is able to complete (they talk for 37 seconds, they get 37 points).

At B1 level, let students work in pairs. When one person is out of ideas, the other one can tag in and finish the topic. Points are awarded by the teachers for performance (in a totally fair and non-arbitrary way of course).

The teacher should provide a supportive role throughout. Gesture your students to carry on talking, drop them little hints or write some vocabulary on the board to help them out.

Just a Minute is a fantastic way to take advantage of linking words. Follow up a lesson on linking words with some Just a Minute topic cards to spice up the class. You can also make good use of the game to practice target vocabulary. Play with only topics about the environment, fashion, work or whatever has come up in today’s lesson. Substituting a class at the last minute with no plan? Crack out the Just a Minute topics and have some fun!

Just a minute topics

We’ve designed 105 Just a Minute topics. They can be printed on card, cut up and used in class. The ideas have been carefully chosen to reflect popular topics in B2 and C1 exams such as media, leisure, the environment, health, travel, work etc. There is also a blank page for you or your class to come up with your own ideas.

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Write Through Doors

Debbie Merion's blog about essays, families, and change

How to Write a Script for a One Minute Introductory Video

Apr 14th, 2015 by Debbie

I’m one of those realistic writers who knows what people mean when they see an article you’ve published, and they say, “it looks good.”

They usually mean that literally, i.e. it looks good—there is a nice (printed or web) page layout, maybe an interesting photo with a helpful caption, the words are arranged attractively on the page.

That makes sense. Images transmit information faster. Try this example.

So when introducing yourself or your business on your web page, why don’t you try a one minute video introduction in addition to posting your story or bibliography? This is a rather new concept. Everyone knows the phrase ”elevator talk,” but google “one minute video introduction” and you’ll see some mighty slim pickings indeed.

(There is indeed one bright spot. This introduction is great, but also was likely done by a professional.)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZUG9qYTJMsI

Video Intro or Bio?

Academic Bio for Debbie Merion Debbie Merion, MFA, MSW is the founder of Essay Coaching (essaycoaching.com), where she coaches student and adult writers to grab their pens and laptops and write to a level of excellence. She is the eBook Editor at Solstice Literary Magazine, and the author of Solving the College Admissions Puzzle. Her work has appeared in the Barnes and Noble Review, Solstice, The Bear River Review, Hour Detroit, the Ann Arbor Observer, and Choice Magazine . She has received a Gold Medal in the Global Ebook Awards, and an Excellence in Journalism Award from the Detroit Society of Professional Journalists.

This blog covers the WXW workshop on April 16, 2015 called “How to Write a One-Minute Script to Introduce Yourself by Video” AKA Say AND Show it.  “The event is at Mediterrano Restaurant in Ann Arbor, Michigan from 11:30am-1:30pm.  Read more about this event here .

If all goes as planned (the event hasn’t happened yet) this is what was said.

Three Major Points to Remember When Writing

1.  Repetition can be your friend.

2 Images make more of an impact than words.  

Write word pictures..

3  Saying you are awesome isn’t awesome.

We pay attention to (and remember) examples., what we remember.

• Pictures and Metaphors —Readers form images in their minds of the situations and people you describe in your essay.  “I think of myself as a sneaker” was a metaphor used as a theme in a college essay that remained memorable over the years to one college admissions counselor.  Make sure that a metaphor is explained and fits well for the idea you want to communicate.
• Names —names of people, places, books.
• Sensory details —colors, smells, sounds, textures, tastes.
• Nouns —Interesting things, things that mean something to you.  For example, your piano, your ice skates, your grandfather’s watch.
• Dialogue —Phrases said that are pithy, wise, honest, funny, or perfect for the moment and the speaker.
• Emotions —Either described in the essay, or aroused in the readers. S ee The Emotion Thesaurus.
• Surprises —Story surprises can delight us, just like surprise parties and gift surprises do.
• N umbers and values —For example, the above list provided eight ways to make your essay memorable.

Two truths and a Lie

• People can remember 1000 images at an average of 63% after two years
• The longer the video, the less the attention of the watcher
• 87% of statistics are made up on the spot

Memory, Vision and Attention images from Brain Rules Illustrated

Graphic description image courtesy of  info.shiftelearning.com

Pinterest folder of informative images supporting my talk

For a chuckle read my latest story, published by Barnes and Noble:  Dear Sapphire Cross, . My other published stories are here at debbiemerion.com.

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2 Responses to “How to Write a Script for a One Minute Introductory Video”

Great video! Love the last line: “I’m Debbie Merion, your writing coach.” That sums it up.

