The Essentials of Technical Communication: Chapter 4

In this Chapter

This chapter outlines specific strategies for writing in a readable style. The primary goal of this style is write documents that can be read quickly and easily. This chapter begins by discussing paragraph construction, and then it introduces four principles of effective style.  The remainder of the chapter explains how to construct effective sentences. Several specific tips are introduced, and the chapter provides many detailed examples.

The Paragraph

The construction of paragraphs greatly affects the readability of a document. A paragraph is a group of related sentences that produce a coherent idea. It is important that a paragraph include only information that is relevant to the topic of that paragraph, and that the information is organized logically. The paragraph should start with a topic sentence which summarizes the content.  The writer should vary the length of paragraphs throughout the document, and avoid very long paragraphs entirely.

 Principles of Effective Style

The chapter lists four principles of effective style which focus on tailoring the document to the reader. The technical writer should consider the reader’s level of knowledge of the subject. For example, don’t waste time explaining simple physics to a highly knowledgeable engineer or assume someone from marketing understands the intricacies of the accounting system. The reader’s level of knowledge also impacts the use of acronyms and jargon. In short, the document should be understood by the reader without explaining things they already know. The reader will also have certain expectations about the style of the document depending on the type of communication being used. Often, company templates and style sheets will be provided. The reader’s probable level of reading is also an important consideration. Your writing should be neither confusing nor overly simplistic. The relative positions of the writer and reader within the organization will also affect the type of language used in the document.

Effective Sentences

This section lists many tips and examples to help improve sentences. When combined, these techniques result in concise, highly readable sentences. The writer should carefully consider the length of their sentences. Length should vary throughout the document, but you should consider revising sentences over 20 words. Subjects and verbs should be located close to one another in the sentence. This makes the meaning more clear. It can be difficult to identify the subject and verb with one reading of a long, convoluted sentence. Also, the more verbs there are in a sentence relative to the total word count, the more direct the sentence. This aspect of a sentence is the verb/word ratio. You should avoid excessive use of the verb “be,” and it’s various forms in your writing. The use of specific action verbs adds clarity to a sentence.  In many situations, be verbs are a correct choice, but the writer should replace be verbs with action verbs where possible.  Studies have also shown that readers understand sentences written in the active voice more easily than those written in the passive voice. To write in the active voice, the agent should be the subject of the sentence and appear near the verb.  The technical writer should avoid pompous language.  The structure and words used should be as simple as possible. Complex structure and long words will only make the document more difficult to read.