On a Scale of 1 to 10, Strive for 5, and Remember to Interrupt

An open letter to Ann Roemer:

Dear Ann Roemer,

I am looking for the author of College Oral Communication, and when I saw your resume online, I hoped you were the one, but I saw no mention of this textbook among all the other publications.

I’ve gotten a couple of very helpful concepts* from College Oral Communication 2, and I’d really like to contact the author.  I have three questions:  Are you the author of this text?  If not, have others contacted you thinking that you were?  Do you know how I could contact the Ann Roemer who wrote the text?

Many thanks, and happy new year.

Tina Martin

*One concept I’m referring to are that on a scale of 1 to 10, as group members we should strive for 5.  (1 is passive, 5 is assertive, and 10 is aggressive.)

Another concept is that to participate in a discussion we should politely interrupt.

          On After doing group work, the students evaluate themselves as group members on a scale from 1 to 10, according to a scale in Ann Roemer's College Oral Communication Book.  I can tell who has good listening skills because after we discuss it, these students are aware that the score to strive for is 5, not 10.
They have it in writing, too: 


How do you evaluate yourself as a group member if 1 is passive, 5 is assertive,  and 10 is aggressive?       1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

But it's so ingrained in all of us--teachers and students--that the highest number is the best score, that students ignore the descriptive words passive, assertive, aggressive, which are illustrated in the book.

  And what is this about assertive?  The book explicitly directs the students to participate in a discussion by politely interrupting.  When I first saw that directive, I was wondering where Ann Roemer got it, and my search led to Deborah Tannen. 

Connecting What We Do in Class to Being Good Co-Workers

SCANS=*Secretary’s Commission on Achieving Necessary Skills

(*US Secretary of Labor)

SCANS Self-Evaluation

for ESL 142 003  Tina Martin  Fall 2013

Following Presentations on How Green Is Your Campus?

This is an evaluation NOT of your presentation itself, but of  your group work during the sessions in class before you gave the group presentation.  You can also include your work outside of class as you planned with the group members. 

Please be honest, fair, and thorough.  You will turn these in to me.  I’ll read your comments and give your self-evaluation back to you.  Be sure to put your name on this form along with the date that it’s due (Friday, November 15), your class and section, and my name.

Were you always in class when your group met?                   Yes      No

Were you always on time when your group met?                   Yes      No

 What contributions did you make to your group   when you were working in a group?

Circle each role you’ve played and write the number of times.

leader___times          note-taker____times      time-keeper____times   participant____times

How do you evaluate yourself as a group member if 1 is passive, 5 is assertive,  and 10 is aggressive?       1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Give reasons or examples of you as a group member.

If you were working in a company, do you think that others could rely on you to do well on a team project?  Yes      No

Why or why not?  (Please consider your attitudes, habits, and behavior—punctuality and attendance,  interpersonal skills like friendliness, willingness to listen and pay attention to others, ability to encourage others to participate, writing, speaking, comprehension skills, and time management.