4.4 Writing Effective Paragraphs
Unlike punctuation, which can be subjected to specific rules, no ironclad guidelines exist for shaping paragraphs. If you presented a text without paragraphs to a dozen writing instructors and asked them to break the document into logical sections, chances are that you would receive different opinions about the best places to break the paragraph. In part, where paragraphs should be placed is a stylistic choice. Some writers prefer longer paragraphs that compare and contrast several related ideas, whereas others stick to having one point per paragraph. In the workplace, many writers use shorter paragraphs and even use one-line paragraphs since this allows readers to scan the document quickly. If your readers have suggested that you take a hard look at how you organize your ideas, or if you are unsure about when you should begin a paragraph or how you should organize final drafts, then you can benefit by reviewing paragraph structure.
Structuring A Paragraph
We’ve already learned that every piece of workplace communication should have a purpose. That’s also true of paragraphs. In general, you should have one purpose per paragraph, although for the overall flow of the document you might want to combine two points. Let’s take a look at this customer service email in Activity 4.3 below.
Activity 4.3 | Customer Service Email
As you can see, most of the paragraphs have only one point. In short communication, it’s enough to simply understand what role the paragraph plays in your writing. In longer or more important communication, you may choose to use topic sentences to structure your paragraphs.
What is a topic sentence?
A topic sentence summarizes the main idea or the purpose of a paragraph. In business writing, the topic sentence usually comes at the beginning of the paragraph. Then, the rest of the paragraph provides the supporting details. Sometimes, a writer will choose to put the topic sentence at the end of the paragraph in order to break bad news or build the reader up to a point. A topic sentence functions in several important ways:
- It informs the reader of the paragraph’s direction: The topic sentence announces the direction of the paragraph’s conversation. With the help of an effective topic sentence, readers will better understand what the paragraph will be about.
- It guides the reader through the major points that support the writer’s purpose: Clearly worded topic sentences may help readers find the author’s position or argument more convincing.
- It places boundaries on the paragraph’s content: The body of the paragraph provides support for the topic sentence. The paragraph should only include evidence and details that relate directly to the boundary established by the topic sentence.
Topic sentence: This year, our Instagram marketing program outperformed our other social media campaigns.
Details within the paragraph:
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- We hosted a unicorn-themed party for Instagram influencers in the Vancouver area, which led to our hashtag trending locally and a 167% increase in local sales of our Pastel Cloud Eye Paints.
- Our Instagram influencer program continues to drive sales. For every $1 in product we give to an influencer, we make $23.
- Instagram accounts for 57% of social-media-driven traffic to our website and 78% of all social-media-driven purchases.
- For every dollar we spent on Instagram marketing, we made $7.45.
When the topic sentence prefaces the sentences with supporting details, the purpose of the paragraph is clearer to the reader. Together, the topic sentence and the body sentences create a well-organized and easy to follow paragraph:
This quarter, Instagram marketing was the top performer of our social media marketing plan. For every dollar we spent on Instagram marketing, we made $7.45. Overall, Instagram accounts for 57% of social-media-driven traffic to our website and 78% of all social-media-driven purchases. Much of this success is due to our Instagram influencer program. For every $1 in free product we give out, we make $23 in product sales. In May, we also hosted a unicorn-themed party for Instagram influencers in the Vancouver area to promote our Pastel Cloud Eye Paints, which led to our hashtag trending locally and a 167% increase in local product sales. We therefore recommend investing more heavily in Instagram next quarter in order to expand our influencer program.
Organization Within Paragraphs
Note that in the previous paragraph, the ideas are organized logically. The author starts out with the topic sentence, then organizes the rest of the information from most general to most specific. The logic of the paragraph is, therefore:
- Instagram marketing was successful.
- It was successful because overall it was profitable.
- It was profitable because of the Instagram influencer program.
- Therefore, we should expand the Instagram influencer program.
Notice how the author uses transition words to link these ideas.
This quarter, Instagram marketing was the top performer of our social media marketing plan. For every dollar we spent on Instagram marketing, we made $7.45. Overall, Instagram accounts for 57% of social-media-driven traffic to our website and 78% of all social-media-driven purchases. Much of this success is due to our Instagram influencer program. For every $1 in free product we give out, we make $23 in product sales. In May, we also hosted a unicorn-themed party for Instagram influencers in the Vancouver area to promote our Pastel Cloud Eye Paints, which led to our hashtag trending locally and a 167% increase in local product sales. We therefore recommend investing more heavily in Instagram next quarter in order to expand our influencer program.
Too many transition words make your paragraph feel forced. In this instance, however, a few transition words help the reader to see the connections that the author is making.
If you’re having trouble organizing your paragraph, you can try the following formats:
- General to specific: This is the most common format, and is the one used in the paragraph above.
- Specific to General: Building the reader up to a point. This is usually used to soften bad news since it helps prepare the reader for the news.
- Cause and Effect: Show how one thing caused another thing to happen.
- Chronological: Describe events as they happened.
- Narrative: Describe a scene. Though this form is usually used in creative writing, it is often used in the workplace in incident reports, donations letters, and other forms of storytelling.
Paragraph Transitions
Readers expect paragraphs to relate to each other as well as to the overall purpose of a text. Establishing transitional sentences for paragraphs can be one of the most difficult challenges you face as a writer because you need to guide the reader with a light hand. When you are too blatant about your transitions, your readers may feel patronized. Effective paragraph transitions signal to readers how two consecutive paragraphs relate to each other. The transition signals the relationship between the “new information” and the “old information.”
For example, the new paragraph might:
- elaborate on the idea presented in the preceding paragraph
- introduce a related idea
- continue a chronological narrative
- describe a problem with the idea presented in the preceding paragraph
- describe an exception to the idea presented in the preceding paragraph
- describe a consequence or implication of the idea presented in the preceding paragraph.
In the following example, can you find the transition between these two ideas?
In 2000, then CEO Wen Xie gave a presentation that set a bold new direction for our company. She recognized that the marketplace was shifting and we needed to embrace digital technology. She said that “all employees can be potential change-makers within the organization” and she announced a bold new retraining and restructuring program. The result: our company experienced unprecedented growth.
Over 20 years later, the principles Xie laid out still apply. Though technology has changed, the company’s commitment to empowering all employees to be “changemakers” remains. That’s why we have launched a new online portal for employees to give their ideas for the improvement of the company.
Here, the writer outlines two ideas:
- In 2000, Xie changed the direction of the company.
- The organization has launched a new online portal for employees to give their ideas.
What’s the connection? That the principles Xie outline still apply, and that’s the reason for the new online portal. Without connection words like “still,” it would be hard for the audience to see how a speech given in 1997 relates to the new online portal.
As the above examples illustrate, effective paragraph transitions signal relationships between paragraphs. They help the reader see the connections that you are making and move easily through your argument.
Activity 4.4 below illustrates some terms that are often helpful for signaling relationships among ideas.
Activity 4.4 | Helpful Terms to Signal Logical Relationships