This chapter “Starting with What Others Are Saying” is actually very helpful. This covers something that I have seen many people just ignore. I’ve read papers and seen presentations about topics I don’t even understand because I wasn’t given background information. This is also something I too struggle with when it comes to my writing. I never explain why I’m making my point before I make it. I don’t normally include that back ground information. In lots of essays I wrote in high school the teacher already knows the points we are talking about and is just looking for our responses to an already predetermined prompt. Because of that we never had to explain why we were discussing this topic. I think this chapter gave some very insightful advise as to how to begin the paper/presentation. This chapter also provides helpful templates which will come in very helpful in later essays/presentations. 

It talks about how you should state your point as soon as possible so your reader or viewer isn’t lost till the very end. It also talks about how summarize the ideas you are responding to in the beginning and then go back and elaborate on the point later into the essay/presentation. By starting with a brief summery your readers/viewers are able to get some sort of understanding as to why you are talking about the topic you are covering.