I was not a great student when I was an adolescent. I had reached an age at which I was coming to grips with how clever I was, how a single witty remark would get me all sorts of attention and "laffs." Further, in my arrogance, I reckoned I was probably smarter than the people teaching me and therefore I hardly listened to what anyone had to say.
That said, when I was a 5th grader I did learn something valuable. We were trained, when confronted with a raft of information we had to soak in, to take notes. And we were trained in how to create a classic Roman numeral outline.
You were forced to categorize things in major groups with supporting ideas or topics beneath them.
In other words, you were trained to bring order to what could otherwise be a mess of information.
Preparing for a big meeting today. An outline surfaced a bit late. But maybe in time to keep the presentation shorter than "War and Peace." Maybe.
Very few people know how to write an outline. And follow it.
To order points in a sequential and logical manner.
Even fewer know how to get rid of extraneous ideas.
