Chapter 10 Structuring for Readers

1. Chapter 10Structuring for Readers

2. Learning Objectives • Work from an introduction-body-conclusion structure • Create informal and formal outlines • Prepare a storyboard for a long document • Shape effective paragraphs • Chunk information into discrete units • Provide overviews of longer documents

3. Organizing Instead of forcing readers to make sense of unstructured information, we shape this material for their understanding. Consider the following: • What relationships do the collected data suggest? • What should I emphasize? • In which sequence will readers approach the material? • What belongs where? • What do I say first? Why? • What comes next? • How do I end the presentation?

4. The Typical Shape of Workplace Documents Useful documents typically follow this pattern: • The introduction attracts the reader’s attention, announces the writer’s viewpoint, and previews what will follow. • The body delivers on the introduction, explaining and supporting the writer’s viewpoint, achieving unity by remaining focused on that viewpoint and coherence by carrying a line of thought throughout. • The conclusion can reemphasize key points, take a position, predict an outcome, offer a solution, or suggest further study.

5. Outlining In organizing any document, we typically begin with the time-tested strategy known as outlining. • Start by searching through the information you have gathered and creating a random list of key topics your document should include. • Then reorganize the list into an introduction, body, and conclusion and decide how to divide each of these parts into subtopics.

6. The Formal Outline A long or complex document calls for much more than a simple list of topics. • Expand on your introduction, body, and conclusion into a topic outline by adding subtopics where they fit, but avoid excessive subtopics. • You may wish to expand your topic outline into a sentence outline, in which each sentence serves as a topic sentence for a paragraph in the document. • Use alphanumeric or decimal notation consistently throughout the outline. • Refine your outline as you write your document.

7. Alphanumeric and Decimal Notation • Alphanumeric notation refers to the use of letters and numbers in an outline. The introduction, body, and conclusion use Roman numerals (I, II, III); major topics use capital Arabic letters (A, B, C); major subtopics use numbers (1, 2, 3); and minor subtopics use lower-case Arabic letters (a, b, c). Each level is indented:

8. Alphanumeric and Decimal Notation (continued) • Decimal notation refers to the use of numbers only, separated by decimal points. The introduction, body, and conclusion use a section number and a zero (2.0), major topics use the section number and a major topic number (2.1), and so on, with an additional number to indicate each level. Each level is indented:

9. Storyboarding Another method of organizing (usually used to organize Web sites) is to use a storyboard, a sketch of the finished document:

10. Paragraphing Paragraphing means that each supporting paragraph within the larger introduction, body, and conclusion structure is similarly structured: • Each paragraph must contain an “introduction,” or topic sentence, which introduces an idea, judgment, or opinion. • The “body” of each paragraph consists of sentences that are logically connected to each other to create unity and coherence. • The “conclusion” of each paragraph is a restatement of the topic sentence or a smooth transition into the next paragraph.

11. Chunking • Each organizing technique discussed in this chapter is a way of chunkinginformation: breaking it down into discrete, digestible units, based on the users’ needs and the document’s purpose. • Web sites especially rely on the concept of chunked information. When writing for the Web, use smaller chunks than you would in print, because readers expect to read smaller pieces of information online.

12. Providing an Overview For longer document, consider giving readers an immediate preview, or overview, of its contents by answering their initial questions: • What is the purpose of this document? • Why should I read it? • What information can I expect to find here?

13. Organizing for Global Audiences Different cultures have varying expectations as to how information should be organized. Keep these considerations in mind: • Digression: North Americans usually do not tolerate digressions that interrupt the logical flow of paragraphs, but some cultures consider digression a sign of intelligence or politeness. • Directness: Especially with bad new messages, North Americans prefer to gently lead into bad news, but some cultures prefer to get the bad news over with immediately.

14. Review Questions 1. Why is organizing information important? 2. What are the three main parts of workplace documents, and what is the function of each part? 3. What is outlining, and how do you create a basic outline? 4. What is the first step in creating a formal outline? 5. What is the difference between alphanumeric notation and decimal notation?

15. Review Questions (continued) 6. What is a storyboard? 7. What is paragraphing, and how should paragraphs be organized? 8. What is chunking and how is it useful? 9. What is an overview and when should you provide one? 10. What are two ways you might organize a document differently for some global audiences?