revising speech writing

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Public Speaking: Editing and Revising a Speech

Importance of editing and revising in speech writing

Public speaking is both an art and a science, and the heart of any successful public speech lies in its content. Crafting effective speeches demands more than just stringing together words; it involves a significant amount of editing and revising.

The process of refining your speech through comprehensive editing and revision dramatically enhances its clarity, coherence, power principles, focus, impact, continuity – all key ingredients to delivering perfect presentations.

Invest time in rigorous proofreading as part of the editing process which eradicates common errors that might distract or confuse your audience. Beyond proofreading’s role in correcting grammar mishaps lies revision – a deeper level of refinement that transforms the speech into a powerful narrative with perfectly structured sentences.

Speeches become more engaging when you invest effort into streamlining their content for maximum impact while ensuring clear delivery.

Editing isn’t merely about making alterations but also adheres to best practices for maintaining variety within dialogue without sacrificing concision or clarity—a delicate balance indeed! So remember, every great speaker was once an incredible editor; carefully refining sentence structure, tonality, style—the crucial elements inspiring unforgettable speeches!

Strategies for effective editing and revising

Great public speaking is an art, and just like any masterpiece, it requires several layers of work – drafting, refining, revising. One key strategy for effective editing and revising of speeches involves breaking the process into steps.

It’s not enough to merely skim through your speech; take the time to dissect each point and evaluate its coherence . Try finetuning your ideas first before focusing on sentence structure or grammar.

Another crucial Tactics for successful editing include taking breaks between these steps, as fatigue can often lead to missed errors or lackluster delivery. A fresh set of eyes brings clarity! Use peer reviews or editing checklists as tools that can provide valuable outside perspectives on your work.

Next up is technology: software solutions today are advanced enough to flag common grammatical errors in speeches that you might miss while reviewing manually! They assist greatly with syntactic fixes but don’t rely solely on them; human touch in revamping tone or style remains irreplaceable still.

Remember, honing skills involved in this multi-faceted process could significantly elevate your presentation from mundane to engaging- so go ahead and embrace reworking your masterpiece until it shines!

Techniques for improving clarity and coherence in speeches

Public speaking is not just about eloquence. It’s also about clarity and coherence , both of which play a significant role in the success of any speech. Crafting a clear and compelling message requires precision, logical progression, and the right use of language .

One effective technique for enhancing clarity is focusing on refined expressiveness. This involves adjusting your tone, pace, volume, and pronunciation to emphasize key points or evoke specific reactions from the audience.

Expressiveness adds richness to your delivery and prevents monotonous speeches that can easily bore listeners.

Equally important as clarity is coherence – the logical flow that connects your ideas seamlessly from one point to another. One way to achieve this is through strategic speech organization; arranging your main points in such a way they naturally lead from one concept to the next aids comprehension among audiences.

Incorporating variety into speeches boosts engagement too. Experiment with anecdotes, rhetorical questions, visuals, or even humor where appropriate. Such elements inject life into presentations while maintaining focus and interest throughout.

Utilizing these techniques enhances communication skills overall – crucial not only for public speakers but anyone hoping to convey concepts effectively in written or verbal forms.

Identifying and correcting common grammatical errors in speeches

The art of public speaking is not just about what you say, but how you say it. Undeniably, the heart of any compelling speech lies in its grammatical accuracy. Paying close attention to grammar during your editing and revising process can significantly enhance the quality of your speeches.

It bolsters credibility and ensures a smooth delivery that keeps listeners engaged.

Being aware of common grammatical errors in speeches propels you one step further towards delivering an impactful talk. Nonetheless, identifying these mistakes requires a sharp eye for details and familiarity with basic grammar rules.

Whether it’s using simple, direct sentences or maintaining punctuation accuracy – every aspect plays a pivotal role in crafting remarkable speeches.

Deploying rhetorical devices like repetition enhances clarity while ensuring messages resonate with audiences effectively. Furthermore, tools for analyzing writing are highly beneficial – they help pinpoint frequent mistakes to avoid in future speeches.

Consider leveraging technology-based solutions too for efficient grammar checks.

Remember though; perfection isn’t achieved overnight! Continual practice holds the key – be committed to refining your skills in identifying and correcting common grammatical errors persistently.

Tips for refining sentence structure and syntax in speeches

When it comes to delivering a powerful and impactful speech,  refining sentence structure and syntax  is key. Effective communication relies on clear and concise language that engages the audience from start to finish.

Here are five tips for refining sentence structure and syntax in your speeches:.

1. Keep it simple: Use straightforward language that is easy for your audience to understand. Avoid overly complex sentences or jargon that may confuse or alienate listeners.

2. Vary your sentence length: Mix up short and long sentences to create rhythm and flow in your speech. Short sentences can be punchy, while longer ones allow you to delve deeper into a topic.

3. Use active voice: Active voice makes sentences more direct and engaging. Instead of saying “Mistakes were made,” say “I made mistakes.” This helps take ownership of your statements.

4. Watch out for wordiness: Trim unnecessary words and phrases from your sentences to make them more concise and impactful. Get rid of filler words like “um” or “like” that can detract from the clarity of your message.

5. Practice pacing: Pay attention to how you deliver each sentence – too fast can leave listeners struggling to keep up, while too slow can bore them. Aim for a steady pace with pauses at appropriate moments for emphasis or reflection.

By following these tips, you can refine the sentence structure and syntax in your speeches, ensuring they are clear, engaging, and effective in delivering your message to an audience eager to listen.

Ways to enhance the tone and style of speeches through editing and revising

Editing and revising play a crucial role in enhancing the tone and style of speeches. By carefully refining your speech, you can captivate your audience and leave a lasting impression. One way to enhance the tone is by using rhetorical devices such as repetition or parallelism.

These techniques add rhythm and emphasis, making your speech more engaging.

Another way to improve the style of your speech is by focusing on sentence structure and syntax. Keep sentences short, direct, and easily understandable for your listeners. Avoid complex sentence structures that could confuse or bore your audience.

Additionally, consider the overall flow and coherence of your speech. Ensure that ideas connect smoothly from one point to another, maintaining a logical progression throughout. This will help your audience follow along effortlessly.

Lastly, don’t forget about incorporating feedback from peers or mentors during the editing process. They can provide valuable insights into areas where improvements can be made in terms of both tone and style.

So remember: use rhetorical devices, focus on clear sentence structure, ensure flow and coherence, and seek feedback from others to enhance the overall tone and style of your speeches through editing and revising.

Keywords used: enhancing speech tone/style; improving speech clarity; concision in speech writing; continuity in delivery; variety in content; impactful delivery; refining style/tone/voice; ensuring flow/coherence in speeches

Methods for streamlining and condensing speeches for greater impact

One of the key aspects of delivering an impactful speech is ensuring that it is streamlined and condensed. By eliminating unnecessary details and focusing on the most important points, you can captivate your audience and make a lasting impression.

Here are some methods to help you streamline and condense your speeches for greater impact.

Firstly, prioritize your main message or objective. Identify the core idea or theme that you want to convey to your audience, and structure your speech around it. This will help you eliminate any tangents or irrelevant information that may dilute the impact of your message.

Secondly, use concise language and avoid excessive wordiness. Trim down lengthy sentences by removing repetitive phrases or unnecessary modifiers. Opt for strong verbs and precise nouns to convey your ideas effectively in fewer words.

Another method is to organize your speech into clear sections with logical transitions between them. Use headings or signposts to guide your audience through different parts of the speech, making it easier for them to follow along and understand the main points.

Additionally, consider using visual aids such as slides or props to enhance the clarity of complex concepts or data-heavy portions in your speech. Visuals can often convey information more efficiently than words alone, allowing you to streamline content without losing its impact.

Lastly, practice delivering your speech multiple times while timing yourself. This will help you identify areas where you may be rambling or going off track. By tightening up these sections through editing and revision, you can ensure that every moment of your speech contributes towards its overall impact.

By following these methods for streamlining and condensing speeches, you can deliver a powerful presentation that captures attention and leaves a lasting impression on your audience.

Approaches to incorporating feedback from peers and mentors in the editing process

In the editing process, it’s important to seek feedback from peers and mentors to improve the quality of your speech. Collaborative editing can be a valuable approach, where you work with others who have expertise in public speaking or writing.

By sharing your speech with them, you can gain fresh perspectives and insights that may not have occurred to you.

Another helpful approach is using a checklist for editing. This provides a systematic way to address different aspects of your speech, such as clarity of ideas, coherence of arguments, grammar errors, and sentence structure.

By following this checklist, you can ensure that all necessary improvements are made.

Incorporating feedback from peers and mentors has numerous benefits. Not only does it help refine your speech by catching any weaknesses or inconsistencies in your content, but it also allows you to learn from their experience and knowledge.

Their suggestions and guidance can greatly enhance your overall delivery style while maintaining authenticity.

Remember that incorporating feedback is an ongoing process throughout the editing phase. It’s essential to remain open-minded and receptive to constructive criticism because this will ultimately lead to a more polished and impactful speech.

By utilizing approaches like collaborative editing and checklists for feedback incorporation, you’ll be well on your way towards creating an engaging and effective presentation that resonates with your audience.

Using technology tools to aid in editing and revising speeches

In today’s digital age, technology has become an invaluable tool for public speakers looking to improve their speeches. With the help of speech editing software and online revision tools, you can take your speech from good to great.

These tools allow you to easily make changes, add or remove content, and move sections around until your speech flows smoothly.

One effective technique is using mnemonic strategies like ARMS (add, remove, move, substitute) to guide your editing process. Online tools can assist you in identifying areas where your speech may need improvement and suggest alternative wording or phrasing options.

Additionally, electronic dictionaries can be a valuable resource when searching for synonyms or clarifying definitions during the revision stage.

Technology also plays a crucial role in supporting accessibility in education. Text-to-speech features and digital text formats ensure that individuals with visual impairments have equal access to speeches.

This inclusivity not only benefits them but also enriches the overall learning experience.

By embracing technology as a part of your editing and revising process, you gain access to a wealth of resources at your fingertips. Utilize these tools effectively alongside traditional writing techniques for polished and impactful speeches that captivate audiences.

Best practices for proofreading and finalizing speeches before delivery

Proofreading and finalizing your speech before delivering it to an audience is crucial for ensuring its effectiveness and impact. By following some best practices, you can add that final layer of polish to your presentation.

One important practice is to revise your speech thoroughly. This means going through it line by line, checking for any errors or inconsistencies in grammar, spelling, or punctuation. Proofreading focuses on surface-level errors like these, so make sure to pay attention to every word and sentence.

Another good practice is to seek feedback from others. Ask a trusted friend or mentor to review your speech and provide constructive criticism. Their fresh perspective can help you identify areas where improvement is needed.

Using technology tools can also be beneficial during the editing process. Grammar-checking software can help catch grammatical errors that may have slipped through the cracks.

Lastly, don’t forget the importance of practicing your speech out loud. Reading it aloud will not only help you ensure a smooth delivery but also allow you to spot any awkward phrasing or confusing parts that need further revision.

By following these best practices for proofreading and finalizing speeches before delivery, you can refine your message and present a polished piece that captures the attention of your audience effectively.

1. Why is editing and revising a speech important in public speaking?

Editing and revising a speech is crucial in public speaking because it allows you to refine your message, ensure clarity and coherence, eliminate unnecessary content, improve pacing and timing, and enhance overall delivery. It helps you create a polished and impactful presentation.

2. What are some tips for effectively editing a speech?

Some tips for effectively editing a speech include reading it aloud to identify any awkward phrasing or unclear sentences, removing repetitive information or tangents that do not contribute to the main message, checking for grammar and spelling errors, ensuring consistency in style and tone, and seeking feedback from others for different perspectives.

3. How can I revise my speech to make it more engaging?

To make your speech more engaging during the revision process, consider incorporating storytelling techniques, using rhetorical devices such as metaphors or analogies to illustrate key points, adding humor where appropriate to connect with the audience emotionally, varying sentence structure for rhythm and impact, and practicing vocal delivery techniques like pauses or emphasis on certain words.

4. Should I seek professional help for editing my speech?

Seeking professional help for editing your speech can be beneficial if you want an objective analysis of its effectiveness. Professional editors can provide valuable insights into improving structure, flow of ideas, language usage, rhetorical devices implementation etc., enhancing the overall quality of your presentation.Do note that this may not always be necessary depending on the context of the event or audience size but could prove helpful particularly when delivering high-stakes speeches such as keynote addresses at industry conferences or TED Talks-esque presentations

Revising Drafts

Rewriting is the essence of writing well—where the game is won or lost. —William Zinsser

What this handout is about

This handout will motivate you to revise your drafts and give you strategies to revise effectively.

