Almost there

I asked Trixie if I could start doing my primary consultations during finals week, because everything is due the week before for me! So I'll need to fit in 5 of them. Thinking about being the "primary" consultant is not a scary concept to me anymore, but some of these ideas that we talk about in class seem to work really well for everyone, and I was just wondering how you remember all of these little tricks and tips... Obviously they come with time, but when you guys started consulting, did you just jump right into it? I'm a list-maker. I like having all my options laid out in front of me. Do all of these innovative consulting ideas just pop into your head while you are consulting? Do you forget a solution for a client's problem and remember it after the session? Do you have a little piece of paper you like to keep next to you? Or some favorite worksheets you like to keep on hand? Or reference books you've found extremely helpful and now know their exact location on the bookshelf?

I've been thinking about the things I'll do as a consultant - As a self proclaimed list maker, my consolidated list of do's and tips and tricks are below. Feel free to add on if you guys know some more ideas that I missed!

Things you should always do in a session:

1. Ask them what their paper is about before they even take it out
2. Ask them what they want to focus on - make a list, perhaps
   
3. Ask them to read their paper aloud - yes? great. no? just read it for them
   
4. Don't write too much on the paper, definitely not with a red pen
   
5. Give them notes that they can understand later on
   
6. Share the paper between the two of you, always make sure it's their paper still
   

Tips & Tricks:

1. Do the paragraphs relate, follow the thesis? Make an outline/write down the general idea of each paragraph next to it for them so they can see it
2. Thesis problems? Have them explain what their paper is about without looking at the actual paper and write down what they say
   
3. Keep seeing the same grammar issues? Pick out one, fix it for them and explain it to them, and then have them find the same problem in another part of the paper and fix it
4. Use color to identify similar ideas, etc.
5. Run-on sentence? Say it out loud exactly how they wrote it (and without taking a breath for good measure) and see if they can fix it themselves
6. APA/MLA citation questions? Give them the available worksheets, refer them to the Purdue OWL website, do a few with them if they want
   
7. Problems relating writing concepts to ESL students? use diagrams, examples, markers, etc.