Professional Documents
Culture Documents
for Success
Getting Started on
10
Instructions
Organizing and Formatting
Instructions
Composing Instructions
© 2010
South-Western
Cengage Learning
Chapter 10 Instructions
Go al s
Determine an appropriate format
for instructions.
STEPS
All instructions require a list of chronological
steps. A step is the action a reader performs.
Effectively written steps:
• Proceed forward in time.
• Use the imperative mode (Trim the tip of the
dog’s nail): command verb + object.
• Use short sentences.
• Include only one instruction per step.
• Contain an action—something to do.
• Include sufficient, precise details.
• Use substeps when the major step is too broad
to be understood or followed.
Technical Writing for Success © South-Western Cengage Learning 7
Chapter 10
16
Composing Instructions
Instructions
EXPLANATIONS
An explanation is an extension of the step it
explains.
Typical explanations include:
• What not to do and why
• Why a step is important
• What will happen when the reader does
something
• More details on how to perform the action
• Quick definitions
• How to decide what to do
FIELD TESTS
Always field test your instructions by asking
several people to try them.
Field testers can provide you with valuable
feedback by noting:
• Wording that is not clear
• Steps that are out of sequence
• Missing steps