Laura Tichy-Smith, M.A.

ACADEMIC:

 

"Facilitating Student Success in Online Classes." Florida College English Association Annual Conference, Melbourne, Fla. Conference presentation.                                                2017.

Forthcoming presentation to be given at the Florida College English Association's fall conference.

The Internet has opened expansive opportunities for distance education that were not available to           earlier generations of students. With the advantages, for both instructors and students, of flexibility in the timing and location for attending to coursework has come the challenge for instructors to adapt teaching styles to fit with the now-virtual classroom. This paper will provide a compiled resource of techniques proven through research to be effective practices to help students succeed in the unique situations posed to instructors by online teaching. Topics covered will include addressing the true audience by debunking stereotypical assumptions about the characteristics and demographics of online students; the rich instructional advantages for online classes provided by the typically underused teaching resource of multimedia; universal design considerations to assure access for all students; and information from surveys to determine what factors contribute to student success and satisfaction in online classes.

 

"Good Samaritans? The Impact of Pathos on News." Sixth Annual English Symposium,

University of Central Florida, Orlando, Fla. Conference presentation.                                  2017.

When the public looks at the news, they expect to see accurate, objective reporting. Key to objective writing, carefully made word choices play a critical role in how reporters present stories. The same basic story has the potential to influence the opinion of news consumers in different ways, based upon the rhetorical choices made by newsroom staff. The choice by journalists to make rhetorical use of pathetically loaded terms that stir the audience's emotions, rather than using a discourse of logos to present observations, reduces objectivity and injects reporter's opinion and bias into the news reports.

 

"Getting Covered: Learn How to Gain Free Media Coverage for Your Nonprofit's Events."

Annual LEEF Spring Conference. League of Environmental Educators of Florida.

Apollo Beach, Fla. Conference presentation.                                                                                     2017.

This presentation was an expanded, workshop-length version of a shorter presentation originally given at the regional Environmental Educators’ Alliance of Southwest Florida conference. Environmental organizations desperately need the free publicity provided when media organizations offer coverage for worthy community events. Many organizations cannot afford to hire a professional public relations agent, yet writing effective press releases is a skill not taught to the people trained in science who staff environmental nonprofits. Presenting from my experience and training as a newspaper reporter and copy editor, as well as my experience as a nonprofit public relations volunteer, I provided a systemized method for writing press releases that would make them more likely to be chosen for publication by media editors. Information added to expand to a workshop-length presentation included identifying the rhetorical needs of the audience and writing to meet those needs, advertising and marketing theories, cultivating   relationships with reporters and editors, and creating events worthy of media coverage.

 

"Gotcha' Covered: Do-It-Yourself Publicity for Your Nonprofit's Events." Third Annual Conference, Environmental Educators’ Alliance of Southwest Florida,

Florida Gulf Coast University, Fort Myers, Fla. Conference presentation.                            2016.

Environmental organizations desperately need the free publicity provided when media organizations offer coverage for worthy community events. Many organizations cannot afford to hire a professional public relations agent, yet writing effective press releases is a skill not taught to the people trained in science who staff environmental nonprofits. Presenting from my experience and training as a newspaper reporter and copy editor, as well as my experience as a nonprofit public relations volunteer, I provided a systemized method for writing press releases that would make them more likely to be chosen for publication by media editors.

 

"Selling Environmentalism: Techniques for Advertising Your Environmental Organization." Second Annual Conference, Environmental Educators’ Alliance of Southwest Florida, Conservancy of Southwest Florida, Naples, Fla.

Conference presentation.                                                                                                                          2015.

Many environmental organizations are staffed by people trained in science who do not understand how to interest the general public in their organizations’ properties and programs. I made a presentation about how to attract the attention of potential visitors and participants by writing signage and brochures that meet the rhetorical needs of the audience.

 

"Creating Educational Awareness Campaigns on Your Campus." Florida Collegiate Pride Conference, University of South Florida, Tampa, Fla. Conference presentation.               2012.

