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Guidelines for Communicating in Writing

For those who wish to communicate in writing here are some basic guidelines. A well written document will get the task done better. You will be admired for your ability to communicate clearly and effectively.

 
 

Content Plan

  • If there is a conclusion in the piece, please consider placing the conclusion first and the explanation later.
  • If it is a long piece, please state the key points at the start as far as possible. Please also consider having a small summary at the start.
  • One paragraph for one idea will help bring clarity to the content.
  • Please make the key points for the paragraph at the start of the paragraph as far as possible.
  • Please provide descriptive sub headings for each paragraph.
  • Plan to get the reader's attention. You can then be generous and make as many points as you feel are relevant.



 
 
 

Writing Style

  • As far as possible please use simple words.
  • As far as possible please be concise.
  • Please use short sentences. Sentences of more than 25 words should be avoided as far as possible.
  • If you are writing for the internet, please remember a conversational tone works better than a formal tone.



   
 
 

Formatting & Display

  • Please make paragraphs of 20 to 150 words as far as possible. 70 words is a good average paragraph length.
  • If you can use either a bullet list or a paragraph, please choose to go with a bullet list. Please avoid long lists though. If the list is longer than 10 items, please consider breaking it up into more than one list.
  • Please pass the written content through a spell check.
  • Please proof read it for errors that spell check will not catch. Like misspelling can as van.
  • Please provide expanded forms of acronyms used if the acronym is not widely used.
  • You can also use bold letters within a paragraph for emphasis.



   
 
 

Use of images & videos is very helpful

  • If possible please plan for one or more images for each paragraph of 20 to 150 words or thereabouts. Please provide a brief description of a suitable image for the context. A resource will be provided to click and process images.
  • Please plan for videos to support your content, specially for the internet. They can make a big difference to the depth of the content. It is easy to make videos now since most cameras can take videos of acceptable quality for the internet.



   
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