1

Writing: Macro Issues

 2

Writing: Macro Issues

• Document design for “High Skim” value
▫ To show readability and Organization
• Signposts to show connection
▫ To show logical flow and connect ideas
• Effective paragraphs and sections
▫ To strengthen ideas
 3

Document Design For “High Skim Value”

• Designing your writing so readers can scan the overall document quickly and refer to
certain sections easily

Three techniques in particular will give your documents HSV:

1. Headings and subheadings

- Stand alone sense (SAAS)
- Limited headings subheading
- No random words
- Parallel form (Grammatical, conceptualism)
1. White space
- Breaking into shorter blocks
- Use white space for lists (List for visual emphasis, indent the section)
- Use of white space to show organization (indenting subordinate info,
opening/closing)
1. Typography
 4

Document Design For “High Skim Value”

• Headings and subheadings

1. Stand-alone sense
 Use Stand-alone headings not topic headings
 Key to building relationships
 Using stand-alone headings in one-level messages
Recruiting Efforts
Training Efforts
Performance evaluations
 Using stand-alone headings in multilevel messages
PROBLEMS WITH CURRENT SYSTEM
Recruiting
Training
Performance Evaluation
 5

Document Design For “High Skim Value” (cont)

• Headings and subheadings

2. Limited wording
 Do not go overboard
 Use headings for important ideas only
3. No random words
 Do not use emphatic typography to set off words in
sentences – if they are important they should be
headings
 6

4. Parallel form
 Grammatical parallelism
Same grammatical construction for ideas

• Establishing formal sales organization

• Production department: duties defined
• Improve cost-accounting system

 Conceptual parallelism
Each heading should be the same kind of item
 7

Document Design For “High Skim Value” (cont)

• Using white space

1. Breaking into shorter blocks

High emotional intelligence can help a manager improve workplace

communication skills, employee motivation and organizational effectiveness.
If a manager has high empathy, a key component of emotional intelligence, he
or she will be able to listen to the concerns of employees and will be more
understanding of their needs, wants and concerns. This will most likely
translate into increased motivation and satisfaction of employees and
ultimately will have a positive effect on the effectiveness of the business. It is
important to note, however, that emotional intelligence is a concept that is not
universally understood to have the same meaning and is not universally
believed to be a key determiner of business success. Highly authoritarian, top
down approaches are employed in many successful businesses today.
 8

Document Design For “High Skim Value” (cont)

High emotional intelligence can help a manager improve
•Workplace communication skills
•Employee motivation
•Organizational effectiveness

If a manager has high empathy, a key component of emotional intelligence, he or she will
be able to listen to the concerns of employees and will be more understanding of their
needs, wants and concerns. This will most likely translate into increased motivation and
satisfaction of employees and ultimately will have a positive effect on the effectiveness of
the business.

It is important to note, however, that emotional intelligence is a concept that is not

universally understood to have the same meaning and is not universally believed to be a
key determiner of business success. Highly authoritarian, top down approaches are
employed in many successful businesses today.
 9

Document Design For “High Skim Value” (cont)

• Using white space

2. Using white space for lists
 Use lists for visual emphasis
We have to reserve the room for the training session two weeks in
advance. We need to get confirmation from the facilitator by then.
We also need to print posters announcing the session. An email
also needs to be sent out to the participants.
The arrangements that you need to make for the upcoming
training session are as below:
1. Reserve a room by 2 January.
2. Get confirmation from the facilitator.
3. Print posters to announce the session.
4. Send an email to the participants.
 10

Document Design For “High Skim Value” (cont)

• Using white space

2. Using white space for lists
 Indent the entire section
Choose between:
▫Numbers => Relative Importance, Time Sequence or steps
▫Bullets => When list is not in order of importance, time sequence
or steps
▫Tables => When comparing data
 11

Document Design For “High Skim Value” (cont)

• Using white space

3. Using white space to show organization
 Indenting increasingly subordinate information
FIRST MAIN HEADING
This section is not indented
First Subheading
First subsection
Second subheading
Second subsection
SECOND MAIN HEADING
Flush with the left margin again
 12

Document Design For “High Skim Value” (cont)

• Using white space

3. Using white space to show organization
 Setting off opening / closing
The introduction is flush left, that is flush with the left margin.
Continue to right your complete introduction.
Main points are indented. Write in complete sentences. Make
sure main point is not too long, that is seems like a
paragraph.
Second point is indented, aligned with the first main point.
The closing is flush left, similar to the introduction.
 13

