Here are the five steps to successful writing, essential for effective communication on the job. This video is an extract from the book "Handbook of Technical Writing", by Gerald J. Alread, Charles T. Brusaw and Walter E. Oliu.
Writing is not merely converting spoken words into text; it requires structuring information to achieve a specific purpose for a defined audience. The steps to successful writing are preparation, research, organization, writing, and revision.
Step 1: Preparation
Preparation is crucial, involving four main tasks:
Establishing Your Purpose: Clearly define what you want readers to know, believe, or do after reading your document. Be precise and specific.
Assessing Your Audience and Context: Understand who your readers are, their needs, attitudes, and prior knowledge about the subject. Consider the context, including the environment and circumstances in which the document will be read.
Determining the Scope: Define what to include and exclude based on your purpose and audience to ensure focused, relevant content.
Selecting the Medium: Choose the most appropriate medium for your message, considering the audience and purpose. Options range from emails and reports to face-to-face meetings and phone calls.
Step 2: Research
Thorough research is essential for understanding complex subjects. Use primary research (gathering raw material through interviews, observations, surveys) and secondary research (gathering information from books, articles, reports, web documents). Choose methods appropriate to your needs and consider all potential sources of information, such as personal knowledge, colleagues, interviews, internet, library resources, and workplace documents.
Step 3: Organization
Effective organization of your material is crucial for clarity. Choose a primary method of development suited to your subject, readers' needs, and purpose. Common methods include:
Sequential Development: Ideal for instructions, presenting steps in order.
Chronological Development: Suitable for historical accounts, presenting information from beginning to present.
Specific to General or Cause and Effect: Used in persuasive writing, starting with specific cases and moving to general information.
Prepare an outline to break large or complex subjects into manageable parts, ensuring a complete, logically organized document. This helps maintain focus and structure, especially in collaborative writing. Consider layout and design elements like headings, lists, and visuals to aid readers and fit your subject and purpose.
Step 4: Writing
Begin writing the first draft by expanding your outline into paragraphs, focusing on ideas rather than grammar or punctuation. Write as if explaining the subject to a reader sitting across from you. Use your outline as a map and treat writing as a task, not waiting for inspiration. Write the introduction last to provide essential background information and frame the document for readers. Conclude by tying main ideas together, recommending actions, making predictions or judgments, or summarizing key points based on your purpose and readers' needs.
Step 5: Revision
Revising requires a different mindset from drafting. Be eager to find and correct faults, reading the draft as if seeing it for the first time. Check for accuracy, completeness, and effectiveness in meeting your purpose and readers' needs. Trim unnecessary information and avoid sidetracking. Revise in stages, focusing first on larger issues like unity and coherence, and save mechanical corrections for later proofreading. Consider having others review your writing for suggestions, especially for important documents. In collaborative writing, team members must review each other's work and the final master draft.
By following these five steps, you can systematically and effectively approach any writing task, ensuring clear, purposeful, and well-organized communication tailored to your audience's needs.
PS - Thank you to the video and photo creators from Pexels and Pixabay: Anna Shvets, Coverr, fauxels, Pressmaster, Tima Miroshnichenko, Pavel Danilyuk, cottonbro studio, Ketut Subiyanto, Antoni Shkraba, PNW Production, Los Muertos Crew, Dimitar Dimitrov, Taryn Elliott, Claudia, KATRIN BOLOVTSOVA, Martina Tomšič, Karolina Kaboompics, Polina Tankilevitch, Artem Podrez, Kindel Media, Adailton Batista, Edmond Dantès, Zlatin Georgiev, Mikael Blomkvist, Alena Darmel, and MART PRODUCTION.
The In Just One Minute (or so) Team
7 сен 2024
