Planning your document

Know what your message is
Consider your audience
Break your message down
- Each paragraph should have a mini-message of its own
- Create an explicit outline of your document one level at a time
- Use a visual outlining technique that works for you
Based on your purpose, choose an order for your information: (taken from textbook: p139)
- Direct: Summary, background, discussion, result
- Indirect: Result, evidence, discussion, main point
- Problem solving: Problem, cause, solution