Skillbuilding, NGS 2016: Bloom on Writing Conclusions

SpringBoard, an official blogger for the 2016 National Genealogical Society (NGS) Family History Conference, is pleased to offer a review of this BCG Skillbuilding lecture, presented 6 May 2016.

F311, Jeanne Larzalere Bloom, CG, “Sharing with Others: How to Convey Evidence”

Reviewed by Darcie Hind Posz, CG

I always like a Jeanne Larzalere Bloom presentation because whether in person or by audio, I can tell how enthusiastic and passionate she is about genealogy and writing. Jeanne’s instruction technique also works for me. When I was working on my portfolio, defending my conclusions in my case study and kinship determination project was intimidating. Jeanne’s lecture from the NGS 2012 Family History Conference titled, “The Family Tapestry: Integrating Proof Arguments into Genealogical Narrative,” talked me into taking the plunge to write out those conclusions.^[1]

Jeanne Larzalere Bloom, CG

This new lecture, “Sharing with Others: How to Convey Evidence,” definitely lives up to its title and description and provides listeners with new tools to apply towards our genealogical skill set and education.

Jeanne draws us in with the fact that our work must be written because it is our legacy. Part five of the Genealogical Proof Standard (GPS) is to write out our conclusions. It’s the final step after the other components of the GPS, the mental processes of assembling and analyzing. Many of us hesitate with the phase of writing out our research and analysis; research is addictive and rewarding, but explaining it to make a solid case is another thing.

We need a lecture like this in our playlist. Writing an analysis of evidence and a conclusion can be overwhelming. When we can break the project down into smaller steps, writing it out and presenting it in pieces makes the process easier to understand and apply.

Listening to this lecture (several times, of course) reveals Jeanne’s methodological plan so that we can become less timid about writing out our research. We learn to use tools like research plans to lead us toward construction. Jeanne Bloom provides a road map that makes writing less intimidating and more approachable.

A recording of this lecture may be previewed and ordered from PlaybackNow.

The words Certified Genealogist are a registered certification mark, and the designations CG, CGL, and Certified Genealogical Lecturer are service marks of the Board for Certification of Genealogists^®, used under license by board certificants after periodic evaluation.