Chapter 8 of “Technical Communication Today” stressed the importance of properly organizing documents. While the main concept of the chapter has been discussed in several of my other Communication and English classes over the years, it did contain some new information. It provided several ways of aiding in doing so as well as several different organizational structures.
The topic that related the most to me was creating an outline prior to writing. In the past I have found this to be the most effective way to write a paper. This may not be true for everyone, but I have definitely seen the benefits. Initially it allows me to put my thoughts into a logical coherent manner. Once the outline is created, it then serves as a road map for the actual writing. Having the outline in front of me also helps prevent me from getting sidetracked, since I don’t have to think about what I am going to talk about next. I found it interesting that the book suggests using PowerPoint to help aid in the creation of an outline. I had never thought of using PowerPoint to do this and will probably never do so but none the less; I still think this is a unique idea.
The chapter put particular emphasis on the structuring of documents. Just as I have been taught since middle school, a document should consist of an introduction, body and conclusion. The structure did not end there however; each section should be crafted in a manner that allows them to flow smoothly onto the next part. One method to help achieve this is to use the patterns of arrangement. This helps put the writing into a logical manner. The reading also provided five closing moves for writing conclusions, my favorite being the obvious transition.
Overall this chapter proved beneficial in teaching the importance of properly organized documents. Although some information had previously been taught, there were some interesting new perspectives. In conclusion, upon reading this chapter I feel that I can better organize my writings to create more effective documents.
Outlines and Structure
I also thought this section did a good job of bringing up some new ideas while also reviewing the basic intro, body, conclusion format most of us are already familiar with. I thought the section about outlines was very useful because in the past I have struggled with writing a good outline. I usually have most of the ideas in my head and tend to just organize the paper as I go. However the more I continue my education the more useful little reviews like this are. I think this chapter will be a big help in making sure I can creat more effective and better organized documents in the future.
Patrick Griffin
pgriffin@purdue.edu
Blank screen
I agree that writing an outline before writing a paper, especially a long paper, is definitely an important time saver. I didn't always use outline before writing a paper. I would just try and write the whole thing at once and then go back and edit it. Let me tell you, it took forever. I spent most of my time staring a blank screen while racking my brain trying to think of what to write. After I started using outline it became some much easier. Using an outline, I could write down all the facts and information I needed to put in the paper and then construct the paper. After an initial writing it was much easier to go back and make things flow together than trying to write the whole paper at once.
Andy
outline
After reading your comments on Chapter 8, I agree with you on how important it to properly organize your documents is. I don’t understand how someone with the knowledge of the different organizational structure won’t apply them. After reading Chapter 8, I realize how many times I’ve written a technical document and didn’t apply these structures.
Creating an outline prior to writing a document can save you a large amount of time. I can’t count the amount of times I could have saved, by just organizing an outline. Writing an outline is also vital because, it visually setup the document.
PowerPoint
I also thought the suggestion of using PowerPoint was unique. I like how you said you thought it was interesting but you will probably never use it. Honesty is always a good choice, haha. I might use PowerPoint to create an outline depending if I was going to present the information. That way I kill two birds with one stone. I make an outline and have a better structured paper, and at the same time i create a PowerPoint presentation. If you think about it a presentation is just an outline of your information, so it works out. So think about using that PowerPoint as an outline tool if the circumstance applies.
Evan