Transcript Beginning a Communication

Beginning a Communication
Guidelines for Writing Beginnings for
Technical Documents
Functions of a Beginning
There are two distinct functions performed by
the beginning of a communication:
1. A beginning introduces your message.
2. A beginning introduces a group of
paragraphs using the following strategies:
3.
a. Announce the topic
4.
b. Begin with your main point
5.
c. Provide a forecasting statement
1. Give Your Readers a Reason to
Pay Attention
The most important function of a beginning is to
attract the reader’s attention, which can be done at
the beginning of a communication by doing the
following two things:
a. Announce your topic.
b. Tell your readers how they will benefit
from the information you are providing.
2. State Your Main Point
At the beginning of a communication, it is often
helpful to state your main point for the following
reasons:
a. You help the readers find what they most want
or need.
b. You increase the likelihood that your readers
will actually read your main point.
c. You provide your readers with a context for
viewing the details that follow
3. Tell Your Readers What to
Expect
The beginning of a communication should tell
the readers what to expect in the segments
that follow by focusing on the organization
and scope of the overall communication:
3.1 Organization
Tell about your communication’s organization
by providing your reader with a framework
for understanding the connections among
the various pieces of information that you
will convey.
3.2 Scope
Tell about your communication’s scope, about
what the communication does and does not
contain.
4. Encourage Openness to Your
Message
Because the way you begin a communication
has a strong effect on your readers’
response, begin in a way that encourages
them to be open and receptive to the points
that you will be making, especially when
your readers may have a negative attitude
toward your message.
4. Encourage Openness (con’t)
Try to predict whether your readers’ initial attitude
by answering the following questions and then
writing your beginning accordingly:
1. Does your message contain bad news?
2. Does your message contain unwelcome ideas or
recommendations?
3. Do your readers have feelings of distrust,
resentment, or competitiveness toward you?
4. Are your readers likely to be skeptical about
your knowledge of the subject?
5. Are your readers likely to be suspicious of your
motives?
4.1 Three Strategies for
Encouraging Openness
1. Present yourself as a partner, not as a critic
or a competitor.
2. Delay the presentation of your main point.
3. Establish your credibility.
5. Provide Necessary
Background Information
As you draft the beginning of a document, ask
yourself whether your readers will need any
background information to understand what
you are going to tell them, such as certain
general principles, unfamiliar technical
terms, or unfamiliar situations