Homework #7 – General-to-Specific ABT

Due:  September 30th @ 5:00 pm Eastern

We’ve already been working on the General to Specific pattern of narrative in your Blue material by going from a General Ordinary World to the Specific Dream (IF/THEN).  Now it’s time to repeat the same General to Specific pattern in the Red and Green material using the BUT/BECAUSE and THEREFORE/BY.  Here’s the basic template:

Ordinary World AND Stakes (IF/THEN) BUT General Problem BECAUSE Specific Problem Details THEREFORE General Solution BY Specific Solution Details

We find this pattern of General to Specific especially important for the BUT and THEREFORE because there’s a tendency to add too many details too soon, getting the audience lost in what the overall point is for each section.  This is especially deadly for very Outer Circle audiences who will have a lot of trouble keeping all the details in their heads before you finally explain the overall general point that you’re try to make.  With BUT/BECAUSE and THEREFORE/BY, you’re giving the overall general point first, then diving into details, which helps to orient audiences from the start.

The BUT General Problem has one and only one function – to signal to the audience that the narrative direction has turned.  Ideally, your IF/THEN has set the narrative in a positive direction and your BUT General Problem should target your IF/THEN statement, disrupting the direction that it set   Here’s some common BUT General Problem statements that we see in a lot of ABTs:

  • BUT X is not happening
  • BUT we’re not doing X
  • BUT we’re failing
  • BUT we’re falling short
  • BUT X hasn’t happened yet
  • BUT we aren’t

For the purposes of the class, we’re going to push you to keep the BUT General Problem as broad as possible like those in the above bullet list so that you can get a feel for what it’s like to use it in this way.  (After the class, you’re free to experiment!)  Try your best to keep the BUT General Problem part to 5 words or less (it won’t be the end of the world if you go over by a word or two).  Remember, all we want to do is signal a narrative direction change – no details yet.

After you have concisely signaled to the audience that the narrative has changed direction in the BUT General Problem, you lay out all the details that you need to make your point clear in the BECAUSE Specific Problem Details.

As an option, you can make the BUT/BECAUSE even more specific by using BUT/BECAUSE/DUE TO.  Here’s the template:

Ordinary World AND Stakes (IF/THEN) BUT General Problem BECAUSE Specific Problem Details DUE TO Very Specific Problem Details THEREFORE General Solution BY Specific Solution Details

Repeat this same process with the THEREFORE/BY, starting with the THEREFORE General Solution.  Once again, the THEREFORE General Solution has only one function – to signal a narrative turn to the audience.  It is not meant to provide details.  Some common examples:

  • THEREFORE we’re fixing X
  • THEREFORE we’re solving X
  • THEREFORE we’re establishing X
  • THEREFORE we’re filling the knowledge gap

Then, once you reach the BY Specific Solution Details, you lay out all the details that you need to make your point clear.  Feel free to go into as much detail as you need in the BY Specific Solution Details to give the audience a clear understanding of what you plan to do.  

Examples of General to Specific ABTs from previous rounds of the class:

Acoustic monitoring is a powerful management tool for identifying potential illegal fishing in marine protected areas because of its cost effectiveness and spatial coverage AND IF we can identify boat noise from this data THEN it will enable better enforcement and education to protect large spawning aggregations that are necessary for the recovery of depleted fish stocks in these areas BUT that’s not happening BECAUSE there is a major time lag in analyzing acoustic data SINCE it requires significant personnel time and expertise for analyzing the thousands of hours of data; THEREFORE, we’re working to fix this BY developing a machine learning model that can automatically detect boat noise in acoustic data to allow for faster analysis and thus better management of marine protected areas that could ultimately lead to more sustainable fisheries and happier anglers in the Gulf.

Proper regulation is important for making sure water is within acceptable contaminant thresholds AND IF we can better regulate contaminates, such as fertilizers, nitrogen, and phosphorous loads THEN we can reduce water quality deficiencies to ensure sustainability, improving the quality of life and health of the community, the ecosystem, our economy and infrastructure and create environmental resilience. BUT that’s not currently happening BECAUSE our current regulations are being outpaced DUE TO increasing pollution from industrial and agricultural sources, THEREFORE we’re working to fix this BY advocating to create stricter fertilizer ordinances, such as no fertilizer application during rainy season and restrictions to nitrogen and phosphorus levels in commercial fertilizers, creating mandates for Green Stormwater Infrastructure including rain gardens, vegetated buffer strips and permeable pavement to reduce and filter surface runoff, and establish maximum contaminant levels that enforces limits on specific pollutants.

We know that nutrition, technology, and person-centered care are important for inpatient diabetes management AND IF they were widely implemented THEN complications such as infections, organ failure, and prolonged length of stay could be reduced BUT this implementation hasn’t been achieved BECAUSE policies and guidelines have not kept pace with new approaches to care DUE TO limited research and data in these areas; THEREFORE, we are addressing this gap BY generating data to inform updates to hospital policy and guidelines around nutrition, shared decision-making, and technology. We will collect data through surveys, in-depth interviews, and continuous glucose monitoring to evaluate the relationship between glycemic management, person-centered care, and nutrition. Ultimately, our goal is to reduce painful and costly complications following suboptimal inpatient diabetes care.

Check list for your General-to-Specific ABT:

  • Use your Ordinary World ABT as your jumping off point.
  • Use BUT/BECAUSE or BUT/BECAUSE/DUE TO for your problem structure. 
  • Try your best to keep the BUT part to 5 words or less.  (It’s not the end of the world if you go over 5 words a little bit).
  • Use THEREFORE/BY for your solution structure.
  • Try your best to keep the THEREFORE part to 5 words or less.  (It’s not the end of the world if you go over 5 words a little bit).
  • If you’re already using the BUT/BECAUSE and THEREFORE/BY structure in your previous draft, feel free to take another pass at it or submit the same version – your call!

 

Instructions for submitting your homework:

  1. Put your draft in a Word document – have your name at the top.
  2. Name the Word document file:  Homework 7 – General-to-Specific.
  3. Go to the Dropbox Upload here.
  4. Add your Word document to the upload page. 
  5. If it prompts you, add your full name and email address.
  6. Click the Upload button.