My Film and TV teacher made us read this. Thank you it was very helpful.:)

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1 Minute Speech

Ai generator.

A 1-minute speech is a brief and concise presentation delivered within a sixty-second timeframe. It is designed to convey a clear message, idea, or piece of information efficiently and effectively. Due to its brevity, a 1-minute speech focuses on the most important points, avoiding unnecessary details. It typically includes a strong opening to grab the audience’s attention, a succinct body that delivers the core message, and a memorable conclusion. This format is often used in situations where time is limited, such as in elevator pitches, introductions, quick updates, or speaking competitions.

What is 1 Minute Speech?

A 1-minute speech is a brief presentation that conveys a message clearly and concisely within a 60-second timeframe. This type of speech requires the speaker to focus on the main points, delivering them in a structured and impactful manner. It is often used in situations where time is limited, such as introductions, quick updates, or overviews of a topic. The key to an effective 1-minute speech is to be well-prepared, stay on topic, and engage the audience with a strong opening and closing statement.

1 Minute Speech Format

Introduction (10-15 seconds).

Start with a hook to grab attention. Introduce the main topic.

Body (30-40 seconds)

Present 1-2 key points. Provide brief supporting details or examples.

Conclusion (10-15 seconds)

Summarize the main points. End with a strong closing statement or call to action.

1 Minute Speech Example

Introduction Good morning, everyone! Today, I want to talk about the importance of recycling . Body Every year, millions of tons of waste end up in our landfills, harming the environment. By recycling, we can significantly reduce this waste and conserve valuable resources. For instance, recycling one ton of paper saves 17 trees and 7,000 gallons of water. It also reduces greenhouse gas emissions, which contribute to climate change. Additionally, recycling helps create jobs in the recycling and manufacturing industries, boosting the economy. Conclusion In conclusion, recycling is a simple yet powerful way to protect our planet and preserve its resources for future generations. Let’s all make a conscious effort to recycle more and encourage others to do the same. Thank you!

1 Minute Speech on Social Media

1 Minute Speech on Value of Time

1 Minute Speech for School Assembly

More 1 Minute Speech Topics

• 1 Minute Speech on Importance of Education
• 1 Minute Speech on Environment
• 1 Minute Speech on Pollution
• 1 Minute Speech on discipline
• 1 Minute Speech about Nature
• 1 Minute Speech on School Life
• 1 Minute Speech on Artificial Intelligence
• 1 Minute Speech on Global Warming
• 1 Minute Speech on Child Labour
• 1 Minute Speech on Climate Change
• 1 Minute Speech on Leadership
• 1 Minute Speech on Time Management
• 1 Minute Speech on Healthy Eating
• 1 Minute Speech on Technology
• 1 Minute Speech on Motivation
• 1 Minute Speech on Mental Health
• 1 Minute Speech on Teamwork
• 1 Minute Speech on Friendship
• 1 Minute Speech on Personal Growth
• 1 Minute Speech on Volunteering
• 1 Minute Speech on Overcoming Challenges
• 1 Minute Speech on Career Goals
• 1 Minute Speech on Innovation
• 1 Minute Speech on Public Speaking
• 1 Minute Speech on Creativity
• 1 Minute Speech on Gratitude
• 1 Minute Speech on Positive Thinking

How to Write 1 Minute Speech

1. choose a topic.

Pick a specific and focused topic you can cover succinctly.

2. Outline the Structure

Introduction (10-15 seconds): Start with a hook to grab attention and introduce the topic.

Body (30-40 seconds): Present 1-2 key points with brief supporting details.

Conclusion (10-15 seconds): Summarize the main points and provide a strong closing statement or call to action.

3. Write Concisely

Use clear and direct language.

Avoid unnecessary details and jargon.

Ensure each sentence adds value to your message.

4. Practice and Time Yourself

Rehearse the speech to ensure it fits within the 1-minute timeframe.

Adjust the content as needed to stay concise and impactful.

5. Edit for Clarity

Revise the speech to improve clarity and flow.

Remove any redundant or unclear points.

Tips to Deliver 1 Minute Speech

• Practice: Rehearse several times to ensure smooth delivery.
• Stay Focused: Stick to your main points without deviating.
• Speak Clearly: Articulate your words and maintain a steady pace.
• Engage the Audience: Make eye contact and use natural gestures.
• Time Yourself: Ensure your speech fits within the 1-minute limit.
• Stay Calm: Take deep breaths and stay composed.
• Use Notes Sparingly: Refer to brief notes or an outline if needed.
• End Strong: Finish with a memorable closing statement or call to action.

Why are 1-minute speeches important?

