Beginning a Communication Guidelines for Writing Beginnings for

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