Grouping Storylines

1. What is wrong with this grouping?

SO WHAT –

Like all firefighters, Maude must renew her first-aid certificate annually.

SUPPORTING IDEAS –

• Maude's first-aid certificate expires next month
• Maude should book in for the next first-aid course
• Maude needs to check that the next course does not clash with her upcoming shifts or planned vacations
• Maude's supervisor needs to sign off on her participation in the course

Answer: Each point in the key line does not have the same subject, the ideas in the key line are not all the ‘same kind of thing', the governing idea (also called the ‘answer') does not overarch the whole story and the key line ideas are not parallel.

 

 2. What is wrong with this grouping?

SO WHAT –

BigCo should learn to analyse big data

SUPPORTING IDEAS – 

• BigCo needs to mine big data to improve its marketing effort
• BigCo will blow past its competitors if it can understand big data
• Big data is really important to anybody who wants to market their products today
• Understanding big data is hard

Answer: The points in the key line do not all have the same subject, the ideas in the key line are not all the ‘same kind of thing', the governing idea (also called the ‘answer') does not overarch the whole story and the key line ideas are not parallel.

 

3. When would you choose to organise your ideas into a grouping?

Answer: Groupings can be used when you need to tell your audience why something needs to happen, how something needs to happen, or when you are concerned that your audience might be critical.