They improve concise communication skills, essential for conveying information quickly and effectively in various situations.

How do I structure a 1-minute speech?

Start with a strong opening, present your main points, and end with a memorable conclusion.

What should I include in a 1-minute speech?

Include an attention-grabbing introduction, one or two key points, and a strong closing statement.

How can I practice a 1-minute speech?

Practice by timing yourself, refining your points, and rehearsing in front of a mirror or with friends.

What topics are suitable for a 1-minute speech?

Choose simple, engaging topics like personal experiences, motivational quotes, or current events.

How do I manage time during a 1-minute speech?

Keep an eye on the clock and practice to ensure you stay within the time limit.

What are some tips for delivering a 1-minute speech?

Speak clearly, maintain eye contact, use gestures, and stay confident.

How can I engage my audience in a 1-minute speech?

Start with a hook, use relatable examples, and maintain enthusiasm throughout your speech.

What is the biggest challenge in a 1-minute speech?

The biggest challenge is conveying your message effectively within a limited timeframe.

How do I choose the main points for my 1-minute speech?

Identify the most important and relevant points that support your main idea or message.

Text prompt

• Instructive
• Professional

10 Examples of Public speaking

20 Examples of Gas lighting

The one-minute manager Essay

• To find inspiration for your paper and overcome writer’s block
• As a source of information (ensure proper referencing)
• As a template for you assignment

Introduction

Management style used by the five-minute manager, the impact of the leadership style on the performance of the firm, list of references.

In one of the articles titled the one-minute manager, the features of a good manager are outlined. The authors of the article conducted a study on one leaders in the medical field and filed a report that could be used in improving management skills. The term best is used to refer to a manager who is always focused on providing quality results.

Such a manager would always feel good whenever the performance of the organization improves. The authors narrate that a young man was interested in becoming a good manager and went out to explore the features of a good leader in the organization. The young man searched in every city, but he could not find a good manager who would realize the organizational goals and dreams.

He interacted with government officials, military officials and even construction supervisors, but they never made up good managers. In his exploration, the young man found out that managers developed some strategies that were unpleasant as far as realizing organizational; goals are concerned. Some were autocratic while others were profit-minded managers.

This implies that there were various varieties of managers, but none of them were efficient. One day, the young executive met an individual who claimed that he was the best manager in the town. The manager agreed to meet young man the following day. The manager did not have the qualities that make up good managers, as expected.

The young man was surprised when he visited the manager in his office. The manager was standing near the window while peeping outside. The manager explained that he frequently holds meetings with members of staff for at least two hours. The manager claimed that he gives his employees a chance to discuss issues, as he notes down the major points.

Five-minute manager was generally considered a transformational leader who has the capacity to inspire his employees to achieve the best o their capacity. According to Brewster (2008, p. 38), Richard Branson strongly believes that every single employee within this firm has its worth.

Whenever Branson is dealing with the employees, he would constantly remind them that they are of very high value to the organization, and that their effort is highly appreciated.

He would inform the employees that although they were giving their best in their current state, they have potential to achieve better results if only they add a little more effort. Employees working under Branson’s leadership have been made to believe that they are not only important to this firm as employees, but also as the central stakeholders of this firm.

His management approach is always focused on making the employees feel that they own the firm (Huy 2002, p. 77). Branson has successfully eliminated the tag employee on his employees, and in its place, he has created the tag members.

This manager has successfully convinced his employees that they are part of the firm, and everyone will own any success that the firm shall achieve. By creating a sense of ownership amongst his employees, he has managed to make these employees believe that they are working for themselves. As such, the employees would feel that they are obliged to give their best effort to ensure that the firm succeeds.

According to Boselie (2005, p. 88), employees who have the feeling that they are mere employees always have a low morale. They consider themselves as outsiders whose effort would only benefit other individuals who own the firm (Fey 2012, p. 72). This is a very dangerous attitude to the development of the firm.

Another clear factor that shows that Branson is a transformational leader is the way he delegates responsibilities. Every employee within this firm has a responsibility to accomplish within a particular time. Richard Branson has created an environment where every employee feels responsible to the firm. The responsibility is created by giving the employees some form of freedom.

The employees are allowed some considerable amount of freedom in their workplaces (Jacksona 1992, p. 45). However, Branson has created a notion that success of the entire firm is pegged on the success of an individual. This will make individual employee feel that he holds the success of the entire firm in his hands. As such, the employee would make an effort to ensure that he helps the firm succeed in the competitive market.

