– The Variety of Instructions

– Three Important Points to Remember

• Instructions Shape Attitudes

• Good Visual Design Is Essential

– Page Design

– Visual Aids

• Testing Is Often Indispensable

– Conventional Superstructure for Instructions

…continued

• Introduction

– Subject

– Aim

– Intended Readers

– Scope

– Organization

– Usage

– Motivation

– Background

…continued

• Description of the Equipment

• Theory of Operation

• List of Materials and Equipment

• Directions

– Present the Steps in a List

– In Your List, Give One Step Per Entry

– Use Headings and Titles to Indicate the Overrall

Structure of the Task

– Use the Active Voice and the Imperative Mood

…continued

- Use Illustrations

- Place Warnings Where Readers Will See Them before

Performing the Steps to Which They Apply

- Tell Your Readers What to Do in the Case of am

Mistake or Unexpected Result

- Where Alternative Steps May be Taken, Help Your

Readers Quickly Find the One They Want

- Provide Enough Detail for Your Readers to Do

Everything They Must Do

• Troubleshooting

• If you were to look at a sampling of the

various kinds of instructions written at work,

you would see that instructions vary greatly in

length and complexity.

• The simplest and shortest are only a few

sentences long.

• Consider, for example, the instructions that the

state of Ohio prints on the back of the 1 x 1-inch

registrations stickers that Ohio citizens

must buy and affix to their automobile license

plates each year:

• Explained on the next slide…

• Position sticker on clean, dry surface in lower

right-hand corner of rear plate (truck tractor

front plate).

• If plate has a previous sticker, place new

sticker to cover old sticker.

• Rub edges down firmly.

• Other instructions are hundreds— or even

thousands— of pages long.

• Examples of these long and highly complex

instructions are those written by General

Electric, Rolls Royce, and McDonnell Douglas

for servicing the airplane engines they

manufacture.

• Other examples are the manuals that IBM,

Control Data, and NCR write to accompany

their large mainframe computers.

• This chapter describes the superstructure for

instructions in a way that will enable you to

use the patterns for any instructions you write

at work, whether long or short.

• Three Important Points To Remember

– When writing instructions, you should keep in

mind three points: instructions shape attitudes,

good visual design is essential, and testing is often

indispensable.

– Each of these points is discussed briefly in the

following paragraphs.

• Instructions Shape Attitudes

– All the communications you write at work have a double

aim: to help your readers perform some task and to affect

your readers’ attitudes in some way.

– However, many writers of instructions focus their attention

so sharply on the task they want to help their readers

perform that they forget about their readers’ attitudes.

– To write effective instructions, you must not commit this

oversight.

• The most important attitude with which you

should concern yourself is that of your readers

toward the instructions themselves.

• Most people dislike using instructions.

• When faced with the work of reading,

interpreting, and following a set of

instructions, they are often tempted to toss the

instructions aside and try to do the job using

common sense.

• However, you and your employer will often

have good reasons for wanting people to use

the instructions you write.

• Maybe the job you are describing is dangerous

if it isn’t done a certain way, or maybe the

product or equipment involved can be

damaged.

• Maybe you know that failure to follow

instructions will lead many readers to an

unsatisfactory outcome, which they might then

blame on your employer.

• For these reasons, it is often very important for

you to persuade your readers that they should

use your instructions.

• In addition, as an instructions writer, you may

want to shape your readers’ attitudes toward

your company and its products.

• If your readers feel that the product is reliable

and that the company thoroughly backs it with

complete support (including good

instructions), they will be more likely to buy

other products from your employer and to

recommend those products to other people.

• To create instructions that will help your

readers and also shape their attitudes in the

way that you want, you must pay special

attention to instructions.

• These include visual design, including both

page design and the design of the drawings,

charts, flow diagrams etc.

• In instructions you need to have a good page

design for several important reasons.

• First, readers almost invariably, use

instructions by alternating between reading

and acting.

• They read a step and then do the step, read the

next step and do that step.

• By designing your pages effectively, you can

help your readers easily find the instructions

for the next step each time they turn their eyes

back to the page.

• This may seam a trivial concern, but readers

quickly become frustrated if they have to

search through a page or paragraph to find

their places.

• When readers are frustrated by a set of

instructions, they may quit trying to use them.

