Seminars

I just attended a seminar on Creating Writing Assignments. You may think…”What does this have to do with psychology in the workplace?” Well, it has a lot to do with psych in the workplace. Writing is a fundamental building block of creative thinking. The seminar discussed the differences between experienced writers and inexperienced writers.

More specifically we discussed why and how each of these groups writes. It was interesting to see just how different the two groups behavior and think. Here are some of our responses to the previously asked questions;

Why do you write? For fun, to convey information, to communication, to share knowledge, to express feelings, thoughts and emotions, to summarize information, to discover, to organize thoughts, to get better

How do you write? Outline, structures, process orientated, explosive, with others

What are the main differences between experts and amateur writers?

Inexperienced Writers: 1). Writing is a onetime process, 2). Revision is rewording, 3). Solitary activity, 4). Focus on rules, formula, correctness, 5). Prioritize style change/editing

Experienced Writers: 1). Writing is an evolving process, 2). Revision is rethinking, 3). Bounce ideas off others, 4). Focus on arguments, readers, dissonance, 5). Prioritize ideas and structure then stylistic concerns.

Tips for Engaging Writing
1). Process (break it down)
2). Feedback
3). Quantity
4). Pacing
5). Assign a lot of writing
6). Problem-based tasks
7). Authenticity

More broadly, this seminar made me think about writing in general and reading in general. It made me appreciate all of the articles and books I have read again and again to gain a deeper knowledge of them (this is in contradiction to most individuals one time through approach to reading), the feedback process, and the writing process. This seminar made my think about the importance of reading and writing and that we all should encourage more reading and writing at home, at school and in the office. Individuals, students and employees should be encouraged to read in their expertise area, write to communicate with others and expand their skills. Just think about what we could create and share if we all (but students more specifically) stopped striving to meet the bare minimum and strived to break through the ceiling.
Why do you write? What is your process?