Five-minute manager is a strong supporter of individualized attention to every employee. According to Baruch (2008, p. 430), transformational leadership encourages the approach of management where the manager gives direct attention to each employee within the firm. This means that the manager would avoid cases where decision is made on a generalized term.

Every employee has unique qualities that make him or her different from others. This uniqueness of the individuals makes it necessary for the management to ensure that every employee is understood perfectly within the organization. All the employees of this firm who are in the managerial positions have at one moment or another met five-minute manager in person (Guesa 2001, p. 510).

In such meetings, he would engage the employee in a dialogue with the sole purpose of gathering any information that may be relevant in understanding that person. He would then ensure that such an individual is given attention based on his or her unique characters. This is what he would insist should be transferred to all the junior employees whom he cannot reach directly.

The impact of the leadership style used by five-minute manager in the organization is evident in the performance of this firm. According to ArturJ (2008, p. 680), the organization is one of the best performing firms globally. The group defied the massive economic recession that hit the United Kingdom and the rest of the world to register a growth (Jensen 2011, p.671).

The firm is considered as one of the few firms with a capacity to run in various industries with a considerable level of success. This may be attributed to the transformational leadership approach that Branson has employed in managing his employees.

According to Barney (2010 p. 99), transformational leadership is one of the best leadership theories that managers in the contemporary world should consider employing. This leadership structure inspires employees to work beyond their current capacity. The business world is increasingly getting competitive.

Various competitive forces in the market that is always a threat to a firm that do not consider coming up with strategies to manage them exit. Managing competitive forces would need a team of dedicated employees who have the capacity to meet the demands of the customers however dynamic they are (Marchington 2012, p. 285).

The organization is one of the success stories in the transport industry. The organization is one of the biggest airplane firms in the world, capturing the markets in Europe, both north and South America, Asia, Africa among other continents. In the financial sector, this firm has been performing well given the strategy that it has employed in dealing with the customers.

All these are because of the leadership structure applied by the top management unit of this firm.

In this firm, Biswas (2011, p. 105) says that Branson has created an environment where every employee feels aggressive, and determined to achieve better results each time. Branson has created an organizational culture where employees feel obliged to work even for extra time in order to reach for a specific target.

Although the extra time worked would always be paid, the employees always have a stronger desire to see succeed in what they are doing, than to earn the extra income. They consider their work as of utmost importance, and thus would give it all the concentration that they possibly can (Pielstick 1998, p. 504).

The result of this concerted effort is clearly evident in the kind of growth this firm has realized. Employees of this firm remain the stronghold that has seen it through to its current glorious position. With Richard Branson still at the head of this firm, organization is destined to greater heights, as the future is very bright.

Employees form a very important part of an organization. As seen in the above discussion, failure or success is always determined by their effort within the firm. The management strategy employed within a firm would always dictate the profitability of a firm. Richard Branson has managed to create an organizational culture where employees feel that they are part of the organization, other than being mere employees.

Using transformational leadership theories, he has managed to make every employee feel responsible for the success or failure of the organization. He has always maintained a positive attitude within the firm, which he would transfer to the employees. The result is a very successful group of companies under the organization.

Artur, J 2008, Effects of human resource systems on manufacturing performance and turnover, The academy of management journal, vol. 37, no. 3, p. 670-687.

Barney, J 2010, Firm resources and sustained competitive advantage, Journal of management, vol. 17, no.1, pp. 99.

Baruch, Y 2008, Response rate in academic studies-A comparative analysis, Human relations, vol. 52, no. 4, pp. 421-438.

Biswas, S 2011, Commitment, involvement, and satisfaction as predictors of employee performance, South Asian Journal of Management, vol. 18 no. 2, pp. 92-107.

Boselie, P 2005, Commonalities and contradictions in HRM and performance research, Human Resource Management Journal, vol. 15, no. 3, pp. 67-94.

Brewster, C 2008, A continent of diversity, Personnel management London, vol. 5, no. 9, pp. 36-40.

Budhwar, P 2006, Rethinking comparative and cross-national human resource management research, The International Journal of Human Resource Management, vol. 12, no. 3, pp. 497-515.

Cutcher, G 2007, Impact on Economic Performance of a Transformation in Workplace Relations, Management Journal, vol. 44, no. 1, pp. 241.

Fey, C 2012, The effect of human resource management practices on MNC subsidiary performance in Russia, Journal of International Business Studies, vol. 32, no. 1, pp. 59-75.

Guesa, E 2001, Human resource management and industrial relations, Journal of management Studies, vol. 24, no. 5, pp. 503-521.

Huy, Q 2002, Emotional filtering in strategic change, Academy of Management Proceedings, vol. 6 no. 1, pp. 43-78.

