Questions to ask yourself before you get started

Who is my audience?

• What is their literacy level?
• Is English their first language?
• How much do they know about my topic?

Why am I writing this document?

• to instruct (for example, give step-by-step directions)
• to persuade (for example, to change current behaviour)
• to inform (for example, to tell them about a new policy, procedure, or service)

What do I need to say?

• What is essential?
• What is nice to know, but not actually necessary in this document?

How should I organize the information?

Depending on your audience’s needs and your purpose …

• you can decide what is most important and put that at the beginning
• you can use chronological order (for example, step-by- step instructions)

How should I present my information?

• Does it need pictures or diagrams?
• Should it be large print?
• Does it need to be translated?
• Will it be mostly digital, or should there be a print option available?
• If there will be a print option, should it be a flat sheet, a pamphlet, or a booklet?

See Appendix A: Planning Guide in the back matter of this textbook.