Chapter 6: Completing

Question 1

How to revise 3 types of documents

Answer 1

Informal: Although causal check for grammar, spelling, and clarity

Digital: Likewise check, digital messages as they can affect your reputation

Complex: Take time off, look at it again with “fresh eyes”. Ensure words convey general message, before refining its conciseness and clarity

Question 2

What is the importance of careful revision:

Answer 2

-Prevents mistakes that harm your reputation, and also prevents confusion, frustration and costly delays

Question 3

What are the tasks involved in evaluating your first drafts?

Answer 3

Look at :

1. Content: Clarity and Accuracy; Relevance and Completeness( giving enough info to appreciate the message)
2. Organization:
   Order and Emphasis-main points in the right place, receive most space;
   Repetition and Grouping(are details grouped logically)
3. Tone: Too casual vs Too Formal

Question 4

What is involved in evaluating someone else’s work?

Answer 4

Right motive: Promote Writer’s success, not impose your own style/agenda

Then Support the Writer’s Intent: Learn what the writer wanted to Accomplish

Find out audience and their needs, and Seek to improve: clarity, readability, and organization

Question 5

What are 4 techniques we can use to improve readability of messages?

Answer 5

Vary Sentence Length: Short 0-14:- Easy read, Medium15-25: more detail, long over 25: more expansive- can share facts, ideas

Use shorter paragraphs: up to 100 words- don’t go overboard with short paragraphs

Using lists and bullets: uses less words, makes it easier to read and pick out main ideas and details that can be skipped.

Adding effective headings and subheadings: Helps readers see flow of content, and see relationship between main content and subordinate ones

Question 6

What are the types of heading and subheadings?

Answer 6

Descriptive: Identifies what content is with no added details

Informative: Gives more information that can influence the readers’ thinking

Example:
Descriptive- Demand for cookies

Informative- Decline in Demand due to Cow deaths

Question 7

What are eight steps to improve the clarity of your writing?

Answer 7

1. Break Up Overly Long Sentences-
2. Rewrite Hedging Sentences​- be sure, don’t use may, seem, likely, probable etc.
3. Impose Parallelism- use same grammatical structure
4. Correct Dangling Modifiers- place them next to what they are modifying
5. Reword Long Noun Sequences
6. Replace Camouflaged Verbs: Verbs changed to nouns- eg. verification
7. Clarify structure- Place subject close to predicate as close as possible
8. Clarify awkward References: linking ideas in a way that takes more energy to understand. Law office and Accounting office

Question 8

Give 4 tips on being concise

Answer 8

1. Delete Unnecessary Words and Phrases​
2. Shorten Long Words and Phrases​
3. Eliminate Redundancies​
4. Rewrite “It is/There are” starters. “It is believed to be common knowledge” vs “We all know”

Question 9

What are the 4 principles of effective design for readability?

Answer 9

Consistency- Consistent patterns of design features- fonts, colours, typeface

Balance- Having the right amount and right mixture of elements on a page

Restraint- Be simple

Detail- Look at details that affect overall design- wide columns look daunting to read

Question 10

Explain the role of 5 major design elements in document readability

Answer 10

White space: Can make doc look less intimidating for the reader, too much makes text look disjointed

Margins: Space around text can also affect its appearance to the reader

Justification: This deals with alignment- Justified is more dense and professional looking

Typefaces: Choose fonts that allow readers to clearly see letters. Font styles affect tone: Times- formal, Jokerman- informal

Typestyles: Bold, Italics, Underline- highlights critical points, too much make it hard to decide what is important.

Question 11

What are items needed in letter format?

Answer 11

1. Letterhead
2. To Address
3. Date (1 double space from sender’s address)
4. Body
5. Solution

Question 12

Design for mobile devices- give 4 considerations

Answer 12

Think in Small Chunks- Don’t put too much in one message. And do not send multiple small messages that can be compiled into 1

Use White Space Generously- More spacing makes the message look less intimidating to read.

Format Simply- Outline the message in a simple way, using simple features

Experiment With Layouts- many devices can rotate screen so make content compatible for that

Question 13

What kind of errors do proofreading catch?

Answer 13

Language Errors- affects your impression

Missing Material- Missing info may make the document harder to read and understand.

Design Errors- Like in Posters, letter heads etc. Ensure the correct idea is given off, should be easy to understand; avoid unethical/controversial items that may offend.

Typographical Errors- Happens all the time. Makes reading and understanding more difficult

Question 14

Give eight tips for successful proofreading.

Answer 14

1. Make Multiple Passes​- look at one aspect at a time- eg. grammar errors, clarity, conciseness
2. Use Perceptual Tricks​- Sometimes you miss errors as your brain makes you see what was supposed to be on the page. Combat this by reading each word silently, or reading aloud, pronouncing each word carefully
3. Double-check High Priority Items​
4. Give Yourself Some Distance​- Give your mind time to breeze out then come back and proofread.
5. Be Vigilant​- don’t read large chunks in one sitting; don’t read when tired
6. Stay Focused​- block out distractions
7. Review Complex Digital Documents on Paper​- Paper makes it easier for some people
8. Take Your Time

Question 15

Discuss the most important issues to consider when distributing your messages

Answer 15

Cost: Consider the most cost-effective way of getting the message across. Eg. Printing memos vs sending one to employee email.

Convenience: The distribution method should be easily accessible for the reader. Eg. Aeorion provide recordings so that the student can access the info at their convenience

Time: How soon does the message need to reach the audience? Don’t mark messages as urgent if they are not.

Security: Sensitive info must be sent directly. Use software to prevent transmission of viruses in documents.