Jacksona, S1992, Diversity in the workplace: Human resources initiatives , Guilford Press, New York.

Jensen, T 2011, The impact of human resource management practices on turnover, productivity, and corporate financial performance, Academy of management journal, vol. 38, no. 3, pp. 635-672.

Marchington, M 2012, Involvement and participation, Human Resource Management: A Critical Text, vol. 7, no. 67, pp. 280-305.

Pielstick, D 1998, The Transforming Leader, a Meta-Ethnographic Analysis, The Journal of Applied Psychology , vol. 71 no. 1, pp. 500-507.

• Cross Cultural Management Strategies: Brazil vs. America
• Problems organizations face when they seek to elicit the tacit knowledge of employees
• Richard Branson's Business Leadership
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• The Entrepreneurial Qualities of Richard Branson and Their Impact to Business in the Virgin Group
• Management development techniques: Small businesses
• Antecedents and Outcomes of Entrepreneurial and Market Orientations in a Non-Profit Context
• The Rewarding System in Organization
• Management Performance System: Human Resources
• Managing Yourself: Human Resource Management
• Chicago (A-D)
• Chicago (N-B)

IvyPanda. (2019, June 11). The one-minute manager. https://ivypanda.com/essays/the-one-minute-manager-the-article-analysis/

"The one-minute manager." IvyPanda , 11 June 2019, ivypanda.com/essays/the-one-minute-manager-the-article-analysis/.

IvyPanda . (2019) 'The one-minute manager'. 11 June.

IvyPanda . 2019. "The one-minute manager." June 11, 2019. https://ivypanda.com/essays/the-one-minute-manager-the-article-analysis/.

1. IvyPanda . "The one-minute manager." June 11, 2019. https://ivypanda.com/essays/the-one-minute-manager-the-article-analysis/.

Bibliography

IvyPanda . "The one-minute manager." June 11, 2019. https://ivypanda.com/essays/the-one-minute-manager-the-article-analysis/.

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On the centennial of his birth, James Baldwin remains relevant today

Andrew Limbong

Recalling the words of writer James Baldwin, who was born 100 years ago

The author James Baldwin would have turned 100 on Aug, 2. Evening Standard/Getty Images/Hulton Archive hide caption

James Baldwin would have celebrated his 100th birthday Friday — on Aug. 2. On NPR and elsewhere, you can find deep examinations of his legacy – as everything from an orator, a fashion icon, to civil rights activist. But he was, of course, a writer first and foremost.

So, we thought: Why not spend a moment breaking down a few of his sentences to figure out what made his writing so affecting, so indelible, so good that it’s still worth reading today?

We’ve chosen a few lines from two of his most well-known books — his essay collection The Fire Next Time and his novel Go Tell It on the Mountain . In many ways, these books are in conversation with each other. The opening essay to The Fire Next Time is Baldwin’s letter to his 14-year-old nephew describing the faulty institutions that make up his life — his family, his faith, and his country. And the second essay opens like this: “I underwent, during the summer that I became fourteen, a prolonged religious crisis.” In Go Tell it on the Mountain , Baldwin writes a bit of fiction drawn from his own life, about a 14-year-old boy who is finding out those very same faults, as well as figuring out his own sexuality. And it opens on a very similar day of crisis.

For each book, we’ve enlisted the help of an expert to talk about what they find interesting about Baldwin’s writing style, and what legacy each work leaves. The interviews, which follow below, have been edited for length and clarity.

The Fire Next Time

The two essays in The Fire Next Time were published in the 1960s. But they still sounded new in the early 2000s when Jesmyn Ward first read them. Ward is the author of a number of books including Sing, Unburied Sing and her memoir The Men We Reaped . We called her up for this book in particular because she edited a 2016 collection of political essays and poetry titled The Fire This Time , as a nod to Baldwin. “I wanted to let him know, wherever he may be, that there are those of us who look up to him and who are attempting to do the same work that he did with the same honesty and same fearlessness” said Ward. The first essay, titled “My Dungeon Shook: Letter to my Nephew on the One Hundredth Anniversary of the Emancipation,” starts like this:

Dear James:  I have begun this letter five times and torn it up five times. I keep seeing your face, which is also the face of your father and my brother. Like him, you are tough, dark, vulnerable, moody – with a very definite tendency to sound truculent because you want no one to think you are soft.

What tone is he setting here?

JW: That first sentence in the first sentence – “I've begun this letter five times and turn it up five times.” Right there, he's signaling to his nephew, we're about to talk about something that's very difficult. But softens that with the next line, “I keep seeing your face.” Following up with such a careful, close sort of observation about his nephew's characteristics in the way that they sort of echo his father and his grandfather. That's love, right? Because I love you enough to see you clearly.

