FPEC EDUCATION & MEDIA

Getting It Down!

PART TWO - COMPARISON

S ECTION 1

1 Basic Comparison Text Model

Having looked at and practised basic information texts, i.e. relaying information and organizing it into different categories, points, details, illustrations and degrees of importance, we move on to comparison. Comparing and contrasting is a base skill and an important component of general discussion and argument. Our rst task will be to simplify our models to two basic texts. The rst text is a comparison, i.e. showing similarities between A and B. The second text is a contrast. By this I mean showing the differences between A and B. The goal at this stage is to reproduce two basic texts before building on them in complexity. The reason for this deconstruction is to lay a simple foundation on which we can build. We can use the numbering, clarications, illustrations etc from our rst model text here too. As usual the vocabulary is adapted from The Business and the Vocabulary Builders. Read through the model text rst.

Comparison

IN THIS SECTION

1. Comparison Text Model 2. Content 65 3. Framing 35 4. Building on Basics 5. Contrast Text - Throwing the Kitchen Sink at It! 6. Basic Contrast Text 7. Getting It Down!

Similar Skillsets of Staff and Managers

There are several skill groups that both managers and staff require in todays workplace. First, both need excellent communications skills. For example, good managers communicate effectively with their staff by expressing themselves in a clear and concise manner. Similarly, staff members need to clarify their issues and concerns with their peers and leaders. Communication skills are vital for all parties involved in creating an open and collaborative work environment. A second important skillset in carrying out both positions is information skills. By this I mean gathering, processing and analyzing information. For instance, a managers job includes evaluating information and developing long-term strategies. Likewise, their staff may also be involved in gathering, organizing and evaluating data on a daily basis. Thirdly, the skills of both roles are similar in that they both require sound organizational abilities. These are core skills in any professional role. Managers need a proven track record in organizational skills, such as prioritizing, allocating resources and setting goals. In the same way, their staff need to be well versed in a variety of skills including setting goals, meeting deadlines and tactical planning. These are just three of the skill areas that managers and staff have in common.

2 Content 65
Okay. Having read the text, lets look at the basic content of the piece. It measures in at roughly 65% of the text, hence Content 65. I hasten to add that when talking

that content percentage comes crashing heavily down. Here we have time to plan our material and put it in order before embarking on writing. When we speak we often use the Framing 35 to buy us time to work out our content. That puts the ratio up to nearly 1:1 in most cases, a cool fty-fty.

Function Subject Statement

Framing Element There are several skill groups that both managers and staff require in todays workplace. First, both need For example, Similarly ... are vital in ... A second important skillset in carrying out both positions is By this I mean For instance, Likewise, Thirdly, the skills of both roles are similar in that These are ... ... such as ... In the same way, These are just three of the skill areas that managers and staff have in common.

Similarities in Skillsets of Staff and Managers.

1.1 Communication Skills 1.1.1 Communicating effectively with their staff by expressing themselves in a clear and concise manner 1.1.2 Clarifying their issues and concerns with their peers and leaders 1.1.3 Creating an open and collaborative work environment 2.1 Information Skills 2.1.1 Gathering, processing and analyzing information 2.1.2 Evaluating information and developing long-term strategies 2.1.3 Gathering, organizing and evaluating data on a daily basis 3.1 Organizational Abilities 3.1.1 Core skills in any professional role 3.1.2 Prioritizing, allocating resources and setting goals 3.1.3 Setting goals, meeting deadlines and tactical planning

Point 1 Detail (illustration) Detail (comparison) Detail (importance) Point 2 Detail (explanation) Detail (illustration) Detail (comparison) Point 3 Detail (importance)

3 Framing 35
The framing is very similar to that used before. I have expanded my ways of introducing examples using including, such as etc. Ive used an explanation or rephrase in By this I mean ... Ive also accorded importance through sentences using vital and core. Then I have used similarly, likewise and in the same way to show similarity.