What does it mean to revise?

Revision literally means to “see again,” to look at something from a fresh, critical perspective. It is an ongoing process of rethinking the paper: reconsidering your arguments, reviewing your evidence, refining your purpose, reorganizing your presentation, reviving stale prose.

But I thought revision was just fixing the commas and spelling

Nope. That’s called proofreading. It’s an important step before turning your paper in, but if your ideas are predictable, your thesis is weak, and your organization is a mess, then proofreading will just be putting a band-aid on a bullet wound. When you finish revising, that’s the time to proofread. For more information on the subject, see our handout on proofreading .

How about if I just reword things: look for better words, avoid repetition, etc.? Is that revision?

Well, that’s a part of revision called editing. It’s another important final step in polishing your work. But if you haven’t thought through your ideas, then rephrasing them won’t make any difference.

Why is revision important?

Writing is a process of discovery, and you don’t always produce your best stuff when you first get started. So revision is a chance for you to look critically at what you have written to see:

• if it’s really worth saying,
• if it says what you wanted to say, and
• if a reader will understand what you’re saying.

The process

What steps should i use when i begin to revise.

Here are several things to do. But don’t try them all at one time. Instead, focus on two or three main areas during each revision session:

• Wait awhile after you’ve finished a draft before looking at it again. The Roman poet Horace thought one should wait nine years, but that’s a bit much. A day—a few hours even—will work. When you do return to the draft, be honest with yourself, and don’t be lazy. Ask yourself what you really think about the paper.
• As The Scott, Foresman Handbook for Writers puts it, “THINK BIG, don’t tinker” (61). At this stage, you should be concerned with the large issues in the paper, not the commas.
• Check the focus of the paper: Is it appropriate to the assignment? Is the topic too big or too narrow? Do you stay on track through the entire paper?
• Think honestly about your thesis: Do you still agree with it? Should it be modified in light of something you discovered as you wrote the paper? Does it make a sophisticated, provocative point, or does it just say what anyone could say if given the same topic? Does your thesis generalize instead of taking a specific position? Should it be changed altogether? For more information visit our handout on thesis statements .
• Think about your purpose in writing: Does your introduction state clearly what you intend to do? Will your aims be clear to your readers?

What are some other steps I should consider in later stages of the revision process?

• Examine the balance within your paper: Are some parts out of proportion with others? Do you spend too much time on one trivial point and neglect a more important point? Do you give lots of detail early on and then let your points get thinner by the end?
• Check that you have kept your promises to your readers: Does your paper follow through on what the thesis promises? Do you support all the claims in your thesis? Are the tone and formality of the language appropriate for your audience?
• Check the organization: Does your paper follow a pattern that makes sense? Do the transitions move your readers smoothly from one point to the next? Do the topic sentences of each paragraph appropriately introduce what that paragraph is about? Would your paper work better if you moved some things around? For more information visit our handout on reorganizing drafts.
• Check your information: Are all your facts accurate? Are any of your statements misleading? Have you provided enough detail to satisfy readers’ curiosity? Have you cited all your information appropriately?
• Check your conclusion: Does the last paragraph tie the paper together smoothly and end on a stimulating note, or does the paper just die a slow, redundant, lame, or abrupt death?

Whoa! I thought I could just revise in a few minutes

Sorry. You may want to start working on your next paper early so that you have plenty of time for revising. That way you can give yourself some time to come back to look at what you’ve written with a fresh pair of eyes. It’s amazing how something that sounded brilliant the moment you wrote it can prove to be less-than-brilliant when you give it a chance to incubate.

But I don’t want to rewrite my whole paper!

Revision doesn’t necessarily mean rewriting the whole paper. Sometimes it means revising the thesis to match what you’ve discovered while writing. Sometimes it means coming up with stronger arguments to defend your position, or coming up with more vivid examples to illustrate your points. Sometimes it means shifting the order of your paper to help the reader follow your argument, or to change the emphasis of your points. Sometimes it means adding or deleting material for balance or emphasis. And then, sadly, sometimes revision does mean trashing your first draft and starting from scratch. Better that than having the teacher trash your final paper.

But I work so hard on what I write that I can’t afford to throw any of it away

If you want to be a polished writer, then you will eventually find out that you can’t afford NOT to throw stuff away. As writers, we often produce lots of material that needs to be tossed. The idea or metaphor or paragraph that I think is most wonderful and brilliant is often the very thing that confuses my reader or ruins the tone of my piece or interrupts the flow of my argument.Writers must be willing to sacrifice their favorite bits of writing for the good of the piece as a whole. In order to trim things down, though, you first have to have plenty of material on the page. One trick is not to hinder yourself while you are composing the first draft because the more you produce, the more you will have to work with when cutting time comes.

But sometimes I revise as I go

That’s OK. Since writing is a circular process, you don’t do everything in some specific order. Sometimes you write something and then tinker with it before moving on. But be warned: there are two potential problems with revising as you go. One is that if you revise only as you go along, you never get to think of the big picture. The key is still to give yourself enough time to look at the essay as a whole once you’ve finished. Another danger to revising as you go is that you may short-circuit your creativity. If you spend too much time tinkering with what is on the page, you may lose some of what hasn’t yet made it to the page. Here’s a tip: Don’t proofread as you go. You may waste time correcting the commas in a sentence that may end up being cut anyway.

How do I go about the process of revising? Any tips?

• Work from a printed copy; it’s easier on the eyes. Also, problems that seem invisible on the screen somehow tend to show up better on paper.
• Another tip is to read the paper out loud. That’s one way to see how well things flow.
• Remember all those questions listed above? Don’t try to tackle all of them in one draft. Pick a few “agendas” for each draft so that you won’t go mad trying to see, all at once, if you’ve done everything.
• Ask lots of questions and don’t flinch from answering them truthfully. For example, ask if there are opposing viewpoints that you haven’t considered yet.

Whenever I revise, I just make things worse. I do my best work without revising

That’s a common misconception that sometimes arises from fear, sometimes from laziness. The truth is, though, that except for those rare moments of inspiration or genius when the perfect ideas expressed in the perfect words in the perfect order flow gracefully and effortlessly from the mind, all experienced writers revise their work. I wrote six drafts of this handout. Hemingway rewrote the last page of A Farewell to Arms thirty-nine times. If you’re still not convinced, re-read some of your old papers. How do they sound now? What would you revise if you had a chance?

What can get in the way of good revision strategies?

Don’t fall in love with what you have written. If you do, you will be hesitant to change it even if you know it’s not great. Start out with a working thesis, and don’t act like you’re married to it. Instead, act like you’re dating it, seeing if you’re compatible, finding out what it’s like from day to day. If a better thesis comes along, let go of the old one. Also, don’t think of revision as just rewording. It is a chance to look at the entire paper, not just isolated words and sentences.

What happens if I find that I no longer agree with my own point?

If you take revision seriously, sometimes the process will lead you to questions you cannot answer, objections or exceptions to your thesis, cases that don’t fit, loose ends or contradictions that just won’t go away. If this happens (and it will if you think long enough), then you have several choices. You could choose to ignore the loose ends and hope your reader doesn’t notice them, but that’s risky. You could change your thesis completely to fit your new understanding of the issue, or you could adjust your thesis slightly to accommodate the new ideas. Or you could simply acknowledge the contradictions and show why your main point still holds up in spite of them. Most readers know there are no easy answers, so they may be annoyed if you give them a thesis and try to claim that it is always true with no exceptions no matter what.

How do I get really good at revising?

The same way you get really good at golf, piano, or a video game—do it often. Take revision seriously, be disciplined, and set high standards for yourself. Here are three more tips:

• The more you produce, the more you can cut.
• The more you can imagine yourself as a reader looking at this for the first time, the easier it will be to spot potential problems.
• The more you demand of yourself in terms of clarity and elegance, the more clear and elegant your writing will be.

How do I revise at the sentence level?

Read your paper out loud, sentence by sentence, and follow Peter Elbow’s advice: “Look for places where you stumble or get lost in the middle of a sentence. These are obvious awkwardness’s that need fixing. Look for places where you get distracted or even bored—where you cannot concentrate. These are places where you probably lost focus or concentration in your writing. Cut through the extra words or vagueness or digression; get back to the energy. Listen even for the tiniest jerk or stumble in your reading, the tiniest lessening of your energy or focus or concentration as you say the words . . . A sentence should be alive” (Writing with Power 135).

Practical advice for ensuring that your sentences are alive:

• Use forceful verbs—replace long verb phrases with a more specific verb. For example, replace “She argues for the importance of the idea” with “She defends the idea.”
• Look for places where you’ve used the same word or phrase twice or more in consecutive sentences and look for alternative ways to say the same thing OR for ways to combine the two sentences.
• Cut as many prepositional phrases as you can without losing your meaning. For instance, the following sentence, “There are several examples of the issue of integrity in Huck Finn,” would be much better this way, “Huck Finn repeatedly addresses the issue of integrity.”
• Check your sentence variety. If more than two sentences in a row start the same way (with a subject followed by a verb, for example), then try using a different sentence pattern.
• Aim for precision in word choice. Don’t settle for the best word you can think of at the moment—use a thesaurus (along with a dictionary) to search for the word that says exactly what you want to say.
• Look for sentences that start with “It is” or “There are” and see if you can revise them to be more active and engaging.
• For more information, please visit our handouts on word choice and style .

How can technology help?

Need some help revising? Take advantage of the revision and versioning features available in modern word processors.

Track your changes. Most word processors and writing tools include a feature that allows you to keep your changes visible until you’re ready to accept them. Using “Track Changes” mode in Word or “Suggesting” mode in Google Docs, for example, allows you to make changes without committing to them.

Compare drafts. Tools that allow you to compare multiple drafts give you the chance to visually track changes over time. Try “File History” or “Compare Documents” modes in Google Doc, Word, and Scrivener to retrieve old drafts, identify changes you’ve made over time, or help you keep a bigger picture in mind as you revise.

Works consulted

We consulted these works while writing this handout. This is not a comprehensive list of resources on the handout’s topic, and we encourage you to do your own research to find additional publications. Please do not use this list as a model for the format of your own reference list, as it may not match the citation style you are using. For guidance on formatting citations, please see the UNC Libraries citation tutorial . We revise these tips periodically and welcome feedback.

Anson, Chris M., and Robert A. Schwegler. 2010. The Longman Handbook for Writers and Readers , 6th ed. New York: Longman.

Elbow, Peter. 1998. Writing With Power: Techniques for Mastering the Writing Process . New York: Oxford University Press.

Lanham, Richard A. 2006. Revising Prose , 5th ed. New York: Pearson Longman.

Lunsford, Andrea A. 2015. The St. Martin’s Handbook , 8th ed. Boston: Bedford/St Martin’s.

Ruszkiewicz, John J., Christy Friend, Daniel Seward, and Maxine Hairston. 2010. The Scott, Foresman Handbook for Writers , 9th ed. Boston: Pearson Education.

Zinsser, William. 2001. On Writing Well: The Classic Guide to Writing Nonfiction , 6th ed. New York: Quill.

You may reproduce it for non-commercial use if you use the entire handout and attribute the source: The Writing Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

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Speech Preparation #5: Six Power Principles for Speech Editing

Conventional wisdom says the best speeches are not written; they are rewritten . Yet, most speakers present content that falls between a first draft and no preparation at all .

Don’t be like most speakers .

Allow yourself the time to edit for focus, clarity, concision, continuity, variety, and impact . If you do, you will give your audience a performance that will dazzle them.

The previous article in the Speech Preparation Series showed you how to write the first draft of your speech .

In this article and the next one , you will develop the skills required to improve your speech through iterative speech editing .

• How to Prepare Your Presentation
• Select Your Speech Topic
• Plan Your Speech Outline
• Writing Your First Draft
• Editing Your Speech
• Add Speech Impact with Rhetorical Devices
• Staging, Gestures, and Vocal Variety
• Practicing Your Presentation
• Self-Critique: Preparation for Next Time
• Winning a Toastmasters Speech Contest

Editing a Speech — An Iterative Process

Once you have a first draft, you begin to see how the different elements from your outline work together to form your speech.

The next step is a highly iterative one. Just as you cannot expect the first draft to be the final draft, do not pressure yourself to get it perfect after one session of editing. Expect to make many passes through your speech, with each pass leaving the speech a little better than the previous version.

As you proceed, avoid falling in love with any particular component of the speech. Maybe you have the perfect story or a great slide , but be prepared to cut it out if your core message can be conveyed in a better way.