Presented a model for GSA clubs at other colleges to mount public service and educational campaigns on their college campuses by illustrating the concepts with the results of the semester-long “Bullyin’ – What Is It?” campaign mounted by the Collier Campus GSLA Club of Edison State College. Co-presenters: Kirsten Pettifor and Oscar Santiago Torres.

 

“Bullyin’ – What Is It?'  Community Discussion." Collier Campus GSLA Club, Edison State College, Naples, Fla. Panel Discussion.                                                                                                2012.

Served as moderator for a panel discussion with three community leaders from organizations such as the NAACP and PFLAG who addressed student questions regarding bullying behavior in its many forms aimed at a variety of demographic groups. Part of a semester-long public awareness campaign mounted by the GSLA Club on campus.

 

“Bullyin’ – What Is It?' Campus Educational Awareness Campaign." Collier Campus GSLA Club, Edison State College, Naples, Fla. Semester-long workshop.                                          2012.

After spending the fall semester recruiting members for the then-dormant campus club, I proposed to the club members in the spring that we undertake a public awareness project addressing a problem universal to all people. Since the club had several members with interest in graphic design and advertising and I had three decades of experience promoting nonprofit organizations and small businesses, the club members agreed to undertake a campaign in which I could serve as their mentor and teacher. They chose bullying as the problem that could affect all people, and we devised a multi-faceted educational campaign, launched in phases, that led up to the community leaders panel discussion event.

 

COMMUNITY ADULT EDUCATION:

 

"In Their Own Words." Annual Hunger Summit, Harry Chapin Food Bank of Southwest Florida,   Fort Myers, Fla. Panel discussion.                                                                                      2016.

Presented as one participant on a discussion panel consisting of people who have been helped through hardship by food pantries. The intent of the presentation was to educate employees and volunteers at charities about the realities of their clients' lives in order to foster understanding. Participants shared their respective stories of persevering to achieve educational and professional success after receiving help from food pantries. In my presentation, I took a metacognitive approach as I intertwined my own story of surviving divorce and semi-homelessness with short-term help from a food pantry to illustrate larger facts about hunger issues in America. I also explained how the short-term food pantry assistance allowed me to continue in college and save my business so I could continue to contribute to society as a taxpayer.

 

"Gotcha' Covered: Do-It-Yourself Publicity for Your Park." Marketing Meeting, Cape Coral Parks and Recreation, Cape Coral, Fla. Guest lecture.                                                                   2016.

After a city park manager saw my presentation at the Environmental Educators’ Alliance of Southwest Florida conference, I received a request from her supervisor to present a longer version of this lecture tailored specifically to the needs of the Cape Coral city parks managers. I taught them my systemized method for writing press releases that would make it more likely for the   pieces to be chosen for publication by media editors.

 

"How Journalists Do Their Work." Summer Feeding Program, Interfaith Charities of South Lee County, Fort Myers, Fla. Guest lecture.                                                                                       2015.

Lunch-hour presentation to school children and their accompanying adult family members about how journalists conduct interviews as well as about how to read newspaper stories for understanding. Session included having the children apply what they had just learned through paired practice of the interviewing techniques as well as a question-and-answer session. Many audience members were English-language learners.

 

"Preparing Submissions for Publication." Crossed Quills Writers’ Club, Naples, Fla.

 Workshop presentation.                                                                                                                            2011.

Presentation explaining how to write and format articles properly for submission to newspaper and magazine editors in order to improve the odds that the pieces will be selected for publication. Workshop included practice of the techniques taught by writing pieces for submission to a local newspaper's short story writing contest. I provided editorial feedback to the workshop participants about their short stories, to include feedback via email for participants who wrote additional drafts of their contest submissions in the week after the workshop.

 

"Voice-recognition Software for Authors." Crossed Quills Writers’ Club, Naples, Fla.

Lecture and demonstration.                                                                                                                     2010.

Presentation demonstrating the usage of Dragon NaturallySpeaking software to help authors who have difficulty typing manuscripts.