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.