Achieving a Readable Style

A good paragraph structure is important as it helps in readability of the written document.

As we have always been told in English classes, it is important to have good paragraph structure. The topic sentence should provide an overview of the content of the paragraph as well as introduce the subject of the paragraph. Relevant information should be presented in a logical fashion that is concise and easy to follow. The main difference in technical writing pertains to the length—here our aim is to avoid long paragraphs. Again this goes back to the idea that folks reading your writing are looking only for the information, whether it’s a sales office or a job site.

The chapter moves forward with basic principles of effective style. On page 48, the author provides 4 needs of the reader that should be considered:

• Readers’ knowledge of the subject.

• Readers’ expectations about the style based on the specific kind of writing.

• Readers’ probable reading level based on context in which the document will be read.

• The writer’s relationship to the readers—the professional roles of both writer and readers.

The first point is especially important in most of the technical fields we work in today. Use of specific terms and acronyms would limit the understanding of readers outside a field of study. I could mention Poisson’s equation several hundred times in a report, but the number of readers who know what equation I’m referring to would be limited to those with a background in fluids and aerodynamics. Use of simple vernacular as well as defining terms (or equations in my example) is encouraged to promote clarity in your work.

The next three points tie in together fairly well. They address how well you know your reader. Larger companies use headers, watermarks, cover sheets or templates for a lot of their written correspondences. These limits on style not only provide a profession manner of communicating, but also provide documentation that said communication occurred within a company should the legal need arise. Also again we are reminded to remember our roles in a company compared to the readers of the document.

The remainder of the chapter deals with the sentence structure and word usage and choice. This part of the chapter I found the most useful as I am slowly transitioning back too more technical writing from academic writing. Many good points were brought up, such as:

1. Revise sentences over 15 to 20 words

2. Place the subject as close to the verb as possible

3. A larger verb/word ratio makes for a more direct and concise sentence

4. Simplicity in wordage is better than sophistication.

5. Avoid excessive use of verb forms of the be verb

6. Use active voice for clarity

The use of these guidelines improves clarity and conciseness of writing. I would judge my writing somewhere between academic and technical—it does not have the clarity of technical writing and none of the elegant prose of academic writing. Slowly but surly my writing will improve to better technical writing.

Reference Link: Click Here