They Say / I Say

Struggling to make your voice heard in academic or professional writing? Learn the one simple framework that will transform your arguments from forgettable to persuasive, ensuring you enter any conversation with confidence and clarity. This is the key to making your ideas stick. This summary unpacks the powerful "They Say / I Say" template, a surprisingly simple method for structuring your writing. You'll discover how to effectively summarize what others are saying "They Say" and then use that as a launchpad for your own unique argument "I Say". Master this move, and you'll not only improve your writing, but you'll also learn to think more critically and engage more deeply with any topic.

Gerald Graff is a renowned Professor of English and Education, Emeritus, at the University of Illinois at Chicago and a past president of the Modern Language Association. Troubled by the gap between academic writing and public conversation, he co-developed the "They Say / I Say" framework with his wife, Cathy Birkenstein. Their goal was to demystify scholarly moves for students, providing simple templates to help anyone enter complex intellectual debates and make their own arguments heard with clarity and confidence.