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Emmanuel J. Songcuan

Communicator

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Steps to

Effective Writing

Prewriting

Writing

Revising

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Stage 1: Prewriting

Planning

Preparation

Background Research

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Planning/Preparation

Purpose : Why am I writing it? udience : Whom do I want to influence?Scope: What do I want to say?Result: What action do I want?

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PurposeIn 1-2 sentences state the purpose of

your message

Talk the subject over with others until

you have a clear idea of yourobjective

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AudienceWhat should readers know or be able to do after

reading the message?

What is their level of understanding or expertiseregarding the subject?

Do you want to persuade them to do or toaccept something?

What are their interests and motivationsprofit,comfort, health, convenience, savings?

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AudienceProject Proposalpresident, director, agencies, students,

politicians, locals Each would want to know different types of

information so tailor the message to the specific

audience

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Scope/SubjectDistinguish between the information the

reader needs to know and information

that is merely nice to know

e.g. detailed data/figures about the activity

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Result/ActionLetter, Memo, Report, Resolution

Tell readers clearly what you want to

happen or what you would like them to do

investigation, a solution, an analysis?

Mindreading is not part of thecommunication process

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Background ResearchLibraries

Other people: interview with experts,

questionnaires, surveys

Industry and government

Your own knowledgeexperience, training,

education

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Background ResearchCopy or quote information correctly

and have data to support statement

Check your facts because errors cast

doubt on the credibility of the

document

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Step 2: WritingOrganizing

Outlining

Writing the First Draft

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OrganizingSubject and purpose influence the organization

Detailing events: Narrative

Giving instruction: Processapproach

Choosing from alternatives: Comparison

and Contrast

Making a stand: Thesis-Support/Reasons

pattern

Making a proposal: Problem-Solution

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OutliningThe outline is the blueprint of your

communiqu

Break down topics in manageable bits

Ensure that one part logically flows to

anotherSpot gaps in data or logic quickly before

writing

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Writing the Draft Let the words flow

Start wherever you canin the middle or evennear the end

Keep writing until you have completed the first

draft

As you write, keep the audience in mind

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Stage 3: RevisingRead the material from a readers point of

view

If possible, give the draft to others and askfor their comments and suggestions

Allow the material to cool off for few

hours or days before you read the draftagain; doing this enables you to spot errors

easily

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Revision ChecklistRead the draft several times

Dont correct everything the first time

Check facts and data in the draft; if you changedata in one place, be sure you change thesame data when they appear again

Make sure ideas are unified and transitionssmooth from paragraph to paragraph

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Revisions Checklist Is the text clear?

Do you need to define terms or phrases?

Are explanations complete?

Have you packed too many ideas into one

paragraph?

Have you fully developed your argument or

explained your proposal so the objectives are

clear to the reader?

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Revisions ChecklistCheck for errors in style and grammar

Eliminate overused words and phrases

Vary sentence structure

Read errors in spelling and punctuation

Revise for awkward phrases and lapses in

tone

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Revision ChecklistWe would like you, if you could, to look

into the problem and advise us of certain

aspects of the situation which we have notbeen able, at this end, to ascertain.

Please investigate the problem and let us

know why it happened.

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ToneThe relationship you want to establish to

your reader

May be formal, informal, academic,

casual, humorous depending on the

subject

Non-use of slangorjargonto formal

letters

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What to Avoid?Avoid slang

The analysis submitted is a little far out

in this case

The analysis doesnt take into

consideration the long-term impact of

the problem

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What to Avoid?Avoid overly technical terms, unfamiliar

abbreviations, and other jargons

After analyzing your software program, wefound an error that produced an infinites do-

loop in the run

After analyzing your software program, anerror was found that instructed the computer

to repeat a step endlessly.

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What to Avoid?Avoid clichs

To reduce costs, weve got to keep our eyeon the ball

To reduce costs, accurate records of all

expenditures should be kept and ways to cutoverheads be studied

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