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Every communication has a person, idea, or event which makes that communication necessary. To get a grip on why the expression is required, ask yourself the following questions:
When did the subject matter of my communication arise?
What do I know about this situation? What do I need to find out about this situation?
Where do I look for more information?
What are the accepted principles ("conventional wisdom") which govern or shape this situation?
Readers want to know how the communication they are receiving fits into the larger sphere of communication you have established with them. It is critical to establish that "fit" at the beginning of your communication. Ask:
How is this memo, letter, oral report, chapter related to information my readers already have?
How can I best explain the information we all share?
What background can I offer to orient my readers to the "fit" between the old information they already possess and the new information this communication offers?
Where does this "fit" occur?
Before you can address your readers, you must first know who they are and the role they play in the rhetorical situation. Your task is to make it as easy as possible for your readers to understand your message and to demonstrate that you can relate to them. To do this, you must research your audience as much as possible to get a clear sense of your readers and use that information to anticipate what they need to know. Your research will also tell you the best strategies for content, style, organization and presentation.
While composing, keep in mind your primary task is to make your communication as easy for the reader to understand as possible. If you present information in the order in which it occurred to you, you will produce a document that is perfectly clear to you but perhaps is not so clear to your reader. By placing your priority on demonstrating to the reader your sense of what that reader needs to know, you will produce communications that are "reader-based" rather than "writer-based." Experienced writers always strive for "reader-based" rather than "writer-based" communications.
Therefore, before you begin composing anything -- a memo, a letter, a report, a proposal, a book -- ask yourself these questions:
Who are my readers?
What is their educational level?
Where do they work? What are their positions?
Are they the decision makers?
How much do they know about the situation?
How specialized is their vocabulary?
Why will they be interested in what I have to tell them?
What will be most interesting to them in what I have to say?
What biases,
if any, can I identify in them?
NOTE: You Must
Always Address the Three Characteristics Your Readers Share:
All readers
are busy. You can never assume that your readers will want to read
your letter, memo or report. They have a hundred other things to
do. You have to persuade them quickly that the document you present
is worth taking the time to read.
All readers
expect writing to have a purpose and an arrangement that the writer will
make clear. You can't expect your reader to plow through sentence after
sentence trying to find out what you're talking about. REMEMBER:
the readers' main question as they go through your document is "SO WHAT?"
It's your job to focus your communication, to make your purpose clear up
front.
All readers know less about the subject of this communication than you do. Presumably, you're writing because you have something new or special to say. Provide a context for your communications that orients the reader to your information and your point of view.
Unless you have a clear idea of what you want your readers to do as a result of your communication, you cannot get them to do it. Before you write, jot down in a single sentence what you hope to achieve in your document. Ask yourself:
Why am I writing?
Am I relaying information?
Am I delegating tasks?
Am I solving a problem?
Am I defending a position?
Am I selling an idea, service, or product?
Choosing the correct structure for your document determines its overall effectiveness. Organization involves four distinct yet related areas.
a) Choose the Appropriate Format
Formatting of both oral and written communication is probably the easiest technique you can use to make your communication "audience-friendly." Whether preparing a written document or an extemporaneous presentation, it always use paper to sketch out the structure. This blue print will ensure coherence and logic in your message.
Formatting information allows you to use the space on the page to cue the audience, to emphasize points, to subordinate ideas to one another, to summarize, to list, and to lead the reader through your logic. Use formatting to break up text blocks or ideas with physical or oral "white space," headings, and sub-heads; to isolate elements in "bulleted" hierarchies; to set off elements with graphics; and to indicate relationships with diagrams.
Formatting information allows you . . .
to use
the space on the page to cue the reader,
to emphasize
points,
to subordinate
ideas to one another,
to summarize,
to list,
to lead
the reader through your logic.
In order to Format . . .
break
up blocks of ideas and information with "white space," headings,
and sub-heads,
isolate
elements in "bulleted" hierarchies,
set off
text elements with graphics,
indicate
relationships with diagrams.
Choice of format can range from what the document should look like to page design and layout.
What is the appropriate format for your message?
Have I included the required elements (eg. line spacing, headings, subject lines, right justification, etc) my audience will be expecting?
Is the message appealing and easily accessible?
Is there enough white space or pauses so that my readers will not feel the information is crammed?
Is my font and its size readable and attractive?
Are my visual aids instructive?
Do I have
a clear Introduction, Body, and Conclusion?
b) Define Your Sub-Points and Identify Your Data
Audiences
process information most effectively when it is broken down into small
specific "bites". Therefore, short messages should focus on a single
point, and longer messages should be clearly subdivided into sections dealing
with single sub-points. Each sub-point, in turn, should be supported with
concrete data -- figures and statistics, examples, anecdotes, expert testimony,
and the like.
Ask:
What are the units that constitute my subject?
What is the best way to break my subject down into these units?
What kinds of data do I need to prove my sub-points? My main point?
Where will I find this data?
c) Determine the Logical Relationship between your Sub-Points
Facts and figures alone cannot be persuasive. If you do not understand how your ideas support one another, you cannot expect your audience to make the connections for you. Ask:
How
do my ideas fit together to prove my point?
Have I clearly established in my mind how my ideas will gradually build my point of view in my reader's mind?
Have I carefully placed transitions between my ideas to visually and/or orally guide my reader through my ideas?
Have I started each idea with a general assertion and then supported it
with factual evidence that actually proves my point?
d) Decide on the Relative Importance of Your Sub-Points and Data
Audiences want to get to the point -- fast. They are busy, and they may not give their full attention to your letter, report, or presentation all the way through. That means that you need to make your purpose clear from the start and hit them with your most important point first. Then, move in descending order to your least important point. By deciding the relative importance of your sub-points and supporting data, you gain a ready-made structure for your communication. Ask:
Am I clear on my purpose? My main point?
Which of my sub-points is the best support for that point? The second best? The third?
What kinds of data offer the best support for my first sub-point? Examples?
Numbers? Logical reasoning? For my second? My third?
e) Outline the Entire Document
Often, people start writing or speaking without having a clear sense of the entire message; therefore, they spend a lot of time and frustration on losing their train of thought or purpose or reason for writing the document in the first place. To prevent this frustration from occurring, efficient communicators do what architects do: sketch out the framework before they commit their time and energy.
1). Write out a Purpose Statement:
This statement will be your guiding idea and will help you get back on track easily if you lose your focus
2). Write down all the relevant points, ideas, facts, opinions, areas of concern and people involved:
Allow ideas simply to flow in whatever order they come. Once they are on paper, you can easily rearrange them. The more ideas you put down, the larger your database of ideas to choose from and organize
3). Collect your ideas into related groups of ideas with each point placed together with the facts which support that point. Toss aside anything which appears irrelevant:
Feel free to experiment here
4). Organize ideas by level of importance from most to least important and label these ideas with Roman Numerals.
5).
Place these Ordered Ideas on a separate sheet of paper and add headings
for Introduction and Conclusion so that it looks like this:
Purpose Statement/Main Point:
Introduction:
Body:
I. Sub-point:
-supporting details
-interpretation of details
-transition to next idea
II. Sub-point:
-supporting details
-interpretation of details
-transition to next idea,
etc.
Conclusion:
Hope this helps;
see you in class.
If you have comments
or suggestions, email me at figueroaf@mail.brcc.cc.la.us
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