Quote, Unquote Activity - GIFTS - Kathleen Beauchene

Quote, Unquote: Research, Oral Citation, and Bibliography

Tushar Raman Oza
Oakland University & Macomb Community College
248-650-2765
oza@oakland.edu
G.I.F.T.S. Presentation
National Communication Association Convention
Boston, MA
November 2005

Objectives:

1. To enable students to distinguish between bibliography an oral citations.
2. To help students incorporate quotations and other supporting material effectively in their presentations without the awkwardness of repeatedly saying "quote...unquote."
3. To make students realize that relevant support materials and source citation can enhance their credibility.
4. To help student evaluate the appropriateness of their research materials and credibility of their sources.

Approximate Time Required:

Explanation of researching the quote takes about five minutes. If you have all the students read their quotes aloud with citations, allow about 20 minutes for a class of 25 students. Depending on your objectives, post-activity discussion could range anywhere from 10 minutes to 45 minutes.

Rationale:

Many of us remember going through the card catalogs and endless stacks of books as we manually conducted our research and literature reviews. Although our students today do not have to go through laborious manual searches, I often hear students complain about he research process. Most of us are familiar with the refrain, "Why do I need research and source citations? This is only a speech." Also, we have all seen bibliography citations that included nothing more than web site addresses. This mentality is prevalent in most introductory communication classes. The following simple research assignment enables students, as Sprague & Stuart (200) suggest, to not only appreciate the relevance of including appropriate support materials from reputable sources, but also the importance of incorporating effective source citations to enhance speakers' ethos in a presentation.

What to do Before Class:

Find at least three quotations about public speaking or communications to use as examples for your students. The following are examples of quotations submitted by my students:

"A printed speech is like a died flower: the substance, indeed, is there, butt he color is faded and the perfume gone."
"The right word may be effective, but no word was ever as effective as rightly timed pause."
"A good speech is like a woman's skirt. It should be long enough to cover the subject well, yet short enough to keep things interesting."
"All good speakers were once bad speakers."
"Mend your speech a little, lest you may mar your fortunes."

Optional: A sample videotaped speech showing either good or poor examples of oral citation and varied support materials to facilitate the discussion.

What to do During Class:

Early in the semester, I use a simple homework assignment that requires basic research skills. I ask students to find a brief quotation related to any aspect of public speaking or communication. The quote can be from any source except our textbook. The students must also include the bibliography citation in an appropriate format. I share examples of short quotes and suggest that they do not have to spend a great deal of time or effort to complete this assignment. I keep copies of Quick Guide to the Internet for Speech Communication on reserve at the library and I share web site addresses with my classes. Although many students find their quote from internet sources, they frequently do not follow the guidelines for appropriate citation formats.

In additionally, I ask students to think about how they would cite the source orally and incorporate their quotation in a speech presentation. Most students do not consider this aspect of the assignment. Thus, if time permits, I may ask some of them to read their quotes out loud with oral citations.

What to do After the Activity:

After the quotations are turned in, we discuss numerous issues related to research: Bibliography format, internet sources, source credibility, oral citation, etc. Occasionally, students turn in a couple of paragraphs rather than a brief quote or their quotation does not relate to the topic of communication or public speaking. In such cases, I talk to the students individually about the appropriateness of their support material and prepare them to find more effective information for their future speech assignment.

Also, we talk about evaluating and citing internet sources and primary versus secondary sources. For example, if students find the quote, "Mend your speech a little, let you may mar your fortunes" in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, should they also indicate that this line is from Shakespeare's King Lear, Act I, sc. 1? Instructors may also raise the question that if the student had accessed Bartlett's Familiar Quotations on the internet would their bibliography citation be formatted differently?

Alternative Uses or Extensions:

Ask students to read their quotes out loud with oral source citations. This gives students one ore opportunity to improve their delivery skills and allows them to practice oral citations.

Instructors can also have students develop an impromptu or a one-point speech based of their quotation to earn bonus points.

References:

Sprague, S., & Stuart, D. (200) The speaker's handbook (5th ed.). Fort Worth, TX: Harcourt Brace.