Name: __________________________ Grade/Strand/Section:_____________________

LESSON 3

ORGANIZING INFORMATION
(BRAINSTORMING, GRAPHIC ORGANIZER AND OUTLINING)

Brainstorming
It is a process for generating creative ideas and solutions through intensive and freewheeling group
discussion.

Brainstorming techniques

Nominal Group Technique- (small group discussion)

Group Passing -each person in a circular group writes one idea and then passes to the next person to
add some thoughts.
Electronic Brainstorming- used in order to generate ideas by online interaction, either by email or
interactive web sites, in order to organize ideas and make decisions.
Question Brainstorming- participants come up with as many questions about the problem as possible.
Mind Mapping-used to visually organize information into hierarchy. It features one main idea as the
central point of the diagram, with subtopics branching out and connecting to supporting ideas.

7 Easy Ways to Brainstorm

1. Brain writing
 separate idea generation from discussion.
 member individually write down their ideas.
 this technique works best for teams who seem to be greatly influenced by the first ideas
presented during a meeting.

2. Figuring storming
 putting yourself in new shoes.
 you aim to do or think how someone might handle the situation.
 works best for teams who find themselves coming across the same ideas for repetitive
projects.

3. Online brainstorming (brain-netting)

 ideas are archived in one central location.

4. Rapid Ideation
 team leader provides context beforehand.
 a time limit is set for individuals to write down thoughts or ideas around the topic as
possible, using any mediums available.
 good for teams who tend to get side-tracked, or for placing a time limit on brainstorming
sessions.

5. Round robin brainstorming

 team gather in a circle.
 each person offers an idea and a facilitator records each idea to be discussed when the
sharing is done.
 good when some of your team members have a tendency to stay quiet throughout
meetings.

6. Starbursting
 focuses on forming questions rather than answers.
 assures that all aspects of the project are addressed before any work goes into executing
it.
 good for teams who tend to overlook certain aspects of a project and end up rushing
things done last minute.

7. Stepladder technique
 contribute individually before being influenced by everyone else
 useful for teams who are easily influenced by only one or two members, leading to group-
think.

Graphic Organizer (some of which are also called concept maps, entity relationship charts, and mind
maps.) are a pictorial way of constructing knowledge and organizing information. They help the student
convert and compress a lot of seemingly disjointed information into a structural, simple-to-read, graphic
display. The resulting visual display conveys complex information in a simple-to-understand manner.

Uses of Graphic Organizers:

Graphic organizers can be used to structure writing projects, to help in problem solving, decision making,
studying, planning research and brainstorming.

Types of Graphic organizers

Star- If the topic involves investigating attributes associated with a

single topic, use a star diagram as your graphic organizer.

Spider- If the topic involves investigating attributes associated with a

single topic, and then obtaining more details on each of those ideas,
use a spider diagram. This is like a star graphic organizer with one or
more levels of detail.

Fish Bone- If the topic involves investigating multiple cause-and-effect factors associated with a complex
topic and how they inter-relate, use a fishbone diagram.

Tree- If the topic involves a chain of events with a beginning and with multiple outcomes at each node
(like a family tree) use a tree diagram.

Series of Event Chain: If the topic involves a linear chain of events, with a definite beginning, middle and
end, use a chain of events diagram.

Flowchart:- I f the topic involves a chain of instructions to follow, with a beginning and multiple possible
outcomes at some node, with rules at some nodes, use flowchart.

Venn diagram- If the task involves examining the similarities and differences between two or three items,
use the Venn diagram.

T-Chart Diagram- If the task involves analysing or comparing two aspects of the topic, use T-Chart.
Decision Making Diagram- If the task is making a decision, use a graphic organizer to enumerate
possible alternatives and the pros and cons.

Cause and Effect Diagrams- If the task is examining possible causes and effects in a process, use a
cause-and-effect graphic organizer.

Pie Charts:-If the task involves showing divisions with a group, use a pie chart.

Story Maps- helps the students to summarize, analyse and understand a story or event.

Character Traits- help the students show the aspects of a person's behavior and attitudes that make up
that person's personality.

Cycle Map- Describes how a series of events interact to produce a set of results repeatedly.

Principles of Outlining:

1. CONSISTENCY
● In terms of consistency, you should follow a standard outlining format. In standard outlining format,
main points are indicated by capital roman numerals, subpoints are indicated by capital letters, and sub-
sub points are indicated by Arabic numerals. Further divisions are indicated by either lowercase letters or
lowercase roman numerals.

2. UNITY
● The principle of unity means that each letter or number represents one idea. One concrete way to
help reduce the number of ideas you include per item is to limit each letter or number to one complete
sentence. If you find that one sub point has more than one idea, you can divide it into two sub points.
Limiting each component of your outline to one idea makes it easier to then plug in supporting material
and helps ensure that your speech is coherent.
● Sourcing Information - Books, journals, magazines, search engines or any reading
material and the best resource are the people.

