What’s the Best Way to Word This? Technical vs. Narrative Writing Technical Writing – purpose is to get the message across quickly and clearly
Narrative Writing – purpose is to impress the reader
*Clarity and Speed are the only two criteria’s needed to write technically. If users clearly understand what’s expected of them and can understand it fast, you have a successful document. Simple is good. Get rid of pompous, stuffy language. Eliminate unnecessary verbiage.
The Policy and Procedure Writers Oath – I do solemnly swear to avoid excess verbiage, fancy phrasing, and long words and sentences. I will resist the temptation to display my grammatical mastery and linguistic skill. I will devote myself to the pursuit of short, clear messages. I will dazzle with speed and clarity. ( Ha ha, I love it!)
Being a Word Miser
People who use only the number of words necessary and want to get rid of every single word that doesn’t mean something. To become a word miser follow these simple steps:
Think in Ones
One word is better than two. Two sentences are better than three. They look for any additional words that they can take out but still have the same meaning. Example:
Use the designated hammer.
Do you really need to specify designated?
Dump Pompous, Stuffy Language
Use active voice, start with an action verb, and eliminate all unnecessary adjectives. Example:
All rental car reservations must be made through our affiliated travel agency.
Better -> Reserve rental cars through our travel agency.
Speak to the reader
Type like you are directly talking to the reader. Simple, common language is exactly what you’re looking for in most policies and procedures. Talk to the readers out loud, then write down what you would say.
Follow the Word Misers Rules to Live By Think active voice, present tense. Subject, verb, object. Form your sentences this way, it is called active voice. Active voice cuts out a number of words and clarifies who does what. Add present tense to give a sense of immediacy. Use words with precision and respect. Instead of using very long sentences to describe procedures, break instructions into steps; numbering or lettering them. Understand that every word has a meaning. Describe statements like: Turn the handle to the left. More like: Turn the handle slowly to the left until it stops. Do not force the handle. Say precisely what you mean. Say What You Mean and What You Say Avoid vague words that invite varying interpretations. Describe what “cool” is not by a word, but rather “45 degrees Fahrenheit”.
Be an Accurate Word Miser
Be sure not to take out critical information. Don’t cut words mindlessly. Always ask whether a word or phrase adds any meaning. And if you can’t be both brief and clear, always choose clarity.
Being a Word Master
Use Specific Language
Developing a Rhythm
Rhythm is what keeps the reader reading. Two sources of rhythm: consistency and parallelism Consistency Varying your words often confuses the readers. Use the same word to describe the same action or object throughout. Creativity doesn’t count. Parallelism Use the same grammatical format for like items. Use the same future tense or the same passive or active voice to make instructions parallel in form. Don’t Assume Anything
Consider the Reader
Don’t assume the reader will understand. Statements that require prior knowledge assumes the readers know what to do. Do not fall in this trap. Look at the Reader’s Experience Pay attention to your audience. Diversity of user experience poses a challenge. Visualize the least experienced user and write for that person. Use Jargon Carefully Don’t presume that terminologies are common just because you know them. Once again, analyze the audience carefully. Distinguish Between Users and Readers Calculate Reading Level Well over 50% of today’s workforce reads below a ninth-year level. You must consider this. Write for the 6th – 8th grade reading levels, the same as most newspapers write to.
Users take action, readers don’t. Write for the user.
Word Documents Carefully
Using Special Techniques for ProceduresAvoid words that provoke unpleasant reactions. It will increase receptivity and reduce resistance.
(These are pretty simple so I am not going to describe them too heavily.) Start With an Action Verb
Use One Action per Step – makes instructions easier and faster.
Assign the Action – If multiple users are involved, it’s critical to clarify the responsibility.
Park a Sentence – The most powerful position in any sentence is the beginning and end. Place keys words first and last.
Choose the Right Format – Play script is the best and clearest format for most procedures involving more than one person. Outlining and lists work well also.
9 comments:
Wow. Converting from a Word doc really messed up the formatting. I apologize.
