Summary of Four Phases
Semester-Long Group Project to Solve a Social Issue
ITDY 120: Leadership through Self Development
Dr. Lynn Donahue
PHASE ONE: ESTABLISHING NORMS AND IDENTIFYING THE PROBLEM
1. Share some information about yourself with your fellow team members.
Share what you wrote in your visions and goals essay.
2. Decide on your team name.
3. Based on your past experiences working as a team, what do you think are
the key factors that lead to the successful functioning of a team?
How will your team ensure that the factors you listed in question 4 will be
integrated into your team experience? How will you deal with a team
member who is not living up to his/her commitment to the team?
4. Agree upon a common meeting time and location for your team.
5. Part A: Brainstorm what you know to date about your topic. What do you
think the relevant issues are? What are the potential problems?
Part B: Write down your preliminary problem statement or assertion you’ll
be arguing for or against.
PHASE TWO: REFINING YOUR ASSERTION AND CREATING ARGUMENTS
1. Analyze the issues regarding your problem by answering the following
questions:
a. How do the issues impact you?
b. What are the likely causes of the issues?
c. What are the key benefits of solving the issues?
2. Formulate a clearer position or assertion of this issue. Please integrate the
results of your research AND your beliefs and values regarding your
position.
3. Create three arguments you’ll use to defend your assertion.
Under each argument, write 1 example of evidence for each that you’ll use
to prove this argument (quotes, anecdotal evidence, stories,
statistics/data, analogies, examples, definitions, testimonials).
4. Write the resources your team will need to determine your primary
assertion, clarify the problem, and propose solutions.
What are the questions you found difficult to answer because of your lack
of knowledge? Where are the gaps?
PHASE THREE: REDUCING RESISTANCE AND CREATING SOLUTIONS
1. Your arguments are only as strong as your ability to persuade those that
resist your perspectives. Pick two of the three arguments/issues that could
be easily argued in the reverse. Identify what the “other side” might say to
resist your argument—and how you would counter the resistance.
2. Come up with solutions to solve your problem using the following
brainstorming and clustering exercise.
3. Decide on one solution or group of related solutions that you can expand
on during your presentation. Think in terms of the following criteria by
which to evaluate your solutions:
a. Practicality
b. Desirability
c. Workability
PHASE FOUR: ORGANIZING AND PRESENTING YOUR PROPOSAL
The following is the outline your group should follow for the final presentation.
Please decide and indicate who will present which section.
I.
Introduction
a. Attention-getter
b. Give purpose of the speech
c. Introduce problem
d. Introduce 3 arguments (give a roadmap)
II.
Body
a. Background Information?
b. Argument #1
i. Explanation
ii. Prove point #1
c. Argument #2
i. Explanation
ii. Prove point #2
d. Argument #3
i. Explanation
ii. Prove point #3
e. Alternative Arguments (2) (if don’t incorporate in b-d)
f. Recommendations/Solutions
III.
Conclusion
a. Restate purpose
b. Restate main points
c. Concluding statements