You were born where you were born and face the future that you faced because you were black and for no other reason. The limits of your ambition were, thus, expected to be set forever. You were born into a society which spelled out with brutal clarity, and in as many ways as possible, that you were a worthless human being.

This is another example of his straightforward honesty with his nephew. But what did you make of it?

JW: It's all still true. That’s one of the things that is so genius about specifically this letter. There are these moments in the texts where he doesn't use his nephew's name and he just uses you. And in those moments, especially in moments like this, when he is so straightforward about what he sees in America. And where he is so straightforward about how the world has been constructed to jail, or to confine in some ways. And it feels like he's speaking to me. It feels like this wise, older wise person is sitting with me and they're telling me something about my life and about the circumstances of my life that I dimly understood, but was not able to articulate.

This entire country has been constructed in a way that it is very easy to be terrified and bewildered and to sink into despair and hatred. And so I think that often when we return to Baldwin, what we want is we want someone to acknowledge our emotions. But then also just to say at the same time, you feel this way because this place has been constructed in this way and it is all predicated on this false understanding of your not being human. And in this section, he just makes room for your emotions. For you to feel what you feel. But then also gives you something of a gift that you can take out into the outside world and use it to help you navigate this really difficult reality.

In the next essay, titled “Down at the Cross: Letter from a Region in My Mind,” he goes to interview Elijah Muhammad, the head of the Nation of Islam, and has this dinner. And it’s rare to read something where Baldwin is not the big dog in the room. What do you make of James Baldwin the reporter being packaged inside Baldwin the essayist? 

JW: I felt for Baldwin at that moment. There are so many levels of awareness that he's sort of struggling with. He's not the most important person in the room and in the minds of the people around him. He's not the most erudite person in the room. And he's also aware of the fact that the Honorable Elijah Muhammad is courting him. [Muhammad] wants [Baldwin] to buy into his philosophy. And Baldwin is aware of the fact that he can't.

A couple of times throughout the essay he talks about the fact that, after this dinner, he's going to meet up with some white friends and he's going to have drinks. And these are people who he cares about and who he loves and who are part of his social circle. And who he can't just relegate to the category of white devil. It's very interesting to me how Baldwin is juggling all these different awarenesses and how, at the same time, there are things about the Black Muslims philosophy that he understands.

And I looked around the table. I certainly had no evidence to give them that would outweigh Elijah’s authority or the evidence o f their own lives or the reality of the streets outside.

He's a writer. So he sees the human. He observes the human. He understands. He's able to look at each of these people that he's interacting with and he's able to understand something of what they are struggling with and something of what they brought to this moment. All of that is what makes him the great writer who he is.

Go Tell It on the Mountain

When it comes to Baldwin’s fiction work, there are plenty of books worthy of examination. But there’s something special about Go Tell It on the Mountain . “He describes this as the book he had to write if he was ever going to write anything else,” says McKinley Melton, associate professor and chair of Africana studies at Rhodes College. “I often think of it as a revisitation of his childhood with a narrative perspective that knows and understands all of the things a young Baldwin wishes he had known and understood when he was 14.”

The novel follows a boy named John undergoing that same crisis of faith Baldwin described in The Fire Next Time . But he opens it a little differently in fiction.

Everyone had always said that John would be a preacher when he grew up, just like his father. It had been said so often that John, without ever thinking about it, had come to believe it himself. Not until the morning of his fourteenth birthday did he really begin to think about it, and by then it was already too late. 

That last clause kind of reads like a horror story.

MM: There’s something deeply ominous about the way that that opening paragraph closes. You open with this idea of, oh, this is just an introduction to a young man who's stepping into a role that the father has laid out. You come into it feeling kind of hopeful and optimistic and, oh, what a beautiful thing that everybody's envisioning this future for this young man. And we think about everything that it means when people say, oh, that kid's going to be a preacher . We see him as an orator, we see him as an intellectual, we'll see him as charming, we see him as engaging. We see a leader when we look at this kid. And so there's something very optimistic about that opening that then turns by the end of the novel into. But that was actually the source of his doom.

I want to jump ahead a few pages. There’s this guy named Elijah. He’s a couple years older, and he teaches Sunday school. 

John stared at Elisha all during the lesson, admiring the timbre of Elisha’s voice, much deeper and manlier than his own, admiring the leanness, and grace, and strength, and darkness of Elisha in his Sunday suit, wondering if he would ever be holy as Elisha was holy.