Use Binoculars and a Magnifying Glass

“ Edit mercilessly. All elements of your speech — every point, every statistic, every anecdote, every story, every joke, every visual aid — must support your core message. ”

When you edit your speech, you are doing two things in parallel:

• Ensure that your paragraphs, sections, stories, and transitions combine to produce a well-organized speech that succeeds in delivering your core message.
• You only have one chance to deliver your message to your audience. It needs to be easy to follow to guarantee their attention throughout.
• For this, you need binoculars .
• Edit your words, phrases, and sentences to find the precise combination of words that invoke emotions and create images in a memorable way.
• To make your audience remember your core message, you need to make them remember your words and the images you created in their minds.
• For this, you need a magnifying glass .

Accomplishing both tasks simultaneously is not easy. One approach is to focus primarily on macro-editing in your initial editing passes. Then, when you are happy with how the overall speech is coming together, change your focus and begin micro-editing. This is the basic approach that I apply.

Six Power Principles for Speech Editing

1. edit for focus.

Audience response you want to avoid:

“The presenter was all over the map. It was confusing.”

Edit mercilessly if you have written something in an earlier draft that strays from your core message. All elements of your speech — every point, every statistic, every anecdote, every story, every joke, every visual aid — must support your core message .

2. Edit for Clarity

“The talk was interesting, but I just didn’t get it .”

On a macro-level, an earlier article of this series showed you that points in your outline should be sequenced in a way which mirrors the meaningful relationship. (e.g. chronological, spatial, cause-effect) Ordering your speech logically is one of the best ways to ensure clarity. Start with one point, and build out from there, as if you were adding one lego block to another over time.

On a micro-level, clarity is also important.

• Can the sentences be clearer?
• Have you avoided any tongue-twisters?
• Is technical jargon eliminated? (Your audience analysis will guide you.)

3. Edit for Concision

“ Avoid falling in love with any particular component of the speech. Be prepared to cut if your core message can be conveyed in a better way. ”

“He just went on and on and on…”

Inspiration is provided by Antoine de Saint-Exupery who wrote:

“Perfection is achieved, not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing left to take away.”

For each element of your presentation, ask yourself “ Is this essential? ” If the answer is no, cut it.

• Eliminate entire points or stories if the core message is conveyed without them.
• Eliminate sentences if the paragraph reads fine without them.
• Eliminate words which do not add meaning to the sentences.
• Replace long words with short words that convey the same meaning. e.g. use rather than utilize

4. Edit for Continuity

“She lost me after the fourth slide.”

Transition words, phrases, and sentences — bridging — are necessary to make your speech flow. Your aim is to avoid abrupt transitions where you can lose audience members. One point should feed naturally into the next. Sidebars and other diversions are the enemy.

5. Edit for Variety

“ For each element of your presentation, ask if it is essential. If the answer is no, cut it. ”

“It was boring.”

Audiences like variety. It makes the speech more enjoyable, and it also helps you appeal to different types of thinkers.

Here are just a few ways to inject variety into a presentation:

• Move around the stage.
• Use a prop, slides, or other visual aids
• Break up long, serious stretches of a speech with humor.
• Engage the audience with a rhetorical question or an activity.
• Balance theory with practical statistics. Balance stories with logical arguments.

Note: Some of these are delivery techniques rather than writing techniques.

6. Edit for Impact and Beauty

“Nothing really stood out.”

There are many closely related techniques to make a speech memorable, including:

• Surprise the audience.
• Create vivid images.
• Appeal to the senses.
• Craft truly memorable lines.
• Use analogies, similes, and metaphors.
• Employ rhetorical devices throughout.

Several of these techniques are addressed in the next article of the Speech Preparation Series.

Speech Editing Example: Face the Wind

Here is an example of one editing iteration for my 2007 contest speech Face the Wind .

• The original version of the speech is in the left column.
• The revised version of the speech after editing is in the middle column.
• Comments or explanations are in the right column.

Key to Color-Coding

In addition to comments, I have provided color-coding to demonstrate the impact of the editing process.

• Old text removed
• New text added
• Text moved within a section
• Words, phrases, or sentences changed

Next in the Speech Preparation Series

The next article in this series shows you how to edit your speech to bring your speech alive with rhetorical devices . You will also see a much later draft of Face the Wind that will demonstrate this in practice.

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The six principles you highlight are all excellent points. Principle #3 is one I struggle with in my business presentations the most. I try to remember what Einstein said -“Make everything as simple as possible, but not simpler.” I really appreciate the before and after example – Great post.

Yes, knowing what can and cannot be cut is not an easy task. You really need to put yourself in the shoes of the audience and “see” the presentation through their eyes to accurately determine this. Another reason that audience analysis is so critical.

What a fun way to illustrate your editing process, Andrew. Very interesting.

As for the tree, I can totally understand why people would ask about it. You’ve almost anthropomorphized the tree by comparing it to a sumo wrestler and then describing your wrestling match. You seal the deal at the end where it takes pity on you and falls over. I would definitely want to know that the tree survived the ordeal after all it went through to get to its new home!

I dig the Russell Crowe joke.

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8.4 Revising and Editing

Learning objectives.

• Identify major areas of concern in the draft essay during revising and editing.
• Use peer reviews and editing checklists to assist revising and editing.
• Revise and edit the first draft of your essay and produce a final draft.

Revising and editing are the two tasks you undertake to significantly improve your essay. Both are very important elements of the writing process. You may think that a completed first draft means little improvement is needed. However, even experienced writers need to improve their drafts and rely on peers during revising and editing. You may know that athletes miss catches, fumble balls, or overshoot goals. Dancers forget steps, turn too slowly, or miss beats. For both athletes and dancers, the more they practice, the stronger their performance will become. Web designers seek better images, a more clever design, or a more appealing background for their web pages. Writing has the same capacity to profit from improvement and revision.

Understanding the Purpose of Revising and Editing

Revising and editing allow you to examine two important aspects of your writing separately, so that you can give each task your undivided attention.

• When you revise , you take a second look at your ideas. You might add, cut, move, or change information in order to make your ideas clearer, more accurate, more interesting, or more convincing.
• When you edit , you take a second look at how you expressed your ideas. You add or change words. You fix any problems in grammar, punctuation, and sentence structure. You improve your writing style. You make your essay into a polished, mature piece of writing, the end product of your best efforts.

How do you get the best out of your revisions and editing? Here are some strategies that writers have developed to look at their first drafts from a fresh perspective. Try them over the course of this semester; then keep using the ones that bring results.

• Take a break. You are proud of what you wrote, but you might be too close to it to make changes. Set aside your writing for a few hours or even a day until you can look at it objectively.
• Ask someone you trust for feedback and constructive criticism.
• Pretend you are one of your readers. Are you satisfied or dissatisfied? Why?
• Use the resources that your college provides. Find out where your school’s writing lab is located and ask about the assistance they provide online and in person.

Many people hear the words critic , critical , and criticism and pick up only negative vibes that provoke feelings that make them blush, grumble, or shout. However, as a writer and a thinker, you need to learn to be critical of yourself in a positive way and have high expectations for your work. You also need to train your eye and trust your ability to fix what needs fixing. For this, you need to teach yourself where to look.

Creating Unity and Coherence

Following your outline closely offers you a reasonable guarantee that your writing will stay on purpose and not drift away from the controlling idea. However, when writers are rushed, are tired, or cannot find the right words, their writing may become less than they want it to be. Their writing may no longer be clear and concise, and they may be adding information that is not needed to develop the main idea.

When a piece of writing has unity , all the ideas in each paragraph and in the entire essay clearly belong and are arranged in an order that makes logical sense. When the writing has coherence , the ideas flow smoothly. The wording clearly indicates how one idea leads to another within a paragraph and from paragraph to paragraph.

Reading your writing aloud will often help you find problems with unity and coherence. Listen for the clarity and flow of your ideas. Identify places where you find yourself confused, and write a note to yourself about possible fixes.

Creating Unity

Sometimes writers get caught up in the moment and cannot resist a good digression. Even though you might enjoy such detours when you chat with friends, unplanned digressions usually harm a piece of writing.

Mariah stayed close to her outline when she drafted the three body paragraphs of her essay she tentatively titled “Digital Technology: The Newest and the Best at What Price?” But a recent shopping trip for an HDTV upset her enough that she digressed from the main topic of her third paragraph and included comments about the sales staff at the electronics store she visited. When she revised her essay, she deleted the off-topic sentences that affected the unity of the paragraph.

Read the following paragraph twice, the first time without Mariah’s changes, and the second time with them.

Nothing is more confusing to me than choosing among televisions. It confuses lots of people who want a new high-definition digital television (HDTV) with a large screen to watch sports and DVDs on. You could listen to the guys in the electronics store, but word has it they know little more than you do. They want to sell what they have in stock, not what best fits your needs. You face decisions you never had to make with the old, bulky picture-tube televisions. Screen resolution means the number of horizontal scan lines the screen can show. This resolution is often 1080p, or full HD, or 768p. The trouble is that if you have a smaller screen, 32 inches or 37 inches diagonal, you won’t be able to tell the difference with the naked eye. The 1080p televisions cost more, though, so those are what the salespeople want you to buy. They get bigger commissions. The other important decision you face as you walk around the sales floor is whether to get a plasma screen or an LCD screen. Now here the salespeople may finally give you decent info. Plasma flat-panel television screens can be much larger in diameter than their LCD rivals. Plasma screens show truer blacks and can be viewed at a wider angle than current LCD screens. But be careful and tell the salesperson you have budget constraints. Large flat-panel plasma screens are much more expensive than flat-screen LCD models. Don’t let someone make you by more television than you need!

Answer the following two questions about Mariah’s paragraph:

Collaboration

Please share with a classmate and compare your answers.

• Now start to revise the first draft of the essay you wrote in Section 8 “Writing Your Own First Draft” . Reread it to find any statements that affect the unity of your writing. Decide how best to revise.

When you reread your writing to find revisions to make, look for each type of problem in a separate sweep. Read it straight through once to locate any problems with unity. Read it straight through a second time to find problems with coherence. You may follow this same practice during many stages of the writing process.

Writing at Work

Many companies hire copyeditors and proofreaders to help them produce the cleanest possible final drafts of large writing projects. Copyeditors are responsible for suggesting revisions and style changes; proofreaders check documents for any errors in capitalization, spelling, and punctuation that have crept in. Many times, these tasks are done on a freelance basis, with one freelancer working for a variety of clients.

Creating Coherence

Careful writers use transitions to clarify how the ideas in their sentences and paragraphs are related. These words and phrases help the writing flow smoothly. Adding transitions is not the only way to improve coherence, but they are often useful and give a mature feel to your essays. Table 8.3 “Common Transitional Words and Phrases” groups many common transitions according to their purpose.

Table 8.3 Common Transitional Words and Phrases

After Maria revised for unity, she next examined her paragraph about televisions to check for coherence. She looked for places where she needed to add a transition or perhaps reword the text to make the flow of ideas clear. In the version that follows, she has already deleted the sentences that were off topic.

Many writers make their revisions on a printed copy and then transfer them to the version on-screen. They conventionally use a small arrow called a caret (^) to show where to insert an addition or correction.

1. Answer the following questions about Mariah’s revised paragraph.

2. Now return to the first draft of the essay you wrote in Section 8 “Writing Your Own First Draft” and revise it for coherence. Add transition words and phrases where they are needed, and make any other changes that are needed to improve the flow and connection between ideas.

Being Clear and Concise

Some writers are very methodical and painstaking when they write a first draft. Other writers unleash a lot of words in order to get out all that they feel they need to say. Do either of these composing styles match your style? Or is your composing style somewhere in between? No matter which description best fits you, the first draft of almost every piece of writing, no matter its author, can be made clearer and more concise.

If you have a tendency to write too much, you will need to look for unnecessary words. If you have a tendency to be vague or imprecise in your wording, you will need to find specific words to replace any overly general language.

Identifying Wordiness

Sometimes writers use too many words when fewer words will appeal more to their audience and better fit their purpose. Here are some common examples of wordiness to look for in your draft. Eliminating wordiness helps all readers, because it makes your ideas clear, direct, and straightforward.

Sentences that begin with There is or There are .

Wordy: There are two major experiments that the Biology Department sponsors.

Revised: The Biology Department sponsors two major experiments.

Sentences with unnecessary modifiers.

Wordy: Two extremely famous and well-known consumer advocates spoke eloquently in favor of the proposed important legislation.

Revised: Two well-known consumer advocates spoke in favor of the proposed legislation.

Sentences with deadwood phrases that add little to the meaning. Be judicious when you use phrases such as in terms of , with a mind to , on the subject of , as to whether or not , more or less , as far as…is concerned , and similar expressions. You can usually find a more straightforward way to state your point.