• Through good page design you can your

readers grasp quickly the connections between

related blocks of material in your instructions,

such as the connection between an instruction

ad a drawing or other visual aid that

accompanies it.

• It is also important to remember that the

appearance of instructions influences the

readers to use or not use them.

• If the instructions appear dense and difficult to

follow, or if they appear unclear and

unattractive, readers may decide not even to

use them.

• You can increase the effectiveness of most

instructions by including visual aids.

• Well designed visual aids are much more

economical than words in showing readers

where the parts of the machine are located or

what the result of a procedure should look like.

• On the other hand, visual aids that are poorly

planned and prepared can be just as confusing

and frustrating for readers as poorly written

prose.

• For general advise about creating effective

visual aids, wait till the following lectures.

• It may seem that instructions are among the

easiest of all communications to write and

therefore among those that need to be tested.

• After all, when you write instructions, you

usually describe a procedure you know very

well.

• Your objective is to tell the reader as clearly

and directly as possible what to do.

• Actually instructions present a considerable

challenge to the writer.

• You will find that it is often difficult to find

the words that will tell your readers what to do

in a way that they will understand quickly and

clearly.

• Also because you know the procedure so well,

it will be easy for you to accidentally leave out

some critical information because you don’t

realize that your readers may need to be told it.

• The consequences of even relatively small

slips in writing – even only a few directions in

a set of instructions – can be very great.

• Every step contributes to the successful

completion of the task, and the difficulties the

readers have with any step can prevent them

from completing the task satisfactorily.

• Even if the readers eventually figure out how

to perform all the steps, their initial confusion

with one or two can greatly increase the time it

takes them to complete the procedure.

• Furthermore in steps that are potentially

dangerous, one little mistake can create

tremendous problems.

• For these reasons its often absolutely

necessary to determine for certain if your

instructions will work for your intended

audience.

• And the only way to find this out for sure is to

give a draft to representatives of your audience

and ask them to try the instructions.

• Have your test readers work in a situation that

closely resembles as closely as possible the

situation in which your readers will work.

• Gather information without interfering with

the readers’ activity.

Instructions

• The conventional superstructure for

instructions contains six elements

– Introduction

– Description of the equipment (if the instructions

are for running a piece of equipment)

– Theory of operations

– Lists of material and equipment

– Guide to trouble shooting

Instructions

• The simplest instructions contain only

directions.

• Most complex instructions contain some or all

of the other five elements, the selection

depending upon the aims of the writer and the

needs of the readers.

• Many instructions also contain elements found

in longer communications such as reports and

proposals.

• Among these elements are cover, title page,

table of contents, appendixes, list of

references, glossary, list of symbols and index.

• Because these elements are not particular to

instructions, they will not be discussed here in

this lecture.

• As we discussed earlier some instructions

contain only directions, and no introduction.

• Often however readers find an introduction to

be helpful – or even necessary.

• In the following example you will see how to

apply that general advice when you are writing

instructions.

• In the conventional superstructure for instructions

tells some or all of the following things about

instructions

– Subject

– Aim

– Intended reader

– Scope

– Organization

– Usage

– Motivation

– background

• Writers usually announce the subject of their

instructions in the first sentence.

• Here is the first sentence from the operating

manual of a ten ton machine used at the ends

of assembly lines that make automobile and

truck tires

– This manual tell you how to operate the Tire

Uniformity optimizer

• Here is the second sentence from the owner’ s

manual for a small, lightweight, personal

computer

– This manual introduces you to the Apple

Macintosh TM Computer.

• These sentences are intentionally kept simple

for the sake of understanding.

• From the beginning, readers want to know the

answer to the question

– “What can we achieve by doing the things this

communication instructs us to do?”

• With some instructions you write, the purpose

or outcome of the procedure described will be

obvious.

• For example most people who buy computers

know many of the things which can be done

with them.

• For the reason, a statement about what

computers can do would be unnecessary in the

Macintosh instructions, which in fact contain

none.

• However other instructions do have to answer

readers’ questions about the aim of

instructions.

• In operating instructions for pieces of

equipment, for example, writers often answer

the reader’s questions about what the

procedure will achieve by telling capabilities

of the equipment,

• Depending upon your options to you machine,

it may do any or all of the following jobs

– Test tires

– Find irregularities in tires

– Grind to correct the irregularities, if possible

– Grade tires

– Mark tires according to grade

– Sort tires by grade

• Many readers will ask themselves “are these

instructions written for us – or for people who

differ from us in interests, responsibilities,

level of knowledge and so on?”

