If you look through our blogs, there are lots of different tips and tricks we suggest about multimodal responses such as what to include, how to break down a question and the best ways to put a response together.
In today’s post we are going to share with you some specific ideas on how to address an opening for your multimodal to make sure that its engaging and captivating rather than just a read out essay.
- Find your own ‘stimulus’
If the assessment doesn’t give you a particular stimulus, find your own as a point of differentiation from the rest of the students in the cohort. Can you include a thoughtful quote from someone relevant to the topic you are talking about? A scholar perhaps? Or even a try something that a well known philosopher has said. Chances are you will be able to draw a connection to your text and elevate your sophistication.
- Engage with your audience
Sometimes your task gives you a specific audience that you are talking to – if so be sure to acknowledge them. Mainly for two reasons: the first is because it shows that you are engaging with the question and secondly because it allows to you develop your own voice. If you haven’t been given a particular audience or setting, you can still draw in your ‘pretend’ audience by sharing something thought provoking to engage their interest.
- Out with the old, in with the new
“Good morning and good afternoon” – the easy way out and the most overrated opening to a multimodal or speech. No marks for originality. Try for something that you would find interesting. A fact perhaps, or a true story, or a thought from a philosopher. Be creative and develop interest. A multimodal is not an essay so you don’t need to stick to the boundaries. Explore a little and you will find that you will be rewarded.
We hope this helps and we wish you luck in your next task!