This week’s reading, Chapter 8 – Organizing and Drafting, doesn’t really present any information that should be new to a college student, but I believe it serves as a good reminder of how our documents, technical or not, should be structured. I feel that the structure of a document can make or break its effectiveness. If you’ve ever come across a document that was all over the place, you could probably agree. When reading a poorly structured document, you’ll end up spending most of your brainpower trying to figure out what the author is trying to say, rather than understanding his or her message and figuring out why it is important to you.
I agree with the author about the importance of a general outline for any document. With the amount of content and the spread of information most technical documents cover, one would be lost without an outline. I especially identify with the statement “don’t start at the beginning, or end at the end.” Whenever I write anything for school or work (including this response), I tend to begin in the middle, where the main points are elaborated upon and examples are given. Having the “meat” of your document finished first makes writing the introduction and conclusion pretty easy, as they really only serve to preview and summarize your main points.
I disagree slightly with the author’s idea of “starting moves” in an introduction or conclusion. I suppose it is different for a technical document, but I like to leave these areas open for more organic expressions, such as a relevant story or abstract comparison; as I feel these are the things that help readers relate topics to what they already know, and develop a better understanding of what’s being presented. I’m also confused as to why the author feels the need to “wake” your reader up in the conclusion. To me, an effective document will hold attention throughout. If you fell you need to deliver a jolt at the end, maybe it would serve you better to reexamine the body of your document.
Technical, Yet Boring
I'll agree that an effective document should be designed to hold the attention of the reader at all times, but this isn't always an easy task with technical documents. Working at Bosch, I've come to find that there are reports for everything, no matter how boring or uninteresting. How exactly do you hold the attention of a reader when you're describing something like the variance in surface finish on disc brake rotors from several different casting suppliers and machining companies? Dimensional analyses are pretty mind-numbing no matter how you look at them, and you have to include all the details. It’s not like a fictional novel where you can omit what’s dull and keep what’s exciting. This is why I think that the chapter recommends an attention-getter near the conclusion. Our resumes and cover letters will be different though, because we will only be including our most interesting, personal characteristics.
Starting Moves in an Introduction
I agree totally with your last sentiment. If you need to wake your reader up, then your document has failed at successfully delivering your information overall.
I also really like your thoughts on trying to find ways to get your reader to relate to the subject. In some contexts, I'd worry about the appropriateness of that tactic, but I also don't really like the idea of a recipe-like list of things you should include in an introduction. Just like with resumes, I feel like if you don't make at least some effort to give readers something that doesn't fall rank-and-file into what they've seen time and time again, it becomes much harder to get their attention.
"Waking" the reader
I actually think that the reading has a valid point, but makes it poorly when it comes to the transitions into the conclusion. The author(s) has made use of a poor analogy of "waking up the reader," which suggests that they were asleep, when really I think their point is that it should be obvious that you're concluding your paper. You do want your reader to know that this is it, you've finished your argument and you're wrapping it up. You don't want your reader to get to the end of your conclusion and be surprised that the paper is finished. So, I think it's a valid point that you should alert your reader to the fact that this is the conclusion with some sort of transition, but I don't think you should do so with a clunky, unoriginal, unspecific transition (such as "in conclusion,) nor do I think that you should assume your reader is asleep and needs your transition to be in bold capital letters, either.
Kristin
Reply - All over the place
I also find it distracting to read when an author is all over the place. Although I do understand how one writes without being collective and in order. I am a person who tends to start writing about one thing and then I will go on a tangent off of my first thought start writing a new one and then go back to the first. When writing I find that it helps me to focus by making an outline and sticking to it. Being able to keep thoughts in order and having good writing skills takes time to build with practice and criticism.
Zebulon Rouse
Importance of Intro and Conclusion
I completely agree the power of a strong outline for writing. It is one of the most basic natural habits most people have since we were younger. Starting with a good outline is crucial for organization and is the frame structure that holds the document together. I also start on the body when writing out my outlines. I feel like you need the stability to know the direction of the introduction and conclusion. However, I like to take advantage of my introduction and conclusion for concrete information or ideas rather than something abstract. The introduction and conclusion are important tools when communicating to your audience
Very Boring
I would have to agree about how boring and mundane many different kinds of technical drawings can be. The worst would have to be dimensioned drawings; there is just no fun part about them. They are just lines and numbers on a piece of paper. After minutes of staring at one it makes me want to loose my mind. It is very hard to hold the attention of a reader with a document like this, but with most documents like that they are being read for a purpose. With other kinds of documents though, like resumes and reports, the reader should not be bored with it by the end of it and need to be “woken up” by an attractive conclusion.