• Often readers will know the answer to that

question without being told explicitly.

• In contrast, people who pick up computer

manuals often wonder whether the manual will

assume that they know more (or less) about

computers than they do.

• In such situations, it is most appropriate for

you to answer the question:

– You don’t need to know anything about the

Macintosh or any other computer.

• Information about the scope of the instructions

answers the reader’s questions, “what kinds of

things will we learn to do in these instructions

-- and what things wont we learn?”

• For example the writers of a Tire Uniformity

Manual would answer that question in their

third or fourth sentence.

• The writers of the macintosh manual answer

the same question in this way

– The manual tells you how to

• Use the mouse and keyboard to control your Macintosh

(Chapter 1)

• Get started with your own work, make changes to it, and

save it (Chapter 1)

• By describing the organization of the

instructions, writers answer the readers’

question

– How is the given information given here put

together?

• Your readers may want to know the answer so

they can look for specific pieces of

information.

• They may want to know about the overall

organization simply because they can then

understand the instructions more rapidly and

thoroughly than they could without the

instructions.

• The writers of the Macintosh Manual

announce its organization at the same time

they tell the manual’s scope.

• As they begin to use the set of instructions,

readers often ask themselves

– “how can we get the information we need as

quickly as possible? ”

• Sometimes the obvious answer is to simply

follow the instructions from beginning to end

or to look for a certain set of steps and then to

follow them.

• The manual for the Tire Uniformity optimizer

is used in just such a straightforward way, so it

contains the special advise to about how

readers should use it.

• In contrast, in some of the instructions you

write, you may be able to help your readers

considerably by providing the advice about

how to use your communication.

• As pointed out above, when people are faced

with the work of using a set of instructions,

they often are tempted to toss the instructions

aside and try to use the job using common

sence.

• You can do several things to persuade your

readers not to ignore your instructions.

• For instance, you can use an inviting and

supportive tone and an attractive appearance,

such are used in Macintosh Manual.

• You can tell the user directly, why it is

important for him to read the manual and

follow the instructions.

• In the examples that follow we describe two

kinds of statements that writers provide

• From the operating instructions of typewriters

– To take advantage of the automatic features of the

IBM 60 you need to take time to do the training

exercises offered in this manual.

• From the operating instructions of an office

Photocopy Machine

– Please read the manual thoroughly to ensure

correct operation.

• The particular pieces of background

information your readers need to vary from

one instruction to the next.

• Two kinds of background information are

important

– A description of the equipment

– Explanation of the theory of operations

• Present the steps in a list

• In your list give one set at a time

– For example

• 14 Drain the Canister

– Release the latch that locks the canister’s drain cap

– Unscrew the cap

• Use headings and titles to indicate the overall

structure of task

• Use the active voice and imperative mood

– Set the dial to seven. (much simpler than “the operator then

sets the dial to seven”)

• Use illustrations

– Where things are

– How to perform steps

– What should be the result

• Place warnings where readers will see them before

performing the steps to which they apply

- Where Alternative Steps May be Taken, Help

Your Readers Quickly Find the One They

Want

- Provide Enough Detail for Your Readers to Do

Everything They Must Do

– The Variety of Instructions

– Three Important Points to Remember

• Instructions Shape Attitudes

• Good Visual Design Is Essential

– Page Design

– Visual Aids

• Testing Is Often Indispensable

– Conventional Superstructure for Instructions

…continued

• Introduction

– Subject

– Aim

– Intended Readers

– Scope

– Organization

– Usage

– Motivation

– Background

…continued

• Description of the Equipment

• Theory of Operation

• List of Materials and Equipment

• Directions

– Present the Steps in a List

– In Your List, Give One Step Per Entry

– Use Headings and Titles to Indicate the Overrall

Structure of the Task

– Use the Active Voice and the Imperative Mood

…continued

- Use Illustrations

- Place Warnings Where Readers Will See Them before

Performing the Steps to Which They Apply

- Tell Your Readers What to Do in the Case of am

Mistake or Unexpected Result

- Where Alternative Steps May be Taken, Help Your

Readers Quickly Find the One They Want

- Provide Enough Detail for Your Readers to Do

Everything They Must Do