Wordy: As a world leader in the field of green technology, the company plans to focus its efforts in the area of geothermal energy.

A report as to whether or not to use geysers as an energy source is in the process of preparation.

Revised: As a world leader in green technology, the company plans to focus on geothermal energy.

A report about using geysers as an energy source is in preparation.

Sentences in the passive voice or with forms of the verb to be . Sentences with passive-voice verbs often create confusion, because the subject of the sentence does not perform an action. Sentences are clearer when the subject of the sentence performs the action and is followed by a strong verb. Use strong active-voice verbs in place of forms of to be , which can lead to wordiness. Avoid passive voice when you can.

Wordy: It might perhaps be said that using a GPS device is something that is a benefit to drivers who have a poor sense of direction.

Revised: Using a GPS device benefits drivers who have a poor sense of direction.

Sentences with constructions that can be shortened.

Wordy: The e-book reader, which is a recent invention, may become as commonplace as the cell phone.

My over-sixty uncle bought an e-book reader, and his wife bought an e-book reader, too.

Revised: The e-book reader, a recent invention, may become as commonplace as the cell phone.

My over-sixty uncle and his wife both bought e-book readers.

Now return once more to the first draft of the essay you have been revising. Check it for unnecessary words. Try making your sentences as concise as they can be.

Choosing Specific, Appropriate Words

Most college essays should be written in formal English suitable for an academic situation. Follow these principles to be sure that your word choice is appropriate. For more information about word choice, see Chapter 4 “Working with Words: Which Word Is Right?” .

• Avoid slang. Find alternatives to bummer , kewl , and rad .
• Avoid language that is overly casual. Write about “men and women” rather than “girls and guys” unless you are trying to create a specific effect. A formal tone calls for formal language.
• Avoid contractions. Use do not in place of don’t , I am in place of I’m , have not in place of haven’t , and so on. Contractions are considered casual speech.
• Avoid clichés. Overused expressions such as green with envy , face the music , better late than never , and similar expressions are empty of meaning and may not appeal to your audience.
• Be careful when you use words that sound alike but have different meanings. Some examples are allusion/illusion , complement/compliment , council/counsel , concurrent/consecutive , founder/flounder , and historic/historical . When in doubt, check a dictionary.
• Choose words with the connotations you want. Choosing a word for its connotations is as important in formal essay writing as it is in all kinds of writing. Compare the positive connotations of the word proud and the negative connotations of arrogant and conceited .
• Use specific words rather than overly general words. Find synonyms for thing , people , nice , good , bad , interesting , and other vague words. Or use specific details to make your exact meaning clear.

Now read the revisions Mariah made to make her third paragraph clearer and more concise. She has already incorporated the changes she made to improve unity and coherence.

1. Answer the following questions about Mariah’s revised paragraph:

2. Now return once more to your essay in progress. Read carefully for problems with word choice. Be sure that your draft is written in formal language and that your word choice is specific and appropriate.

Completing a Peer Review

After working so closely with a piece of writing, writers often need to step back and ask for a more objective reader. What writers most need is feedback from readers who can respond only to the words on the page. When they are ready, writers show their drafts to someone they respect and who can give an honest response about its strengths and weaknesses.

You, too, can ask a peer to read your draft when it is ready. After evaluating the feedback and assessing what is most helpful, the reader’s feedback will help you when you revise your draft. This process is called peer review .

You can work with a partner in your class and identify specific ways to strengthen each other’s essays. Although you may be uncomfortable sharing your writing at first, remember that each writer is working toward the same goal: a final draft that fits the audience and the purpose. Maintaining a positive attitude when providing feedback will put you and your partner at ease. The box that follows provides a useful framework for the peer review session.

Questions for Peer Review

Title of essay: ____________________________________________

Date: ____________________________________________

Writer’s name: ____________________________________________

Peer reviewer’s name: _________________________________________

• This essay is about____________________________________________.
• Your main points in this essay are____________________________________________.
• What I most liked about this essay is____________________________________________.

These three points struck me as your strongest:

These places in your essay are not clear to me:

a. Where: ____________________________________________

Needs improvement because__________________________________________

b. Where: ____________________________________________

Needs improvement because ____________________________________________

c. Where: ____________________________________________

The one additional change you could make that would improve this essay significantly is ____________________________________________.

One of the reasons why word-processing programs build in a reviewing feature is that workgroups have become a common feature in many businesses. Writing is often collaborative, and the members of a workgroup and their supervisors often critique group members’ work and offer feedback that will lead to a better final product.

Exchange essays with a classmate and complete a peer review of each other’s draft in progress. Remember to give positive feedback and to be courteous and polite in your responses. Focus on providing one positive comment and one question for more information to the author.

Using Feedback Objectively

The purpose of peer feedback is to receive constructive criticism of your essay. Your peer reviewer is your first real audience, and you have the opportunity to learn what confuses and delights a reader so that you can improve your work before sharing the final draft with a wider audience (or your intended audience).

It may not be necessary to incorporate every recommendation your peer reviewer makes. However, if you start to observe a pattern in the responses you receive from peer reviewers, you might want to take that feedback into consideration in future assignments. For example, if you read consistent comments about a need for more research, then you may want to consider including more research in future assignments.

Using Feedback from Multiple Sources

You might get feedback from more than one reader as you share different stages of your revised draft. In this situation, you may receive feedback from readers who do not understand the assignment or who lack your involvement with and enthusiasm for it.

You need to evaluate the responses you receive according to two important criteria:

• Determine if the feedback supports the purpose of the assignment.
• Determine if the suggested revisions are appropriate to the audience.

Then, using these standards, accept or reject revision feedback.

Work with two partners. Go back to Note 8.81 “Exercise 4” in this lesson and compare your responses to Activity A, about Mariah’s paragraph, with your partners’. Recall Mariah’s purpose for writing and her audience. Then, working individually, list where you agree and where you disagree about revision needs.

Editing Your Draft

If you have been incorporating each set of revisions as Mariah has, you have produced multiple drafts of your writing. So far, all your changes have been content changes. Perhaps with the help of peer feedback, you have made sure that you sufficiently supported your ideas. You have checked for problems with unity and coherence. You have examined your essay for word choice, revising to cut unnecessary words and to replace weak wording with specific and appropriate wording.

The next step after revising the content is editing. When you edit, you examine the surface features of your text. You examine your spelling, grammar, usage, and punctuation. You also make sure you use the proper format when creating your finished assignment.

Editing often takes time. Budgeting time into the writing process allows you to complete additional edits after revising. Editing and proofreading your writing helps you create a finished work that represents your best efforts. Here are a few more tips to remember about your readers:

• Readers do not notice correct spelling, but they do notice misspellings.
• Readers look past your sentences to get to your ideas—unless the sentences are awkward, poorly constructed, and frustrating to read.
• Readers notice when every sentence has the same rhythm as every other sentence, with no variety.
• Readers do not cheer when you use there , their , and they’re correctly, but they notice when you do not.
• Readers will notice the care with which you handled your assignment and your attention to detail in the delivery of an error-free document..

The first section of this book offers a useful review of grammar, mechanics, and usage. Use it to help you eliminate major errors in your writing and refine your understanding of the conventions of language. Do not hesitate to ask for help, too, from peer tutors in your academic department or in the college’s writing lab. In the meantime, use the checklist to help you edit your writing.

Editing Your Writing

• Are some sentences actually sentence fragments?
• Are some sentences run-on sentences? How can I correct them?
• Do some sentences need conjunctions between independent clauses?
• Does every verb agree with its subject?
• Is every verb in the correct tense?
• Are tense forms, especially for irregular verbs, written correctly?
• Have I used subject, object, and possessive personal pronouns correctly?
• Have I used who and whom correctly?
• Is the antecedent of every pronoun clear?
• Do all personal pronouns agree with their antecedents?
• Have I used the correct comparative and superlative forms of adjectives and adverbs?
• Is it clear which word a participial phrase modifies, or is it a dangling modifier?

Sentence Structure

• Are all my sentences simple sentences, or do I vary my sentence structure?
• Have I chosen the best coordinating or subordinating conjunctions to join clauses?
• Have I created long, overpacked sentences that should be shortened for clarity?
• Do I see any mistakes in parallel structure?

Punctuation

• Does every sentence end with the correct end punctuation?
• Can I justify the use of every exclamation point?
• Have I used apostrophes correctly to write all singular and plural possessive forms?
• Have I used quotation marks correctly?

Mechanics and Usage

• Can I find any spelling errors? How can I correct them?
• Have I used capital letters where they are needed?
• Have I written abbreviations, where allowed, correctly?
• Can I find any errors in the use of commonly confused words, such as to / too / two ?

Be careful about relying too much on spelling checkers and grammar checkers. A spelling checker cannot recognize that you meant to write principle but wrote principal instead. A grammar checker often queries constructions that are perfectly correct. The program does not understand your meaning; it makes its check against a general set of formulas that might not apply in each instance. If you use a grammar checker, accept the suggestions that make sense, but consider why the suggestions came up.

Proofreading requires patience; it is very easy to read past a mistake. Set your paper aside for at least a few hours, if not a day or more, so your mind will rest. Some professional proofreaders read a text backward so they can concentrate on spelling and punctuation. Another helpful technique is to slowly read a paper aloud, paying attention to every word, letter, and punctuation mark.

If you need additional proofreading help, ask a reliable friend, a classmate, or a peer tutor to make a final pass on your paper to look for anything you missed.

Remember to use proper format when creating your finished assignment. Sometimes an instructor, a department, or a college will require students to follow specific instructions on titles, margins, page numbers, or the location of the writer’s name. These requirements may be more detailed and rigid for research projects and term papers, which often observe the American Psychological Association (APA) or Modern Language Association (MLA) style guides, especially when citations of sources are included.

To ensure the format is correct and follows any specific instructions, make a final check before you submit an assignment.

With the help of the checklist, edit and proofread your essay.

Key Takeaways

• Revising and editing are the stages of the writing process in which you improve your work before producing a final draft.
• During revising, you add, cut, move, or change information in order to improve content.
• During editing, you take a second look at the words and sentences you used to express your ideas and fix any problems in grammar, punctuation, and sentence structure.
• Unity in writing means that all the ideas in each paragraph and in the entire essay clearly belong together and are arranged in an order that makes logical sense.
• Coherence in writing means that the writer’s wording clearly indicates how one idea leads to another within a paragraph and between paragraphs.
• Transitional words and phrases effectively make writing more coherent.
• Writing should be clear and concise, with no unnecessary words.
• Effective formal writing uses specific, appropriate words and avoids slang, contractions, clichés, and overly general words.
• Peer reviews, done properly, can give writers objective feedback about their writing. It is the writer’s responsibility to evaluate the results of peer reviews and incorporate only useful feedback.
• Remember to budget time for careful editing and proofreading. Use all available resources, including editing checklists, peer editing, and your institution’s writing lab, to improve your editing skills.

Writing for Success Copyright © 2015 by University of Minnesota is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License , except where otherwise noted.

Module 7: Refining your Speech

Writing and revising the conclusion, learning objectives.

Outline strategies to write and revise a strong conclusion.

The next step is now to ensure that your conclusion is as strong as it can be by carefully writing and revising it.

Question #1: How long is my conclusion?  Begin by ensuring that your conclusion is no longer than 5–10% of your total speech. That means that in a five-minute speech, your conclusion will last between 15 and 30 seconds. In a ten-minute speech, your conclusion will last between 30 and 60 seconds.

Question #2: Have I included any new ideas in my conclusion?  This is NOT the place for new ideas. If you have an important idea that was not discussed in your speech, decide which main point it supports and put it there.

Question #3: How easy is it to recall my review?  Review in the same order that each main point was presented and use the same names introduced in your introduction.

Question #4: Is the thesis of the speech clearly articulated?  Since time has passed since the audience first heard it, it is helpful to use the exact same language you used for your thesis in the introduction.

Question #5: Have I linked back to my attention-getting device?  A good speaker will leverage the power of the primary recency phenomenon by referencing the attention getting device in the conclusion. For example, the speaker could reference the protagonist from an anecdote, revisit the hypothetical scenario or current event, ask the rhetorical question again, and suggest how to view it in light of what the audience has learned from the speech. These links can reinforce a sense of familiarity in your audience for both the speaker and the speech.

Question #6: How effective is my lasting thought?  While a lower order concluding device may be sufficient, using a higher order device like a call to action or visualizing the future will relate more to your audience, and thus have a stronger impact.

