| Appearance is an important aspect of clear
communication. If your document is pleasing to the eye,
it will be more likely to attract your reader's attention.
Appearance can also be an aid to the reader, improving
comprehension and retention. There are four main aspects
of appearance: |
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a) A strong, logical organization
includes:
- Introductions
- Short sentences and
paragraphs
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People read documents to get answers. Organize
your message to respond to their interests and concerns.
Readers come to documents with several key questions:
| Why
are you sending this to me? |
| How does this affect
me? |
| What
am I supposed to do? |
Use introductions to help your reader understand how
the document is organized. For a simple letter or memorandum,
an introductory paragraph should suffice. For brochures
and lengthy briefing documents or reports, use a table
of contents or other list early in the document to guide
the reader.
Sentence length should average 15-20 words. Sentences
that are simple, active, affirmative, and declarative
hold the reader's interest. Generally, each paragraph
should contain only one topic. A series of paragraphs
may be used to express complex or highly technical information.
The more your writing deviates from this clear and to-the-point
structure, the harder it is to understand.
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b) Layout includes:
- margins and white space
- headings
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Use adequate margins and provide white space between
sections to break up your text. This makes it easier
for the reader to understand.
Use headings to guide the reader; the question-and-answer
format is especially helpful. Try to anticipate the
reader's questions and pose them as the reader would.
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 |
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| What is cancer? |
Cancer |
| Can I get breast cancer? |
Breast Cancer |
| What causes cancer? |
Known Causative Agents |
| Can cancer be cured? |
Mortality & Morbidity |
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| c) Tables make
complex information readily understandable. |
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If-then tables lay out the text visually, helping your
reader see relationships more easily and usually requiring
fewer words than straight text. For example, the paragraph
below is written in the "dense text" method:
For good reasons, the Secretary may grant extensions
of time in 30-day increments for filing of the appeal
and all required documents, provided that additional
extension requests are submitted and approved before
the expiration of the original 30 days or the previously
granted extension.
Try it this way instead.
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| IF |
THEN |
| additional requests for extensions
are submitted and approved before |
the
Secretary may grant additional 30-day extensions
of time for filing of the appeal and all required
documents. |
- the original 30 days, or
- the expiration of a previously granted extension
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d) Typography relates to:
- fonts
- shading/boxes
- bullets and numbers
- emphasis
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Generally,
use the same font throughout the text of a document. |
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Use shading/boxes
sparingly. |
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Bullets and numbers: |
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Generally, don't use more than two types of
bullets in a document.
Use numbers only if there is a sequence to
identify or to help guide the reader in a long
list of items.
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For emphasis use italics or bold (not
underlining). |
Use the tips and tools contained in this document
but also use good judgment. For example, the question-and-answer
format is an excellent way to present some material...but
not necessarily all material. Decide which tools fit
your situation and aid the reader.
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