MM: This is another sentence that I often will pause with students to kind of think about and say, what's going on here? And then they just say, “Oh, my God, he has a crush.” Yeah, he has a crush. Absolutely. But then we look at it and, I look at this passage and, because of all of the ways that the different clauses bounce off of one another throughout the sentence, you're kind of leaving this saying, well, does John have the hots for Elisha? Because John is learning that he's probably gay. Or is John admiring Elisha because he is all of the things that John has been told he's supposed to be in terms of this kind of striving toward being a preacher when he grows up and the kind of idea of being saved in the idea of being holy, in the idea of looking good in a Sunday suit.  

The middle chunk of the book goes into the lives of his aunt, his mother, and his step father. And I want to focus on his step father, Gabriel. And if you grew up in the church you know that the people who are sinners and then find God are often the most vociferously faithful. And Gabriel definitely fits that mold. There’s a bit where he has an affair with a woman named Esther, and he gets Esther pregnant.

Near the end of that summer he went out again into the field. He could not stand his home, his job, the town itself – he could not endure, day in, day out, facing the scenes and the people he had known all his life. They seemed suddenly to mock him, to stand in judgement on him; he saw guilt in everybody’s eyes. 

John is scared of hell and eternal damnation. Gabriel seems more scared of other people, and very earthly judgements, right? 

MM: I often think about the unfolding of this novel. We start with John in this moment of chaos and a lack of understanding. And then the novel takes us back through each of these characters who we come to understand better. We come to understand John better. He's struggling with sin in a space that feels deeply private, deeply unspoken. Gabriel is differently positioned because he's already in that position of prominence. He's standing at the pulpit. He's you know, they're both afraid of judgment. Right. But John is afraid of revelation. And Gabriel fears that everybody already knows. Gabriel is afraid of the judgment that comes based on the fact that, like, oh, they already know who I've always been .

But ultimately, both of them are struggling with this sense of judgment and condemnation and the fear of being, quote unquote, discovered for being less than the holy men that they have aspired to be. But I think what Baldwin is saying is: I'm not just critiquing the church, or the Black church, or the fundamentalist church. I'm asking us to think about what damage does it do to us when we are so deeply, deeply wedded to certain beliefs that don't allow us the fullness of our humanity? And if you're going to be sympathetic for John, you have to figure out a way to be sympathetic for Gabriel, even if his actions don't invite sympathy in the same way. 

How to cite ChatGPT

Use discount code STYLEBLOG15 for 15% off APA Style print products with free shipping in the United States.

We, the APA Style team, are not robots. We can all pass a CAPTCHA test , and we know our roles in a Turing test . And, like so many nonrobot human beings this year, we’ve spent a fair amount of time reading, learning, and thinking about issues related to large language models, artificial intelligence (AI), AI-generated text, and specifically ChatGPT . We’ve also been gathering opinions and feedback about the use and citation of ChatGPT. Thank you to everyone who has contributed and shared ideas, opinions, research, and feedback.

In this post, I discuss situations where students and researchers use ChatGPT to create text and to facilitate their research, not to write the full text of their paper or manuscript. We know instructors have differing opinions about how or even whether students should use ChatGPT, and we’ll be continuing to collect feedback about instructor and student questions. As always, defer to instructor guidelines when writing student papers. For more about guidelines and policies about student and author use of ChatGPT, see the last section of this post.

Quoting or reproducing the text created by ChatGPT in your paper

If you’ve used ChatGPT or other AI tools in your research, describe how you used the tool in your Method section or in a comparable section of your paper. For literature reviews or other types of essays or response or reaction papers, you might describe how you used the tool in your introduction. In your text, provide the prompt you used and then any portion of the relevant text that was generated in response.

Unfortunately, the results of a ChatGPT “chat” are not retrievable by other readers, and although nonretrievable data or quotations in APA Style papers are usually cited as personal communications , with ChatGPT-generated text there is no person communicating. Quoting ChatGPT’s text from a chat session is therefore more like sharing an algorithm’s output; thus, credit the author of the algorithm with a reference list entry and the corresponding in-text citation.

When prompted with “Is the left brain right brain divide real or a metaphor?” the ChatGPT-generated text indicated that although the two brain hemispheres are somewhat specialized, “the notation that people can be characterized as ‘left-brained’ or ‘right-brained’ is considered to be an oversimplification and a popular myth” (OpenAI, 2023).