Question #7: How well can I deliver my conclusion?  Since your conclusion is the shortest part of your speech, yet a very important one, it may be helpful to memorize it. You will want to ensure that you are maintaining eye contact and speaking emphatically, which means that you will want to avoid reading or glancing at your notecards.

• Muzoon Almellehan. Provided by : DFID - UK Department for International Development. Located at : https://flic.kr/p/JQx1dL . License : CC BY-SA: Attribution-ShareAlike
• Writing and Revising the Conclusion. Authored by : Anne Fleischer with Lumen Learning. License : CC BY: Attribution

Speech Writing And Editing For Speeches With Impact

Speech writing and editing are essential skills in politics, business, and other fields. Speechwriters who do the job present the goals and message of their client in a speech to be delivered to their desired audience. To craft it correctly, the speechwriter edits and revises the speech until it is ready for release.

Behind every powerful speech is a writer and editor who assembled words and relentlessly revised the piece until it’s ready to be shared with the world.  Both speech writing and editing are just as important as public speaking.  And this comprehensive blog will give you all you need to learn these two essential skills. 

Table of Contents

What Is A Speech Writer?

Speeches have different goals. They can be to persuade or simply inform.  Writers specializing in speech writing aim to craft a speech that effectively serves the speaker’s goal.  Their role is to write an output conveying the speaker’s message to their target audience.

It’s why  speech writers must work hand-in-hand with their clients.  Doing so will help them understand the objectives and key points their clients want to impart.

What Are The Parts Of The Speech Writing And Editing Process?

How do writers come out with a good speech?  One of the first things to do is determine the purpose of the speech and its target audience.  As stated, they must consult with their client and brainstorm to properly identify a  topic , a thesis statement, and the main points.

Then, they must spend time researching the audience and the topic. After gathering data, they can prepare an outline, which will serve as the framework of the speech. Generally,  a speech has three parts: the introduction, the body, and the conclusion.

The introduction is where they grab the audience’s attention, introduce the speaker’s point of view, and preview the main points.  Common intro lines include:

• Stating statistics.
• Telling a story (personal or a reference to others).
• Asking questions (direct or rhetorical).

The writer will have the avenue to discuss the main points in the body. It also entails supporting these key points with solid pieces of evidence.

The  conclusion summarizes everything the speaker discussed.  Typically, as in the case of persuasive speeches, it ends with a  strong call to action . 

What Is Editing In Speech Writing?

If you will be a speechwriter, note that your job doesn’t just end with crafting the first draft. As people say,  the best speeches are written — they’re rewritten. 

Speech editing is an iterative process that subjects the writing to critique.  It analyzes and polishes not just the grammatical correctness of the sentences and appropriateness of language, style, tone, and voice but also the general speech flow, cohesiveness, logic, and truthfulness.

What Is The Purpose Of Editing?

Editing is a critical part of the process of crafting a speech. Its main aim is to ensure that the final piece for delivery is clear, cohesive, effective, and aligned with the speakers’ goals (and personality).

A speech editor checks if the grammar is correct and if paragraphs and transition words — including any analogies made — are well-structured and organized. More importantly, it ensures that the words chosen and written can compellingly paint the speaker’s message. 

Why Is Editing A Speech Important?

Writing, rewriting, editing, and revising. You must go through all these processes to create a great speech that resonates with the target audience.

Editing is vital because it polishes the speech to be more understandable, engaging, and impactful.  It’s a process that assesses if the piece of writing meets the audience’s interests and fits the speaker’s personality, voice, and style. For example, if the speaker is known for their comical approach, you must see to it that the speech has a tinge of humor.

Editing is also vital in terms of reinforcing the credibility of the speaker.  If a speech has grammatical mistakes, has incoherent thoughts, or is full of unnecessary adverbs, run-on sentences, and other linguistic flaws — then it can negatively impact the speaker’s authority.  Subsequently, it can affect the audience’s receptiveness toward the thesis statement and main points.

How Does A Speech Writer Know When A Speech Is Finished?

Now,  how do you know if your final draft is the version that the speaker will deliver?  You can ask yourself the following questions, and if your answer is all yes, then you can already stop editing or revising and endorse it to the client.

• Does the  speech hit all the objectives?  Is it capable of conveying the speaker’s message?
•  Does it  sound like the voice, tone, and personality of the speaker?
•  Is the  content of the speech engaging?  Will it resonate with the target audience?
•  Does the  speech effectively portray the images and scenarios that the speaker wants? 
•  Is the  flow of the speech smooth?  Are the paragraphs coherent, well-organized, and logical?
•  Are there  no grammatical, spelling, or syntax errors?
•  Have you c orrected any run-on sentences or too-long words  that could make it hard for the speaker to speak eloquently?
•  Are all the  facts accurate?  Are the analogies used making sense?
•  Have you a ddressed potential counterarguments?
•  If the speech will be delivered, will it be  within the allocated time frame?

What Are The 3 Stages Of Editing?

The editing process is painstaking yet necessary to create a great speech. Here are the three main stages of editing:

• Structural editing.  You must look at the bigger picture before tackling the minute details when editing. This first stage is called structural or substantive editing. Your focus here is to assess the logical order of paragraphs and sections. If the flow of the narrative isn’t smooth, you can rearrange, delete, or add portions of the speech. At the end of this stage, you want to have a speech that’s logical and easy to follow and comprehend.
•   Copy editing.  The second stage is where you look into the speech sentence by sentence, examining it for any errors in grammar, spelling, syntax, punctuation, and consistency (in terms of style, language, tone, and even the use of pronouns). As you go over line after line, you should also look out for the choice of words and the phrasing. If there are too many adverbs or adjectives, you also want to cut down on those as they can make the overall speech feel too flowery. 
•   Proofreading.  At this stage, you have the final chance to correct any lapses you couldn’t find in the first two stages. You must be meticulous in finding typographical errors or any other minor flaws. While others do this in the second stage, some writers and editors include fact-checking at this stage. This is to protect the credibility of the speech — and its speaker.

What Are The 6 Principles Of Editing?

After speech writing, it’s always a must to have your draft edited. Some self-edit; some seek their peer’s help to do the editing duties. But any editor would have to follow the six major principles of editing.

• Editing for focus.  Ensure that all parts of the speech support the thesis statement. Eliminate sentences and paragraphs that deviate from the speech’s core message. 
•   Editing for clarity.  Is the speech logically written? Are all the sentences clear, and can the audience comprehend your words and terms?
•   Editing for conciseness.  In relation to editing for focus, you must see to it that the speech is refined and has no inessential components. Favor short words over long ones, simpler terms over jargon, and short and crisp sentences over run-ons. 
•   Editing for continuity.  Transitions words help the speaker bridge one section or paragraph to another. It also allows a more seamless speech flow, helping the audience understand the messages you convey better. So make sure the speech has that sense of continuity when editing it. 
•   Editing for variety.  As an editor, you must consider how the whole piece sounds when delivered. Does it sound too plain, robotic, or monotonous? Are there too many statistics in one portion? Where can you strategically insert anecdotes or personal stories (or humor)?
•   Editing for impact.  While editing, assess the narrative. Does it paint vivid images? Will it resonate with the audience and appeal to their ethical principles, logic, and emotion?

What Are Some Tips For Editing A Speech?

Ask any expert at  Toastmasters  or an editor at  New York Times , and they will all agree: You have to edit mercilessly. To be an effective editor — and be someone that will help a speaker bring out the best of their presentation skills via a flawless speech — follow these tips:

• Read the speech aloud.  This will help you catch too-long sentences and words that have been frequently repeated. 
•   Give your brain and eyes a rest.  Pausing for a while and returning later will help refresh your editing skills and spot errors more easily. Better yet, have a second pair of eyes check the output after editing. 
•   Be careful with  I s and  me s.  Note that the speech should not sound self-centric. If the speech has too many first-person perspectives, transform them and make it all about the audience. 
•   Watch out for vague pronouns.  This is especially true when the sentence or paragraph has too many subjects. Sometimes, it’s better to state the subject than rely on a pronoun. 
•   You can use tools but don’t fully rely on them.  There are online tools that will help you check for spelling and grammar. Use them as your aid — not something that will do your job on your behalf. 
•   The dictionary and thesaurus are your buddies.  If you want to ensure that the speaker uses appropriate and strong words, always make it a point to refer to these references. You can also countercheck with style guides. 
•   Stay within the main points.  One of the main goals of an editor is to edit for focus, clarity, and conciseness. So make sure that the sentences always reinforce the speaker’s message. 

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Steps for Revising Your Paper

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When you have plenty of time to revise, use the time to work on your paper and to take breaks from writing. If you can forget about your draft for a day or two, you may return to it with a fresh outlook. During the revising process, put your writing aside at least twice—once during the first part of the process, when you are reorganizing your work, and once during the second part, when you are polishing and paying attention to details.

Use the following questions to evaluate your drafts. You can use your responses to revise your papers by reorganizing them to make your best points stand out, by adding needed information, by eliminating irrelevant information, and by clarifying sections or sentences.

Find your main point.

What are you trying to say in the paper? In other words, try to summarize your thesis, or main point, and the evidence you are using to support that point. Try to imagine that this paper belongs to someone else. Does the paper have a clear thesis? Do you know what the paper is going to be about?

Identify your readers and your purpose.

What are you trying to do in the paper? In other words, are you trying to argue with the reading, to analyze the reading, to evaluate the reading, to apply the reading to another situation, or to accomplish another goal?

Evaluate your evidence.

Does the body of your paper support your thesis? Do you offer enough evidence to support your claim? If you are using quotations from the text as evidence, did you cite them properly?

Save only the good pieces.

Do all of the ideas relate back to the thesis? Is there anything that doesn't seem to fit? If so, you either need to change your thesis to reflect the idea or cut the idea.

Tighten and clean up your language.

Do all of the ideas in the paper make sense? Are there unclear or confusing ideas or sentences? Read your paper out loud and listen for awkward pauses and unclear ideas. Cut out extra words, vagueness, and misused words.

Visit the Purdue OWL's vidcast on cutting during the revision phase for more help with this task.

Eliminate mistakes in grammar and usage.

Do you see any problems with grammar, punctuation, or spelling? If you think something is wrong, you should make a note of it, even if you don't know how to fix it. You can always talk to a Writing Lab tutor about how to correct errors.

Switch from writer-centered to reader-centered.

Try to detach yourself from what you've written; pretend that you are reviewing someone else's work. What would you say is the most successful part of your paper? Why? How could this part be made even better? What would you say is the least successful part of your paper? Why? How could this part be improved?

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Writing a Paper: Revising in General

Overall revision strategies.

• Grammar Revision Journal Template

Here are some revision strategies to keep in mind:

Adjust your expectations .

• Be aware that the first draft of your writing will need to go through the revision process. Even experienced and professional writers are not able to produce their best document the first time.  

Plan for revision time.

• Give yourself time away from the document—an hour, a day, a week—so that you can look back at the document again with fresh eyes.

Think big picture.

• Remember that the revision process focuses on your overall ideas and your overall organization. Use the revision checklist to check for this.

Set a goal for your revisions.

• Think critically about your revisions and set clear writing goals to address skill development. If you have difficulty with conclusions, establish a writing goal to review the Writing Center’s resources on conclusions and apply those strategies to your next project. If you struggle with word choice, consider a goal where you use a thesaurus or other strategies to improve academic diction and then set up a paper review appointment to receive feedback on your revisions. For grammar errors, make a goal to keep a grammar revision journal of common errors, the required rule, and possible revisions. 

Become a peer reviewer.

• Start a writing group or exchange drafts with some of your peers. Becoming a careful reader and responder to other people’s work will help you to more critically read and revise your own writing. 

Read your writing out loud.

• Read your writing out loud to yourself or to someone else. Alternatively, have someone read your writing out loud to you. This will give you a chance to hear the words outside of your own head and give you the opportunity to listen for how the ideas and the words flow together and/or where they become confusing.

Save each draft as its own separate document.

• Each time you revise a draft, save it as a new file. That way, if you decide to go back to something you wrote previously, you have access to the previous version.

Take advantage of our Paper Review Service

• We also encourage you to sign up for our paper review service as a way of enhancing your revisions skills. You can make an appointment with a Writing Center instructor to receive personalized feedback on your revisions as well as suggestions on how to achieve your writing goals. In fact, students who make three or more paper review appointments per term are statistically more likely to see academic improvement as they invest in their writing skills. We invite you to take advantage of this opportunity and start the revision process today. Click here to learn more about our paper review appointments .

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Revision Checklist

Using a revision checklist may be helpful to think about the piece of writing as a whole. Use this model or create a checklist of your own.