I have to agree with this chapter with regard to using jargon and being a word miser. Right now I am training a new colleague at work, and in going through our procedures, I am finding so many terms that she doesn't understand even though she has worked in health care finance for a number of years (albeit a different facility). I am also learning as I get older that more is not necessarily better. The more succinct I can be, the easier it seems to be for my new colleague to understand.
This chapter reminded me of the valuable lessons in writing I've picked up in nearly every course I've taken in technical communication such as using active voice, parallelism, skipping wordy phrases since they don't really make the writer sound intelligent...and on and on. I have to remind myself of the better ways of writing constantly in every document I write at work and even in my personal correspondence. I've had to revamp my use of the old rules, as Campbell noted at the chapter's start, and try to always keep the audience's needs in mind. When Campbell gives an example of a better way of writing, for example, a command in a procedure, I am disgusted that I didn't figure that out in the first place. But I'm learning and practicing so I'm heading the way of clarity and conciseness in my writing. One area I get some practice is when I proof-read PowerPoint presentations and other documents as part of being on the Communications Committee at work.
I think the most important item that I have learned from this chapter is "to write like you speak." Interestingly enough the opposite of what I learned in my gen ed classes. The use of jargon language and being careful of its use, all businesses use acronyms and how easy it would be for each user to interpret these words incorrectly. Using active voice has been pounded into us in most of the tech comm classes helps to reinforce this point that campbell makes.
I couldn't agree more with what Mary has said. I find myself sometimes writing too much and then because of that things are too vague. For example, you can take two people who work in the exact same industry but at different companies and you will find that the terminology is different in different places. This just cements the fact that the more precise you can be the better. You will avoid having terminology problems by using industry wide terms and not company lingo. I find myself writing things sometimes and when I look back and read what I've wrote, I can't believe I've said so much. Sometimes a little idea is just that. You can expound and elaborate that idea in to something that is unrecognizable because you've added so many different concepts and therefore changed the original purpose for writing. I think I just wrote too much.
I'm so Sorry Mick and Amy. I think it was my turn to post for Campbell. I'll take next week in your place, okay?
This was a very interesting chapter and as I read it, I was becoming more and more embarrassed that I use a lot of those words that aren't necessary. Am I trying to sound smart or something? I have been comfortable using phrases in my sentences like "in order to" and "due to the fact that." When I read those are wordy phrases, I made a promise to myself to try to avoid using them. Old habits are hard to break, though. Another bad habit of mine is writing in the passive voice. I had a class once where we focused on not using what the teacher called "to be" verbs. It was hard. I'm going to make it my motto to be a word miser, keep it simple, and write as if I'm speaking. The irony of it is I like to tell people when they learning I'm taking technical communication classes, that my goal is to write better than I speak. I guess I better revisit my goals.
The first thing I thought of when reading this chapter was the policies and procedures assignment. I received a copy of our store's 'paid time off' policy, which is written in confusing language. The sentences are long and it doesn't seem to speak to a specific audience--the workers at the company. This document doesn't seem to follow the rules outlined in this chapter and I think I will learn a lot from rewriting and working on it.
In mass communications, we are also taught to write in active voice, something that I've gotten very used to over the past couple of years. I re-read one of my papers from high school and even noticed how often I wrote in passive voice (and I was disgusted!) The tips in this chapter will be very helpful not only for my assignments but for workplace communication. Using a consistent rhythm is a concept that is new to me and I will have to keep this in mind as I am working. When I think back to actually reading an instruction manual (the one I look at most often is for my car) I have realized that they seem to use the same words over and over, and now I understand why. A manual should be quick and easy to read and developing a rhythm accomplishes that.
I love our creed! Simple, but effective is the message for this chapter, or at least that's what I gathered from it. When I was working at James Tower as a technical writer intern, I often wondered why they used too much narrative in procedures for software when all the document really needed were simple steps with screen shots and error messages. That is one reason one of the Business Analysts I worked for really liked my stuff. She mentioned that many of the documents were just too cumbersome to even use readily. Despite the fact that my main project was over 300 pages, it was still very thorough yet simplistic.
Luckily for us, brevity is the soul of wit. I tend to go for a bit of flair when I'm writing something, because I'm accustomed to writing fiction, so I always have to remind myself to trim things down.
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