Tools to Help you Write Effectively AGRICULTURAL COMMUNICATION IN ACTION

Professional Communication  Communication is both written and oral.  The foundation of good communication in the work place is writing.  The principles of effective writing can also apply to effective oral communication.  Effective writers think about their purpose before they write and try to develop a plan for their writing to achieve their goal.  Effective writers must know and understand their audience  Effective writers select writing tools designed to be effective in communicating to their intended reader

Questions Effective Writers Ask  When effective writers start writing they ask themselves the following questions.  What is the ultimate message I want to convey?  What are the key points I want to make?  What supporting points or evidence can I add to establish credibility for the point I am making?  How can I organize my points visually to produce the desired result?  Should I use bullet points, headings and subheadings, bolding, underlining and italics?  What language and word choices can I make to get the level of understanding I wan to achieve or have the reader identify with what I am saying?

Questions Effective Writers Ask  If the effective writer can answer all of the questions then they have begun to develop their message strategy.  A message strategy is a conscious decision to communicate with some purpose in mind.  Starting with the purpose in mind can help the writer be clearer  Writing without a strategy in mind usually wanders off into tangents that do not relate to the main purpose

Writing Tips There are 7 general writing tips for effective writing  Use a thesis statement  Concentrate on areas you need help  Read work out loud  Read good writers  Read textbooks if you do not have time to read  Save good examples of writing  Vary sentence structure

Thesis Statement A thesis statement states your main point and purpose for writing and is a way of getting your key message across to the reader. Thesis statements are usually at the beginning or end of the introductory paragraph

Concentrate  Concentrate onthe areas in your writing that you need help with by taking you time and using reference materials such as a dictionary or thesaurus  Pay extra attention to these areas when editing  Check for things like comma placement  If you edit consistently it will become a habit

Read Your Work Aloud- Every time  If you read aloud your ear will pick up punctuation mistakes  You will also be able to hear if the word choice is correct

Read Good Writers  Your writing will improve the more you read excellent writers

If You Cannot Find the Time to Read…  If you cannot find the time to read, read your textbooks for your classes thoroughly; review how a sentence or paragraph you especially like is structured  Take advantage of the times you have to read to appreciate the writers skill

Save Examples of Good Writing  When you need to write something similar for a class, pull out your good example as a model  You should not just copy it, but it can be a good guide for organization, style and tone

Vary Sentence Structure  Vary your sentence structure  Your writing should be interesting to read  Each paragraph should have a topic sentence and supporting sentences  Use examples to explain key points

Effective Communication  Occurs by actively engaging the reader  Effective writers strive for maximum readability  Readability is the ease or difficulty a reader can understand writing  Your writing should be tailored to the audience you are writing for

To Be An Effective Writer  Use correct grammar  Use correct punctuation  Use writing tools-message strategies  Make your point clear to your audience  Choose words and phrases carefully  Make your writing interesting

Paragraph Structure  Have one main idea and a topic sentence in each paragraph  Break long complicated sentences in to smaller sentences

Key Points  Always keep the audience in mind  What is the ultimate outcome of your writing?  Who are you writing for?  Why are you writing about this topic?  By answering these questions each time you write you will improve your writing