• The introduction gives adequate and appropriate background information. It is organized from more general to more specific.
• There is a clear thesis (or a clear controlling idea) in the introduction.
• The body paragraphs of the document have a clear topic sentence /main idea. Each paragraph is focused on one main idea that is relevant to the topic of the paragraph as well as to the overall thesis. Using the MEAL plan may help with this.
• Each body paragraph is adequately developed .
• Ideas are cohesive and flow from one to the next. Transitions between paragraphs and between sentences are used effectively.
• The conclusion successfully signals the end of the document.
• Formal scholarly voice is used throughout the document.
• Sources are cited per APA guidelines for both citations and in the references .
• The appropriate template is used.
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Table of Contents

Ai, ethics & human agency, collaboration, information literacy, writing process.

• © 2023 by Joseph M. Moxley - University of South Florida

Revision -- the process of revisiting, rethinking, and refining written work to improve its content , clarity and overall effectiveness -- is such an important part of the writing process that experienced writers often say "writing is revision." This article reviews research and theory on what revision is and why it's so important to writers. Case studies , writing protocols, and interviews of writers at work have found that revision is guided by inchoate, preverbal feelings and intuition--what Sondra Perl calls " felt sense "; by reasoning and openness to strategic searching , counterarguments , audience awareness , and critique ; and by knowledge of discourse conventions , such as mastery of standard written English , genre , citation , and the stylistic expectations of academic writing or professional writing . Understanding revision processes can help you become a more skilled and confident writer--and thinker.

Synonyms – Related Terms

In workplace and school settings , people use a variety of terms to describe revision or the act of revising , including

• a high-level review
• a global review
• a substantive rewrite
• a major rewrite
• Slashing and Throwing Out

On occasion, students or inexperienced writers may conflate revision with editing and proofreading . However, subject matter experts in writing studies do not use these terms interchangeably. Rather, they distinguish these intellectual strategies by noting their different foci:

a focus on the global perspective :

• audience awareness
• purpose & organization (e.g., What’s my thesis ?)
• invention , especially content development
• Content Development
• Organization
• Rhetorical Stance

a focus on the local perspective

• Inclusivity

Proofreading

a focus on a last chance to catch any errors , such as

• Modification
• Comma Splice
• Run-on Sentences
• Sentence Fragment
• Subject-Verb Agreement

Related Concepts: Academic Writing Prose Style ; Authority (in Speech and Writing) ; Critical Literacy ; Interpretation, Interpretative Frameworks ; Professional Writing Prose Style ; Rhetorical Analysis

The only kind of writing is rewriting Earnest Hemingway

What is Revision?

1. revision refers to a critical step in the writing process.

Typically, the act of writing – the act of composing – isn’t a process of translating what’s already perfectly formed in one’s mind. Instead, most people need to engage in revision to determine what they need to say and how they need to say it. In other words, unlike editing, which is focused on conforming to standard written English and other discourse conventions, revision is an act of invention and critical reasoning.

In writing studies , revision refers to one of the four most important steps in the writing process . While there are many models of composing, the writing process is often described as having four steps:

• writing, which is also known as drafting or composing

Case studies and interviews of writers @ work offer overwhelming evidence that revision is a major preoccupation of writers during composing . When revising , writers pause to reread what they’ve written and they engage in critique of their own work. Meaning finds form in language when writers engage in critical dialogue with their texts .

Research has found that experienced writers tend to revise their work more frequently and extensively than inexperienced student writers (Beason, 1993; Graham & Perin, 2007; Hayes et al., 1987; Patchan et al., 2011; Strobl, 2019). For example, James Hall, an experienced poet, reported revising his poems over two hundred times, whereas James Michener, an accomplished novelist, rewrote his work six or seven times (Beason, 1993).

2. Revision refers to an act of metamorphosis

Just as a caterpillar undergoes metamorphosis to become a butterfly, revision allows a written work to evolve and reach its full potential. For writers , revision is an act of discovery. It’s a recursive process that empowers writers to discover what they want to say:

• “Writing and rewriting are a constant search for what one is saying.” — John Updike
• “How do I know what I think until I see what I say.” — E.M. Forster

From an empirical perspective, this idea that revision is a metamorphic process can be traced back to Nancy Sommers’ (1980) research on the revision strategies of twenty student writers enrolled at Boston University or the University of Oklahoma and twenty professional writers. Using case study and textual research methods , Sommers found that students tended to view revision to be an act of rewording for brevity as opposed to making semantic changes:

“The aim of revision according to the students’ own description is therefore to clean up speech; the redundancy of speech is unnecessary in writing, their logic suggests, because writing, unlike speech, can be reread. Thus one student said, “Redoing means cleaning up the paper and crossing out…When revising, they primarily ask themselves: can I find a better word or phrase? A more impressive, not so cliched, or less hum-drum word? Am I repeating the same word or phrase too often? They approach the revision process with what could be labeled as a “thesaurus philosophy of writing” (p. 382)

In contrast, Sommers found that experienced writers perceive the revision process to be an act of discovery, “…a repeated process of beginning over again, starting out new-that the students failed to have” (p. 387). Rather than being focused on diction or word-level errors, they question the unity and rhetoricity (particular audience awareness) of their texts.

By comparing the writing processes of students and experienced writers, Sommers change the conversation in writing studies regarding what revision is and how it should be taught. Since then, numerous other studies have supported her contention that that revision should be viewed as a recursive and evolving process rather than a linear sequence of corrections. For example, more recently, Smith and Brown (2020) conducted a study on the metamorphic nature of revision by examining its transformative effects on the quality of written work. They posited that viewing revision as an act of metamorphosis allows writers to experience a sense of renewal, thus leading to improved writing. Their findings revealed that participants who embraced the metamorphic perspective produced texts with greater clarity , coherence, unity , and depth compared to those who approached revision as mere editing .

In a related study, Johnson et al. (2021) explored the psychological aspects of viewing revision as metamorphosis. They observed that participants who considered revision as a process of transformation exhibited enhanced motivation, creativity, and willingness to experiment with new ideas. This research underscores the importance of mindset in shaping the revision process and suggests that embracing a metamorphic perspective may foster positive attitudes toward revision.

To become a butterfly, a caterpillar has to pupa has to melt its body to soup, becoming something entirely different. Similarly, revision is much more than editing a text so that it meets the conventions of standard written English . Instead, revision is a metamorphosis –it’s a transformative process.

• Similar to how a caterpillar molts and grows, writers must be willing to let go of prior drafts and beliefs. They need to adopt a growth mindset and be open to strategic searching , counterarguments , and critique .
• The metamorphosis of a butterfly is not an instantaneous event, nor is the process of revision. As Hayes and Flower (1986) argue, the act of revision requires time to reflect, analyze, and implement changes. Writers who embrace this temporal dimension are better equipped to guide their work through its transformative journey.
• During metamorphosis, a caterpillar undergoes significant physiological changes. In a similar vein, revision can catalyze psychological shifts in a writer’s mindset (Rogers, 2019). By embracing vulnerability and recognizing the value of constructive criticism, writers can develop a more resilient and growth-oriented mindset.

3. Revision refers to an intuitive, creative, and nonlinguistic practices

Traditionally, revision has been viewed as a primarily linguistic endeavor, focused on the correction of grammar , syntax , and style . However, recent scholarship has shed light on the importance of considering revision as an intuitive, creative, and nonlinguistic practice.

Interviews and case studies of writers @ work repeatedly illustrate that writers perceive revision to be an artistic, creative process that is deeply shaped by inchoate, preverbal feelings and intuition. In “Understanding Composing,” Sondra Sondra Perl , a professor of English and subject matter expert in  Writing Studies , theorizes that  writers, speakers, and knowledge workers begin writing only after they have  a felt sense  of what they want to say:

“When writers are given a topic , the topic itself evokes a felt sense in them. This topic calls forth images, words, ideas, and vague fuzzy feelings that are anchored in the writer’s body. What is elicited, then, is not solely the product of a mind but of a mind alive in a living, sensing body” (p. 365).

Felt sense refers to a preverbal, holistic understanding of a subject or issue that emerges from an individual’s bodily sensations and experiences. Perl argues that tapping into this felt sense can guide writers through the revision process, leading to deeper insights and more authentic expression. By attending to their felt sense , writers can access a rich source of information that might otherwise remain unexplored, resulting in more engaging and meaningful writing.

More specifically, Perl observed that when writers reread little bits of discourse they often return to “some key word or item called up by the topic” (365) and that they return “to feelings or nonverbalized perceptions that surround the words, or to what the words already present evoke in the writer” (365). While comparing this activity, which she labels “felt sense” to Vygotsky’s conception of “inner speech” or the feeling of “inspiration.” Perl suggests that writers listen “to one’s inner reflections . . . and bodily sensations . . . . There is less a ‘figuring out’ an answer and more ‘waiting’ to see what forms . . . Once a felt sense forms, we match words to it” (366-67)

Strategies for Incorporating Intuitive, Creative, Nonlinguistic Practices in Revision

• Practice engaging with your felt sense by paying attention to your bodily sensations and intuition during the writing process. This can help you access your inner wisdom and creativity, resulting in more authentic and meaningful writing.
• Use visual language — diagrams, sketches, data visualizations — to visually represent the structure and organization of your written work. This can help you identify potential areas for improvement and enhance the coherence of your text.
• Employ metaphors to facilitate creative problem-solving and deepen your understanding of complex concepts. This can enrich your writing and promote the development of original ideas.
• Engage in brainstorming sessions to generate new ideas and perspectives on your topic. This can lead to the discovery of innovative solutions and foster greater creativity in your writing.
• Practice reflective writing to develop a deeper understanding of your thought processes, feelings, and motivations. This can help you identify areas for growth and improvement in your writing.

4. Revision refers to the process of engaging in critical thinking and reasoning to review, rethink and revise a written work.

When engaging in the process of revision , writers employ critical thinking and reasoning skills to analyze their work and to make necessary changes to improve its clarity and overall quality. Writers engage in rhetorical reasoning , which involves analyzing their work from an audience perspective . This process enables them to evaluate the appropriateness of their tone ,  voice  and  persona . They also engage in rhetorical reasoning to assess whether they have accounted for their audience’s expectations regarding the preferred writing style:

• Academic Writing Prose Style
• Professional Writing – Professional Writing Prose Style

Writers also use logic to evaluate the coherence and flow of their arguments , ensuring that their ideas are well developed and presented in a clear and organized manner .

Why Does Revision Matter?

Rewriting is the essence of writing well: it’s where the game is won or lost William Zinsser (2006)

1. Revision is an extremely important part of the writing process

Revision is an essential step in the writing process . Revision is so important to achieving brevity , clarity , flow , inclusivity , simplicity , and unity that writers often spend a huge amount of time revising. This is why Donald Murray once quipped that “writing is revising”:

“Writing is revising, and the writer’s craft is largely a matter of knowing how to discover what you have to say, develop, and clarify it, each requiring the craft of revision” (Murray 2003, p. 24).

Writers in both workplace and school contexts may revise a document twenty, thirty, even fifty times before submitting it for publication.

• “ To rewrite ten times is not unusual. Oh, bother the mess, mark them as much as you like; what else are they for? Mark everything that strikes you. I may consider a thing forty-nine times; but if you consider it, it will be considered 50 times, and a line 50 times considered is 2 percent better than a line 49 times considered. And it is the final 2 percent that makes the difference between excellence and mediocrity. ” — George Bernard Shaw
• “lt’s always taken me a long time to finish poems. When I was in my twenties I found poems taking six months to a year, maybe fifty drafts or so. Now I am going over two hundred drafts regularly, working on things four or five years and longer; too long! I wish I did not take so long.” — James Hall
• “ Getting words on paper is difficult. Nothing I write is good enough in the first draft, not even personal letters. Important work must be written over and over—up to six or seven times.” — James Michener

2. Revision improves the quality of writing

Revision empowers writers to improve the clarity of their communications . Research by Flower, L., & Hayes, J. R. (1981), Sommers (1980) and Faigley and Witte (1981) highlights how revision allows writers to rethink and refine their style , leading to clearer , more concise , engaging writing.

3. Revision encourages critical thinking

Revising a piece of writing requires the writer to evaluate their own work and make decisions about its rhetoricity (especially audience awareness ), content , and style . Revision involves engaging in critical analysis — what experts in writing studies call rhetorical analysis — This process encourages critical thinking, as it pushes writers to assess the effectiveness of their arguments, consider counterarguments , and adapt their work to better meet the needs of their audience. Engaging in this level of critical analysis will help you become a more thoughtful and persuasive writer.