Document Design For “High Skim Value” (cont)

• Using white space

4. Using white space to separate paragraphs
 Double space
 Indent initial line
5. Choosing unjustified margins
 “Rivers of Space”
 Choose “unjustified” or “ragged right” margins
 14

Document Design For “High Skim Value” (cont)

• Choosing typography
1. For emphasis and consistency
 Use emphatic typography for
 Headings only
 In a differentiated or consistent pattern
2. To show relative importance
 By placement
CENTERED LOOKS MOST IMPORTANT
Flush next to the margin looks next most important.
Heading on its own line
Indented heading followed by text on the next line looks less important than a
flush left heading.
A run-in heading run into text looks least important.
 15

Document Design For “High Skim Value” (cont)

 By size
▫ 14-18 point size for title or major headings
▫ 12 point minimum for printed text
▫ 8-10 point size for tables, footnotes, running headers etc
 By appearance
▫ ALL CAPS and SMALL CAPS look most emphatic
▫ Boldface or underlining looks somewhat emphatic
▫ Italics or regular text looks least emphatic
 16

Document Design For “High Skim Value” (cont)

3. For readability
 Choose a readable font
▫ Serif fonts are good for traditional looks and densely printed paper
documents
▫ Sans serif have a modern look and are usually used for headings
 Choose sentence case
▫ AVOID ALL CAPS THAT FORM MONOTONOUS RECTANGLES
WITHOUT DIFFERING SHAPES TO CATCH THE EYE.
.
 Avoid Italics for extended text. Italics are fine for
headings but they are harder to read for extended text,
as in a paragraph like this one.
 17

Signposts to Show Connection

• Throughout the message
1. Back-and-forth references
If you adopt this new marketing plan (reference backward to previous
section), you can expect the following financial results (reference
forward to upcoming section).
2. Section previews
This is the introduction. It builds reader receptivity, tells your pose for
writing, and gives a preview like this: (1) Section 1, (2) Section 2, and (3)
Section 3.
SECTION HEADING 1
Section preview lets the reader know the main points of the
following section.
First subsection heading
Again use a preview if you have third level headings.
 18

Signposts to Show Connection (cont)

• In the introduction
1. Establish a common context – what exists
As we discussed last week,
As you know,
2. Explain your purpose for writing – why write
 What you want to tell them
 What you want them to do
 What your opinion is
This report summarizes …
This report supports the …
 19

Signposts to Show Connection (cont)

• In the introduction
3. Make your structure explicit – how organized
 Help readers follow and understand
 Give them a choice to read the section they want

▫ This letter includes four recommendations

▫ The report is divided into three main parts: (1) part 1,
(2) part 2, and (3) part 3.
 20

Signposts to Show Connection (cont)

• In the introduction
▫ Ordering the three elements – What, Why and How
 Purpose or preview first
 High credibility
 Indifferent audience
 Agreeable audience
 Build reader interest first
 Lower credibility
 Unpredictable audience
▫ Length of introduction
 Depends on the document
 21

Signposts to Show Connection (cont)

• In the closing
▫ Effective closing
 Feedback mechanism
I will call you tomorrow to discuss the details…
 Action step
If you wish to apply, please click on…
 Goodwill ending
I look forward to working with you on this project.
▫ Ineffective closing
 Introducing a new topic
 Apologizing
 Ending abruptly
 22

Effective Paragraphs or Sections

• Generalization and support

1. Begin with generalization and support it

This procedure consists of four steps. First, do this. Second,
do that. Third, do the other. Finally, do this.
2. Topic sentence or heading
 Standard prose: Topic sentence
The new brochures are full of major printing errors.
 HSV prose: Heading /Subheading
Printing errors in brochures
 23

Effective Paragraphs or Sections (cont)

• Generalization and support
3. Development and support
 Underdeveloped paragraphs
 Avoid many one sentence paragraphs
 Make sure each sentence supports the main idea and
has enough evidence
 24

Effective Paragraphs or Sections (cont)

• Paragraph structure
Connections within paragraphs
▫ Document design techniques
 Headings, subheadings, bullets, indentation, typography
▫ Transitional words
 Connecting one idea with another
ABC company should follow several recommendations to
emerge from its financial crisis. Most importantly, the
company needs to cut back drastically on labor costs. In
addition, resource allocation and utilization should be done in
a more effective manner.