First
In the article Tannen states “Once the problem is understood, improvement comes naturally”. It is a true statement and worth practicing and using it in daily interactions with people at work, home and in relationships of different kinds. In taking at a look of the couple where the woman was always complaining about the boyfriend not listening to her is a proof enough that people get to improve when people are understood. Understanding is the antidote to good communication. When the young woman understood that her boyfriend lied flat on the floor with his eyes covered as a sign of extreme concentration and focus their communication improved. The article states “but he insisted he was listening extra hard. Normally he looks around the room so he is easily distracted. Lying down and covering his eyes helped him concentrate on what he was saying.” (Tannen 119). The quote is a proof that when the woman understood her boyfriend their problem was solved and their communication became great. They began to naturally have great conversation as the problem had been understood.
Second
The author has greatly organized her essay such that is has a good attention grabber as it begins with a conversation of a real life situation in her past. She brings her audience to a real world scenario where one can easily relate in day to day life. It is an attention catcher as one would want to know what happened next while you were addressing a gathering. She then goes back and forth by giving a hint of the end of her meeting and again coming back to a conversation with a man which starts up her story. Tannen smoothly transitions from one paragraph to another without a reader loosing attention. She uses examples and stories inside other stories. For instance she is telling a story and incorporates another story inside it. The trait I would mostly want to use is that of using a story within a story.
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Third
The first outline has the thesis at the end of the introduction and this is a good way to begin broad and then narrow down to the thesis. It is a great writing idea because a reader first gets the general idea of a piece then they are taken to the main issue of the writing. The thesis however does not capture all points in the body. The second and third outlines have the thesis at the beginning meaning that the reader is informed of the main idea before the introduction and it might not give them the general idea about an issue first. The third essay has the main point listed after the thesis and before the body. It is the greatest idea as the reader will know the main points of the whole piece. I would use the Third outline because it breaks down the piece in parts that are easy to read and transition.
Reference
Tannen, D. (2001). Sex, Lies and Conversation: Why is it so Hard for Men and Women to Talk to Each Other?. Conflict, Order and Action: Readings in Sociology , 244-248.