4. Revision helps writers establish a consistent and appropriate voice, tone, persona, and style

Writers engage in revision to establish a consistent and appropriate voice , tone , and persona . Through multiple revisions, writers can experiment with different personas , voices and tones to create a more engaging and coherent piece (Elbow, 1999). More recently, Fitzgerald and Ianetta (2016) explored the connection between revision and the development of an authentic writer’s persona. Their research suggested that engaging in revision encourages writers to reflect on their own voice and perspective , leading to the creation of a more genuine and relatable persona . This process helps writers maintain a consistent tone and style throughout their work, ultimately improving the overall quality of their text .

Review of Helpful Guides to Revision @ Writing Commons

As discussed above, revision is an act of both reasoning and intuition. Thus, there’s no single recipe for engaging in revision processes. Different rhetorical situations will call for different composing strategies. Even so, there are consistent, major intellectual processes that professional writers use to bring their rough drafts to fruition.

Revision Strategies – How to Revise

Written by Joseph M. Moxley , this guide to revision is based on research and scholarship in writing studies , especially qualitative interviews and case studies of writers @ work .This essay outlines a five-step approach to revising a document:

• Engage in rhetorical reasoning regarding the communication situation
• Inspect the Document @ the Global Level
• Inspect the Document @ the Section Level
• Inspect the Document at the Paragraph Level
• Inspect the Document at the Sentence Level

Working Through Revision: Rethink, Revise, Reflect

Written by Megan McIntyre , the Director of Rhetoric at the University of Arkansas, this articple provides a 5-step approach to developing a revision plan and working with a teacher to improve a draft:

• Ask for Feedback
• Interpret Feedback
• Translate Feedback into a Concrete Revision Plan
• Make Changes
• Reflect on the Change You’ve Made

FAQs on Revision

Revision refers to the process of critically evaluating and refining a written text by making changes to its content , organization , style , and clarity to improve its overall quality and effectiveness. A step in the writing process , revision refers to writers’ use of creative, intuitive processes and critical, cognitive processes to refine their understanding of what they want to say and how they want to say it .

Why is Revision Important?

Revision is important because it allows writers to enhance the clarity and coherence of their work, refine their ideas, and improve overall text quality, leading to more effective communication and better reader engagement (Hayes & Flower, 1980; Sommers, 1980).

When Do Writers Revise?

When facing an exigency, a call to write , most people need to revise a message multiple times before it says what they want it to say and says it in a way that they feel is most appropriate given the rhetorical situation , especially the target audience .

What determines how many times a writer needs to revise a text?

There are many factors that effect how many revisions you may need to give to a document, such as

• the importance and/or the complexity of the topic
• the amount of time you have to complete the text
• your interest in the topic

Should R evision, Editing, and Proofreading be Separate Processes that Are Completed Sequentially?

Writers may engage in revising , editing , and proofreading processes all at the same time, especially when under deadline. However, in general practice writers first revise, then edit , and finally proofread . The problem with mixing editing or proofreading into revision processes is that you may end up editing a paragraph for brevity , simplicity , clarity , and unity and then later decide the whole thing needs to be scratched because the audience already knows about that information .

What Does a Teacher Mean by Revision?

When teachers ask you to revise a text, that means they want a major revision. They want you to do much more than change a few words around or fix the edits they’ve marked. A major revision goes beyond editing : When writers are engaged in a substantive revision, that means everything is possible–even the idea of trashing the entire document and starting all over again.

Berthoff, A. E. (1981). The making of meaning: Metaphors, models, and maxims for writing teachers. Boynton/Cook Publishers.

Elbow, P. (1999). Everyone Can Write: Essays Toward a Hopeful Theory of Writing and Teaching Writing. Oxford University Press.

Faigley, L., & Witte, S. (1981). Analyzing Revision. College Composition and Communication, 32(4), 400-414.

Fitzgerald, J., & Ianetta, M. (2016). The Oxford guide for writing tutors: Practice and research. Oxford University Press.

Flower, L., & Hayes, J. R. (1981). A Cognitive Process Theory of Writing. College Composition and Communication, 32(4), 365-387.

Graham, S., & Perin, D. (2007). Writing next: Effective strategies to improve writing of adolescents in middle and high schools. Carnegie Corporation of New York.

Johnson, T., Parker, S., & Yang, X. (2021). The psychological impact of viewing revision as metamorphosis: A study on motivation and creativity in writing. Journal of Educational Psychology, 112(4), 875-894.

Hayes, J. R., & Flower, L. S. (1980). Identifying the organization of writing processes. In L. W. Gregg & E. R. Steinberg (Eds.), Cognitive processes in writing (pp. 3-30). Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.

Hemingway, E. (2000). A moveable feast. Vintage Classics.

Murray, D. (2003). The craft of revision (5th ed.). Wadsworth.

Patchan, M. M., Schunn, C. D., & Clark, R. J. (2011). Writing in natural sciences: Understanding the effects of different types of reviewers on the writing quality of preservice teachers. Journal of Writing Research, 3(2), 141-166.

Smith, J., & Brown, L. (2020). Revision as metamorphosis: A new perspective on the transformative potential of re-examining written work. Composition Studies, 48(2), 45-62.

Sommers, N. (1980). Revision Strategies of Student Writers and Experienced Adult Writers. College Composition and Communication, 31(4), 378-388.

Strobl, C. (2019). Effects of process-oriented writing instruction on the quality of EFL learners’ argumentative essays. Journal of Second Language Writing, 44, 1-1

Zinsser, W. (2006). On writing well (30th ed.). HarperCollins.

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Typely is precise. Existing tools for proofreading raise so many false alarms that their advice cannot be trusted. Instead, the writer must carefully consider whether to accept or reject each change.

We aim for a tool so precise that it becomes possible to unquestioningly adopt its recommendations and still come out ahead — with stronger, tighter prose. Better to be quiet and authoritative than loud and unreliable.

Relax, focus, write your next masterpiece...

Writing presumes more than simply laying out words on a paper. Typely helps you get in the mood and keeps you focused, immersed and ready to write your story.

Whether you need a distraction-free environment, some chill relaxing sounds or a pomodoro timer to manage your time we got you covered.

Got questions? We have answers.

No. Typely is completely free and we plan on keeping it that way. We are considering some advanced features however that might be available under a premium plan.

The only limit we have applied thus far is on the number of characters you can submit and that is being set at a maximum of 50,000.

In theory yes but that will require a lot of work and professionals dedicated for this job. We are considering a way of letting the community participate somehow.

Typely does not do grammar checking because it's hard and almost impossible to get right. The aim for Typely is to be precise and reliable.

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How chatgpt can make writing easier — and what to avoid.

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Close up stock photograph of a mature man studying a see-through computer monitor that’s displaying ... [+] text provided by an AI (artificial intelligence) chatbot.

The launch of ChatGPT 17 months ago is considered by many to be a technological inflection point as significant as the launch of the integrated circuit, the internet, and the iPhone. As with any such disruption, each novelty brings out legions of detractors and supporters.

To address both sides of the issue, let’s examine the positive aspects of ChatGPT and, as a cautionary tale, allay the concerns of the detractors.

Generating content

As soon as ChatGPT came out, students started using the technology to do their written assignments which led to charges of cheating as this article by Michael Nietzel indicates. Businesspeople, too, started using the technology to do their daily work—emails, reports, marketing communications, product/service descriptions—and while businesspeople are not likely to be charged with cheating, the practice does have the downside of coming across as either bland, generic, or flowery. The title and subtitle of an article in The Atlantic says it all: “ChatGPT is Dumber Than You Think: Treat it like a toy not a tool.”

Instead, set an honor code for yourself. Never use generative AI tools to generate content from scratch. First, do a rough draft of your own. Then turn to the bot as a productivity tool and prompt it for a draft. Use any ideas or phrases from the bot and work them into a second draft of your own. Be sure you keep both drafts separate to maintain the integrity of your honor code.

Editing content

Read that second draft, now focusing on the language. To heighten the accuracy and color of your description, query the bot again for synonymous words or idiomatic phrases. You can also use dictionary.com, thesaurus.com, or Google’s Power Thesaurus, but if you give ChatGPT a sense of what you’re looking for, its natural language can provide closer suggestions. Don’t just cherry-pick from the list; use your native intuition to make the choice that fits best.

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The richest person in every state 2024, trump media stock djt at risk of a new short selling plunge, enriching content.

As you develop your text, look for additional information that supports and adds depth to your ideas. If the information you find is lengthy or complex, copy and paste it into the bot and prompt it to simplify. Read the simplification and then work the information into your original draft using your own words.

During the process, be sure to double check the accuracy of your research. ChatGPT is often not only inaccurate but as this New York Times article reports, can provide misinformation.

Polishing content

Continue to review your text. Remember that one of the most frequently cited adages among professional writers is “Writing is rewriting.” With each review, you should be implementing a practice known as “Spaced Learning,” or walking away from your text. It’s a human technique that predates ChatGPT. For context, the opposite of Spaced Learning is cramming—need I say more?

In using ChatGPT and other generative AI tools this way, you will be implementing “error-driven learning,” a practice drawn from technology that enables and improves human thinking. In a recent Wall Street Journal article , Professor Charan Ranganath who runs the Dynamic Memory Lab at the Center for Neuroscience at the University of California, Davis, references the work of two cognitive psychologist in 1990 who noted that “neural network models of artificial intelligence learn through trial and error.” Professor Ranganath then ran an experiment in his lab that “used neural network models to simulate what happens in the hippocampus—a critical brain area for rapid learning.” His results found “that the human brain can learn and retain far more through trial and error.”

So go ahead and use ChatGPT to help you generate, edit, enrich, and polish your content, but be sure to keep your hand on the tiller by using an equal measure of your own human capabilities.

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Morning Rundown: NYPD says gun accidentally fired when clearing campus protest, China launches probe to far side of the moon, and Britney Spears 'safe' after hotel figh t

House passes antisemitism bill with broad bipartisan support amid campus arrests

The House passed a bipartisan bill Wednesday to combat antisemitism as pro-Palestinian protests roil colleges across the U.S.

The measure passed 320-91. Twenty-one Republicans and 70 Democrats voted against it.

The bill, titled the Antisemitism Awareness Act , would mandate that the Education Department adopt the broad definition of antisemitism used by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance, an intergovernmental group, to enforce anti-discrimination laws.

The international group defines antisemitism as a "certain perception of Jews, which may be expressed as hatred toward Jews." The group adds that "rhetorical and physical manifestations" of antisemitism include such things as calling for the killing or harming of Jews or holding Jews collectively responsible for actions taken by Israel.

The bill's prospects in the Senate are unclear.

Asked whether the Senate would take up the legislation, Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., told reporters earlier Wednesday that "we haven't seen what the House is sending us yet."

Rep. Mike Lawler, R-N.Y., introduced the bipartisan legislation, which received backing from Democratic moderates who are supporters of Israel amid the country’s war with Hamas.

“In every generation, the Jewish people have been scapegoated, harassed, evicted from their homeland and murdered,” Lawler said in a floor speech before the vote.

"The Jewish people need our support now," he said. "They need action now."

Republicans are seeking to launch investigations into antisemitism on college campuses in response to the pro-Palestinian protests. The current version of the legislation was introduced in late October after Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on Israel but not brought to the floor until this week.

“When I spoke at Columbia last week, I told administrators that we need deeds, not words, to protect Jewish students,” Rep. Josh Gottheimer, D-N.J., a co-author of the legislation, said in a statement Wednesday. “This bill is a critical step to take the action we so desperately need to stand against hate.”

In a letter Monday to House Speaker Mike Johnson , R-La., Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., wrote that “there is nothing scheduled on the floor this week that would accomplish the concrete, thoughtful strategies outlined by the Biden administration” to combat antisemitism.

Jeffries had demanded a vote on the bipartisan Countering Antisemitism Act , which aims to address concerns about rising antisemitism through the appointment of a new adviser to the president who would be dedicated to implementing its coordinated strategy to counter antisemitism.

“The effort to crush antisemitism and hatred in any form is not a Democratic or Republican issue,” Jeffries wrote. “It’s an American issue that must be addressed in a bipartisan manner with the fierce urgency of now.”

Lawler's bill faced opposition from some progressive and far-right lawmakers, as well as the American Civil Liberties Union, which called the bill's definition of antisemitism "overbroad."

"Speech that is critical of Israel or any other government cannot, alone, constitute harassment," ACLU leaders wrote in a letter last week urging lawmakers to oppose the measure.

The letter pointed in part to an example of antisemitism included in the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance's definition, which says antisemitism could include "denying the Jewish people their right to self-determination, e.g., by claiming that the existence of a State of Israel is a racist endeavor."

Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, voted against the bill after having told reporters Tuesday that Republicans were weaponizing antisemitism.

“We all have to continue to speak out against antisemitism and be clear that we don’t like — we will not tolerate antisemitism any more than we tolerate Islamophobia or any of the other hatreds and discriminations that are out there,” she said.

Jayapal also argued that the bill “has a definition that is so broad” that many Jewish groups do not support it.

“So why would you do that? Except if you want to weaponize antisemitism and you want to use it as a political ploy,” she said. “Let’s remember that many of these Republicans didn’t say a word when Donald Trump and others in Charlottesville, other places, were saying truly antisemitic things.”

Trump, as president, sparked a backlash when he suggested that "many sides" were to blame for the deadly violence at a white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, in 2017, declining to single out white nationalists.

Separately, Rep. Jerry Nadler, D-N.Y., said that the definition was so broad that it would threaten constitutionally protected free speech. He, too, voted against the bill.

Rep. Sara Jacobs, D-Calif., said in a statement after she voted against it that while she has "experienced antisemitism all my life," the bill "would stifle First Amendment rights to free speech and free assembly."

Jacobs also said she does not believe that anti-Zionism is "inherently antisemitism," saying that "conflating free speech and hate crimes will not make Jewish students any safer."

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., voted against the bill because of a disagreement with an example of antisemitism listed in the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance's definition, which referred to using "symbols and images" such as "claims of Jews killing Jesus or blood libel" to describe Israel or Israelis.

Greene argued on X that the bill "could convict Christians of antisemitism for believing the gospel that says Jesus was handed over" for crucifixion with involvement of some Jewish authorities, including Herod.

Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., voted against the bill for similar reasons, pointing to the same example of antisemitism, which many Jews consider harmful.

"The Bible is clear," he wrote on X . "There is no myth or controversy around this."

Activists working to counter antisemitism have pointed out that Jews have been scapegoated throughout history for events including the crucifixion of Jesus and that such claims have been used to justify violence against Jews.

Summer Concepcion is a politics reporter for NBC News.

Megan Lebowitz is a politics reporter for NBC News.

Rebecca is a producer and off-air reporter covering Congress for NBC News, managing coverage of the House.

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Number of writers jailed in China exceeds 100 for first time, says report

Freedom to Write index says there are 107 people in prison for published content in China, with many accused of ‘picking quarrels’

The number of writers jailed in China has surpassed 100, with nearly half imprisoned for online expression.

The grim milestone is revealed in the 2023 Freedom to Write index, a report compiled by Pen America, published on Wednesday.

With the total number of people imprisoned globally for exercising their freedom of expression estimated to be at least 339, China accounts for nearly one-third of the world’s jailed writers. There are 107 people behind bars because of their published statements in China, more than any other country on the index.

It is the first time that Pen America’s count of writers jailed in China has surpassed 100. Other databases, such as the Reporters Without Borders’ tally of journalists and media workers detained in China, passed that milestone in 2020.

The index defined “online commentator” as bloggers and people who used social media as their main platform for expression.

James Tager, the director of research at Pen America, said: “Not all people arrested for their online expression will find themselves represented here. It is certain that the true toll of all those who are punished for their expression in China is far higher than the numbers represented here, and that is not even to count those who are censored or who censor themselves for fear of formal punishment.”

People detained by the authorities for their online expression are typically arrested under suspicion of “picking quarrels and provoking trouble” – a charge that even a senior political delegate has said is too vague and could be used arbitrarily by the police.

Among those jailed for picking quarrels is the citizen journalist Zhang Zhan , who has been in prison since 2020, after she was arrested for reporting on the early days of the Covid-19 pandemic in Wuhan.

Several other writers in the Freedom to Write index were targeted for commenting on the government’s Covid policies, such as Sun Qing, who was arrested in May 2020 after posting critical statements on WeChat and X, then known as Twitter. Sun was arrested for “inciting subversion of state power”.

Writers in Xinjiang are treated particularly harshly. The region of north-west China is home to the Uyghur minority, a Muslim group who have been subjected to harsh cultural and political suppression in the past decade.

Gulnisa Imin, a Uyghur poet, is serving a 17-and-a-half-year sentence on the grounds that her poetry , the most famous of which was inspired by One Thousand and One Nights, promotes “separatism”.

In recent years, a crackdown on free expression in Hong Kong has contributed to China’s increasing count of jailed writers. In 2020, Beijing imposed a national security law on the city, which critics say has been used to suppress dissent.

Since the 2019 pro-democracy protests, the authorities have also revived the use of a colonial-era sedition law, which has been used to target government critics. Hong Kong has plummeted down the Reporters Without Borders’ press freedom index since 2019.

Tager said: “Hong Kong’s 2020 national security law and the ongoing crackdown on any dissent or disagreement in the city has triggered a devastating transformation for the city’s creative sector.”

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Biden Administration Releases Revised Title IX Rules

The new regulations extended legal protections to L.G.B.T.Q. students and rolled back several policies set under the Trump administration.

By Zach Montague and Erica L. Green

Reporting from Washington

The Biden administration issued new rules on Friday cementing protections for L.G.B.T.Q. students under federal law and reversing a number of Trump-era policies that dictated how schools should respond to cases of alleged sexual misconduct in K-12 schools and college campuses.

The new rules, which take effect on Aug. 1, effectively broadened the scope of Title IX, the 1972 law prohibiting sex discrimination in educational programs that receive federal funding. They extend the law’s reach to prohibit discrimination and harassment based on sexual orientation and gender identity, and widen the range of sexual harassment complaints that schools will be responsible for investigating.

“These regulations make it crystal clear that everyone can access schools that are safe, welcoming and that respect their rights,” Miguel A. Cardona, the education secretary, said in a call with reporters.

The rules deliver on a key campaign promise for Mr. Biden, who declared he would put a “quick end” to the Trump-era Title IX rules and faced mounting pressure from Democrats and civil rights leaders to do so.

The release of the updated rules, after two delays, came as Mr. Biden is in the thick of his re-election bid and is trying to galvanize key electoral constituencies.

Through the new regulations, the administration moved to include students in its interpretation of Bostock v. Clayton County, the landmark 2020 Supreme Court case in which the court ruled that the Civil Rights Act of 1964 protects gay and transgender workers from workplace discrimination. The Trump administration held that transgender students were not protected under federal laws, including after the Bostock ruling .

In a statement, Betsy DeVos, who served as Mr. Trump’s education secretary, criticized what she called a “radical rewrite” of the law, asserting that it was an “endeavor born entirely of progressive politics, not sound policy.”

Ms. DeVos said the inclusion of transgender students in the law gutted decades of protections and opportunities for women. She added that the Biden administration also “seeks to U-turn to the bad old days where sexual misconduct was sent to campus kangaroo courts, not resolved in a way that actually sought justice.”

While the regulations released on Friday contained considerably stronger protections for L.G.B.T.Q. students, the administration steered clear of the lightning-rod issue of whether transgender students should be able to play on school sports teams corresponding to their gender identity.

The administration stressed that while, writ large, exclusion based on gender identity violated Title IX, the new regulations did not extend to single-sex living facilities or sports teams. The Education Department is pursuing a second rule dealing with sex-related eligibility for male and female sports teams. The rule-making process has drawn more than 150,000 comments.

Under the revisions announced on Friday, instances where transgender students are subjected to a “hostile environment” through bullying or harassment, or face unequal treatment and exclusion in programs or facilities based on their gender identity, could trigger an investigation by the department’s Office for Civil Rights.

Instances where students are repeatedly referred to by a name or pronoun other than one they have chosen could also be considered harassment on a case-by-case basis.

“This is a bold and important statement that transgender and nonbinary students belong, in their schools and in their communities,” said Olivia Hunt, the policy director for the National Center for Transgender Equality.

The regulations appeared certain to draw to legal challenges from conservative groups.

May Mailman, the director of the Independent Women’s Law Center, said in a statement that the group planned to sue the administration. She said it was clear that the statute barring discrimination on the basis of “sex” means “binary and biological.”

“The unlawful omnibus regulation reimagines Title IX to permit the invasion of women’s spaces and the reduction of women’s rights in the name of elevating protections for ‘gender identity,’ which is contrary to the text and purpose of Title IX,” she said.

The existing rules, which took effect under Mr. Trump in 2020, were the first time that sexual assault provisions were codified under Title IX. They bolstered due process rights of accused students, relieved schools of some legal liabilities and laid out rigid parameters for how schools should conduct impartial investigations.

They were a sharp departure from the Obama administration’s interpretation of the law, which came in the form of unenforceable guidance documents directing schools to ramp up investigations into sexual assault complaints under the threat of losing federal funding. Scores of students who had been accused of sexual assault went on to win court cases against their colleges for violating their due process rights under the guidelines.

The Biden administration’s rules struck a balance between the Obama and Trump administration’s goals. Taken together, the regulation largely provides more flexibility for how schools conduct investigations, which advocates and schools have long lobbied for.

Catherine E. Lhamon, the head of the department’s Office for Civil Rights who also held the job under President Barack Obama, called the new rules the “most comprehensive coverage under Title IX since the regulations were first promulgated in 1975.”

They replaced a narrower definition of sex-based harassment adopted under the Trump administration with one that would include a wider range of conduct. And they reversed a requirement that schools investigate only incidents alleged to have occurred on their campuses or in their programs.

Still, some key provisions in the Trump-era rules were preserved, including one allowing informal resolutions and another prohibiting penalties against students until after an investigation.

Among the most anticipated changes was the undoing of a provision that required in-person, or so-called live hearings, in which students accused of sexual misconduct, or their lawyers, could confront and question accusers in a courtroom-like setting.

The new rules allow in-person hearings, but do not mandate them. They also require a process through which a decision maker could assess a party or witness’s credibility, including posing questions from the opposing party.

“The new regulations put an end to unfair and traumatic grievance procedures that favor harassers,” Kel O’Hara, a senior attorney at Equal Rights Advocates. “No longer will student survivors be subjected to processes that prioritize the interests of their perpetrators over their own well being and safety.”

The new rules also allow room for schools to use a “preponderance of evidence” standard, a lower burden of proof than the DeVos-era rules encouraged, through which administrators need only to determine whether it was more likely than not that sexual misconduct had occurred.

The renewed push for that standard drew criticism from legal groups who said the rule stripped away hard-won protections against flawed findings.

“When you are dealing with accusations of really one of the most heinous crimes that a person can commit — sexual assault — it’s not enough to say, ‘50 percent and a feather,’ before you brand someone guilty of this repulsive crime,” said Will Creeley, the legal director of the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression.

The changes concluded a three-year process in which the department received 240,000 public comments. The rules also strengthen protections for pregnant students, requiring accommodations such as a bigger desk or ensuring access to elevators and prohibiting exclusion from activities based on additional needs.

Title IX was designed to end discrimination based on sex in educational programs or activities at all institutions receiving federal financial assistance, beginning with sports programs and other spaces previously dominated by male students.

The effects of the original law have been pronounced. Far beyond the impact on school programs like sports teams, many educators credit Title IX with setting the stage for academic parity today. Female college students routinely outnumber male students on campus and have become more likely than men of the same age to graduate with a four-year degree.

But since its inception, Title IX has also become a powerful vehicle through which past administrations have sought to steer schools to respond to the dynamic and diverse nature of schools and universities.

While civil rights groups were disappointed that some ambiguity remains for the L.G.B.T.Q. students and their families, the new rules were widely praised for taking a stand at a time when education debates are reminiscent to the backlash after the Supreme Court ordered schools to integrate.

More than 20 states have passed laws that broadly prohibit anyone assigned male at birth from playing on girls’ and women’s sports teams or participating in scholastic athletic programs, while 10 states have laws barring transgender people from using bathrooms based on their gender identity.

“Some adults are showing up and saying, ‘I’m going to make school harder for children,” said Liz King, senior program director of the education equity program at the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights. “It’s an incredibly important rule, at an incredibly important moment.”

Schools will have to cram over the summer to implement the rules, which will require a retraining staff and overhauling procedures they implemented only four years ago.

Ted Mitchell, the president of the American Council on Education, which represents more than 1,700 colleges and universities, said in a statement that while the group welcomed the changes in the new rule, the timeline “disregards the difficulties inherent in making these changes on our nation’s campuses in such a short period of time.”

“After years of constant churn in Title IX guidance and regulations,” Mr. Mitchell said, “we hope for the sake of students and institutions that there will be more stability and consistency in the requirements going forward.”

Zach Montague is based in Washington. He covers breaking news and developments around the district. More about Zach Montague

Erica L. Green is a White House correspondent, covering President Biden and his administration. More about Erica L. Green