Writing Process

Chapter 4

1. Three stops for writing process:

First, Planning:

- analyze the situation: purpose and audience profile

- Meet audience needs

- select the best medium for message and situation

- organizing the information (main idea, scope, approach and content)

Second, writing

- adapting to your audience (being sensitive to audience needs, building strong relationship with them and controlling your style)

- composing the message (strong words, effective sentences and coherent paragraphs)

Third, completing your message:

- review (content, clarity and concise)

- producing (design elements and delivery methods)

- proofreading for mistakes

- distribution (meeting audience needs)

Clear purpose? (to inform, persuade or collaborate with the audience)

- Anything will change as a result of this message?

- is realistic?

- is the right time?

- is acceptable for my organization?

Gathering options:

- review audience perspective (reports and company documents)

- talking to supervisors and others who have information and insight

- asking audience members directly

Attributes to verify quality information: accurate, ethical and pertinent to audience’s needs.

Factors to choose the appropriate medium:

1. media richness. Determine by medium’s ability to:

- convey a message using more than one informational cue (sound, motion, nonverbal cues,

- facilitate feedback

- establish personal focus

2. level of formality

3. limitations of each medium

4. level of urgency

5. cost of various media options

6. audience preferences

Task for organizing a good message:

Important (save time, conserve creative energy and help to understand your message)

- define main idea

- limiting scope

- support the main idea by choosing the direct (starts with the main idea and follows with support evidence) or indirect approach (stars with evidence and build the case before presenting the main idea)

- outlining your content

Journalistic approach (answers the...