Written Communication

1. Written Communication • Objective: to design, construct and implement written communication that facilitates understanding and results in action taken • Written communication is the end product of careful research, planning, writing and editing • Effective writing is clear, coherent, concise and accurate

2. Effective Writing • Clarity - simplicity, familiarity and visibility • Accuracy- specificity, precision exactness, close observation, using words to convey exactly what we think or have observed • Conciseness - brevity and succinctness • Coherence - the shape and structure of your writing is consistent, logical

3. Process of Writing • identify purpose • audience reception • information requirements - research • planning • sort information • arrange information in sequence

4. Ordering Information • direct/ inductive/ pyramid - starts with main point then provides the detailed evidence analysis discussion. Identifies information chronologically, summarises the issue in the beginning • indirect/ deductive/ inverted pyramid - starts with the conclusion, end result or outcome, then provides the accompanying evidence and concludes with the main point. Identifies the result first • problem-solving - focus the reader on the problem, then provides a detailed discussion of the contributing factors and conclude with the solution

5. Strategies • traditional written outline - creates a list of the important points/main ideas and their supporting evidence, provides the headings and sub-headings for the final piece of writing • tree diagram - orders ideas in logical groups rather than organising the document, suited to complex ideas and information • triangle - emphasises the lead-in or introduction to the topic and the conclusion • mind map - a visual representation with the main point as the focus with key concepts arising from the main idea

6. Writing Techniques • Signalling devices - headings, topic sentences • Linking phrases - logical bridges, repetition or keynoting, substituting pronouns for nouns, phrases to link paragraphs • Transitional expressions/words - help to make connections between ideas

7. Non-verbal communication • body language • use of space • non-linguistic features of speech • as interference • as a separate channel

8. body language • body movement cultural emblems, illustrators, affects touching, nodding, facial expression • physical characteristics disability, posture, perfume, clothing • immediate • intrusive

9. use of space • physicality – use of height and weight • personal space – cultural considerations, gender considerations • environment – lighting, orientation, posture • time - punctuality

10. non-linguistic speech • meaning of words often dependent on how we say something • voice quality • rhythm • pitch • patterns of speech and silence

11. problems with non-verbal communication • there is no dictionary • what we are looking for is often what we see – good or bad • often it seems to contradict what is being said BE AWARE OF IT IF YOU ARE COMMUNICATING match it to what you are trying to say