3. COHERENCE- The principle of coherence, which states that there shouldbe a logical and natural
flow of ideas, with main points, subpoints, and sub-sub points connecting to each other
(Winans, 1917). Shorter phrases and keywords can make up the speaking outline, but you should write
complete sentences throughout your formal outline to ensure coherence.
The principle of coherence can also be met by making sure that when dividing a main point or sub point,
you include at least two subdivisions.

4. EMPHASIS- The principle of emphasis states that the material included in your outline should be
engaging and balanced. As you place supporting material into your outline, choose the information that
will have the most impact on your audience. Choose information that is proximal and relevant, meaning
that it can be easily related to the audience’s lives because it matches their interests or ties into current
events or the local area.

TYPES OF OUTLINES
1. TOPIC OUTLINE- A topic outline is a list of words and phrases. It arranges your ideas
hierarchically (showing which are main and which are sub-points), in the sequence you want, and shows
what you will talk about. As the name implies, it identifies all the little mini-topics that your paper will
comprise, and shows how they relate.

Several aspects must be considered in writing a topic outline.

● Recall that all headings and subheadings must be words or phrases, not sentences.
● Also, the wording within each division must be parallel.
● Finally, as in any outline, remember that a division or subdivision cannot be divided into one part;
therefore, if there is an "A" there must be a "B," and if there is a "1" there must be a "2."

Example:
I. Family Problems
A. Custodial: Non-custodial Conflicts
B. Extended Family
C. Adolescent's Age

II. Economic Problems

A. Child Support
B. Women's Job Training
C. Lower Standard of Living
D. Possible Relocation
1. Poorer Neighborhood
2. New School

III. Peer Problems

A. Loss of Friends
B. Relationships with Dates

2. SENTENCE OUTLINE- A sentence outline is a list of complete sentences. Each sentence, instead
of simply identifying a mini-topic, is like a mini-thesis statement about that
mini-topic. It expresses the specific and complete idea that that section of the paper will cover as part of
proving the overall thesis. Several aspects must be considered in writing a sentence outline.
● If you have chosen to write a sentence outline, all headings and sub-headings must be in sentence
form.
● As in any outline, remember that a division or subdivision cannot be divided into one part; therefore,
if there is an "A" there must be a "B,"
and if there is a "1" there must be a "2."

Example:

Negative Effects of Divorce on Adolescents

I. When family conflicts arise as a result of divorce, adolescents suffer.

A. During the first year, these young people may be depressed due to conflicts between the custodial
and non-custodial parents.
B. Grandparents, aunts, and uncles are often restricted by visitation provisions.
C. Almost without exception, adolescents find divorce very painful, but they react in differing degrees
depending on their age.

II. Some of the most negative effects on adolescents may be associated with economic
problems.
A. The family will most probably experience a lower standard of living due to the cost of maintaining
two households.
B. Some female custodial parents have poor job skills and must train before entering the job market.
C. The lower standard of living may result in misunderstanding and conflicts within the family.
D. The decreased standard of living, particularly for an untrained female custodial parent, often
causes relocation.
1. The family may have to move to a poorer neighborhood in order to
cut costs.
2. As a result, the adolescent may have to attend a different school.

III. Adolescents from divorced families often experience peer problems.

A. Due to relocation and prejudice, adolescents may lose friends.
B. The lack of a solid relationship with both parents affects an adolescent's attitude toward the
opposite sex.

FORMS OF OUTLINE
Alphanumeric Outlines
This is the most common type of outline used and is usually instantly recognizable to most people.
The formatting follows these characters in this order:
Level 1: Roman Numerals (I, II, III, IV, V, etc.)
Level 2: Capitalized Letters (A, B, C, D, E, etc.)
Level 3: Arabic Numerals (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, etc.)
Level 4: Lowercase Letters (a, b, c, d, e, etc.)

Decimal Outlines
The decimal outline follows the same levels of indentation when formatting to indicate the hierarchy of
ideas/points as the alphanumericutline. The added benefit of decimal notation, however, is that it clearly
shows, through the decimal breakdown, how each progressive level relates to the larger whole.

Micro and Macro Outlines

The indentation/formatting of a micro (full sentence) or macro (topic) outline is essentially the same as
alphanumeric/decimal outlines. The difference between micro and macro-outlines lies in the specificity
and depth of the content. Micro outlines focus on the “micro,” the drilled-down specific details of the
essay’s content. They are particularly useful when the topic you are discussing is complex in nature.
When creating a micro-outline, it can also be useful to insert the quotations you plan to include in the
essay (with citations) and subsequent analyses of quotes. Taking this extra step helps ensure that you
have enough support for your ideas, as well as reminding writers to actually analyze and discuss
quotations, rather than simply inserting quotes and moving on. While time-consuming to create, micro-
outlines can be seen as basically creating the first rough draft of an essay. Macro outlines, in contrast,
focus on the “big picture” of an essay’s main points and support by using short phrases or keywords to
indicate the focus and content at each level of the essay’s development. A macro-outline is useful when
writing about a variety of ideas and issues where the ordering of points is more flexible. Macro outlines
are also especially helpful when writing timed essays, or essay exam questions--or any rhetorical
situation where writers need to quickly get their ideas down in an organized essay format.