OpenAI. (2023). ChatGPT (Mar 14 version) [Large language model]. https://chat.openai.com/chat

You may also put the full text of long responses from ChatGPT in an appendix of your paper or in online supplemental materials, so readers have access to the exact text that was generated. It is particularly important to document the exact text created because ChatGPT will generate a unique response in each chat session, even if given the same prompt. If you create appendices or supplemental materials, remember that each should be called out at least once in the body of your APA Style paper.

When given a follow-up prompt of “What is a more accurate representation?” the ChatGPT-generated text indicated that “different brain regions work together to support various cognitive processes” and “the functional specialization of different regions can change in response to experience and environmental factors” (OpenAI, 2023; see Appendix A for the full transcript).

Creating a reference to ChatGPT or other AI models and software

The in-text citations and references above are adapted from the reference template for software in Section 10.10 of the Publication Manual (American Psychological Association, 2020, Chapter 10). Although here we focus on ChatGPT, because these guidelines are based on the software template, they can be adapted to note the use of other large language models (e.g., Bard), algorithms, and similar software.

The reference and in-text citations for ChatGPT are formatted as follows:

• Parenthetical citation: (OpenAI, 2023)
• Narrative citation: OpenAI (2023)

Let’s break that reference down and look at the four elements (author, date, title, and source):

Author: The author of the model is OpenAI.

Date: The date is the year of the version you used. Following the template in Section 10.10, you need to include only the year, not the exact date. The version number provides the specific date information a reader might need.

Title: The name of the model is “ChatGPT,” so that serves as the title and is italicized in your reference, as shown in the template. Although OpenAI labels unique iterations (i.e., ChatGPT-3, ChatGPT-4), they are using “ChatGPT” as the general name of the model, with updates identified with version numbers.

The version number is included after the title in parentheses. The format for the version number in ChatGPT references includes the date because that is how OpenAI is labeling the versions. Different large language models or software might use different version numbering; use the version number in the format the author or publisher provides, which may be a numbering system (e.g., Version 2.0) or other methods.

Bracketed text is used in references for additional descriptions when they are needed to help a reader understand what’s being cited. References for a number of common sources, such as journal articles and books, do not include bracketed descriptions, but things outside of the typical peer-reviewed system often do. In the case of a reference for ChatGPT, provide the descriptor “Large language model” in square brackets. OpenAI describes ChatGPT-4 as a “large multimodal model,” so that description may be provided instead if you are using ChatGPT-4. Later versions and software or models from other companies may need different descriptions, based on how the publishers describe the model. The goal of the bracketed text is to briefly describe the kind of model to your reader.

Source: When the publisher name and the author name are the same, do not repeat the publisher name in the source element of the reference, and move directly to the URL. This is the case for ChatGPT. The URL for ChatGPT is https://chat.openai.com/chat . For other models or products for which you may create a reference, use the URL that links as directly as possible to the source (i.e., the page where you can access the model, not the publisher’s homepage).

Other questions about citing ChatGPT

You may have noticed the confidence with which ChatGPT described the ideas of brain lateralization and how the brain operates, without citing any sources. I asked for a list of sources to support those claims and ChatGPT provided five references—four of which I was able to find online. The fifth does not seem to be a real article; the digital object identifier given for that reference belongs to a different article, and I was not able to find any article with the authors, date, title, and source details that ChatGPT provided. Authors using ChatGPT or similar AI tools for research should consider making this scrutiny of the primary sources a standard process. If the sources are real, accurate, and relevant, it may be better to read those original sources to learn from that research and paraphrase or quote from those articles, as applicable, than to use the model’s interpretation of them.

We’ve also received a number of other questions about ChatGPT. Should students be allowed to use it? What guidelines should instructors create for students using AI? Does using AI-generated text constitute plagiarism? Should authors who use ChatGPT credit ChatGPT or OpenAI in their byline? What are the copyright implications ?

On these questions, researchers, editors, instructors, and others are actively debating and creating parameters and guidelines. Many of you have sent us feedback, and we encourage you to continue to do so in the comments below. We will also study the policies and procedures being established by instructors, publishers, and academic institutions, with a goal of creating guidelines that reflect the many real-world applications of AI-generated text.

For questions about manuscript byline credit, plagiarism, and related ChatGPT and AI topics, the APA Style team is seeking the recommendations of APA Journals editors. APA Style guidelines based on those recommendations will be posted on this blog and on the APA Style site later this year.

Update: APA Journals has published policies on the use of generative AI in scholarly materials .

We, the APA Style team humans, appreciate your patience as we navigate these unique challenges and new ways of thinking about how authors, researchers, and students learn, write, and work with new technologies.

American Psychological Association. (2020). Publication manual of the American Psychological Association (7th ed.). https://doi.org/10.1037/0000165-000

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