Detail (illustration) Detail (comparison) Restatement

4 Building on Basics
Before moving on to a basic contrast text lets take a look at some options. Well use some of them to build a more varied second model. Well look at (1) various introductory sentences, (2) single-sentence and two-sentence comparisons, (3) comparative forms, and (4) concessions. Introductory Sentences Similarities There are a number of similarities between X and Y. Differences X is different from Y in a number of respects.

Comparative forms more/less likely than Administrative staff are less likely to be involved in strategic planning than members of a managerial team. Staff have less responsibility than managers. Leadership skills are less important in various roles. Staff are better than management in admitting mistakes.

greater/less ... than more/less better/worse than

X and Y are similar in several respects. There are a number of important differences between X and Y. Several ... are shared by X and Y. The ... in X is similar to that in Y X is comparable to Y in various ways. X differs from Y in a number of important ways. This study shows distinct differences between X and Y. X and Y differ not only in ... but also in the way in which they ...

Concession although/even though Administrative staff are less likely to be involved in strategic planning than members of a managerial team. Staff have less responsibility than managers.

while it may be true that

5 Contrast Text - Throwing the Kitchen Sink at It!

Right. Now lets analyze the following text:

Comparisons Single-sentence comparison In contrast to X, Y ... Compared with X, Y ... X ... , whereas Y ... X ... , while Y ... X contrasts with Y ... Two-sentence comparison Statement A. By contrast/In contrast, statement B. Statement A. By comparison/In comparison, statement B. Statement A. On the other hand, statement B. Statement A. But/However, statement B. Statement A. Similarly/Likewise, statement B.

Managerial posts differ from non-managerial positions in various ways. They differ not only in the qualities required in the candidate, but also in the kinds of skills he or she must command. Although managerial and non-managerial posts often require similar skills (of their incumbents), there are still a number of important distinctions (to be made). Managerial posts do come with greater responsibility. In contrast to non-managerial assignments, being a manager requires leadership skills such as long-term planning and strategic thinking, budgeting and projecting. While it is true that these skills are used in other positions in an organization, it is managers who use them most. Another difference in terms of skills is in motivating and mentoring. Leaders have ultimate responsibility for supervising and developing staff, whereas staff look to management to initiate and lead. Compared to staff, managers have greater demands placed on them. This means they need to display a greater level of professionalism. Having sound judgement and showing discretion is critical in performing the tasks of a manager. These are just are few of the various differences between managerial and non-managerial positions.

Analysis: This text has deliberately worked in everything from the above examples. In some senses, it may well have suffered in terms of organization as a result. Can you spot all the parts that have been worked in? There is a greater level of complexity. But does the organization suffer as a result?

6 Basic Contrast Text

Although managerial and non-managerial roles are similar in many respects, they are still different in many ways. For example, they degree of responsibility in the respective posts is different. Managers have greater accountability in strategic planning and nancial budgeting, whereas their staff may only be involved in tactical planning and not in budgeting at all. Another difference is in personnel development. Staff may supervise and mentor new team members, but managers have ultimate responsibility for stafng issues. The two types of positions also differ in the kinds of people attracted to them. Compared to staff, managers have greater demands placed upon them. For example, managers must have sound judgement and exercise discretion at all times, while their subordinates enjoy a greater degree of freedom and leeway. These are just are few of the various differences between managerial and non-managerial positions. 7 Getting it Down! Now try and produce a copycat text for the rst comparison model. Weve looked at a more sophisticated sample of contrast to build on the initial comparison model. Your second text can follow this lead and introduce all the elements used so far plus new features such as concessions, comparatives and the different forms of comparisons. You may prefer the simplicity of the second basic model. Dont forget the numbering introduced in the last unit.

! In this section weve used the eLearning unit Skills from The Business (www.fpec.net) as our base. Its companion is available on iTunes and as a PDF. Check out these and use them to produce a copycat text. Simply substitute your content for mine! Once youve done that you can try to build on the basics by using a different framing model from Building on Basics. Move from general statements to specic. Give examples to make yourself clear.