PRINCIPLES OF EFFECTIVE

WRITING
1. ORIENTATION TOWARDS THE
RECEIVER
 Adapt style & substance according to receiver’s
method of thinking and understanding.
 No jargon
 For more than one receiver adapt the style to suit
the lowest level of recipient.
 2. SHORT AND SIMPLE
VOCABULARY
 Use short words instead of long words
 Examples: Agreements instead of Unanimity
 3. USE SPECIFIC WORDS
 Use specific words to bring vitality and
exactness
 Don’t use words that are judgmental/ abstract or
subjective
 Example: Use by 10th of June instead of As early
as possible
 Use 80% losses instead of Major losses.
 4. USE ACTIVE VOICE INSTEAD
OF PASSIVE VOICE
 Active voice conveys force and focus
 Passive voice conveys half heartedness and
defensiveness.
 The Director will review the sessions instead of
The Sessions will be reviewed by the Director
 5. USE OF ACTION VERBS
 Action verbs conveys the force of your
personality and sense of purpose
 Examples: Trained, Achieved, Solved etc
 6. BE BRIEF
 Verbosity conveys poor impression on the
reader
 Be concise and precise
7. PREFER SHORT SENTENCES TO
LONG, COMPOUND AND
COMPLEX SENTENCES
 As a rule, a sentence should not comprise of
more than 15 words.
 Don’t use very short sentences as it is awkward
and childish.
 8. GENDER BIASED WORDS
 Do not use masculine/feminine gender
 Use plural or the symbol “/”
 Examples: Chairperson, Spokesperson, Police
officer
 9. USE PROPER SENTENCE
DESIGN
 In oral communication emphasis on a particular word changes
the meaning.
 In written communication to emphasize some portion of content
the sentence has to be structured or designed accordingly.
 Be clear about what idea you wish to highlight
 Examples
 “This year the sales increased, however the cumulative losses
increased
 Even though the sales increased, the cumulative losses increased
 The cumulative losses increased, in spite of an increase in sales
 FLOW-SENTENCE-PARAGRAPHS
(CONSISTENCY, CONTINUITY AND
LINKAGES)
 The structure should be cohesive and smooth
flowing, sentence should blend into paragraphs
which should blend to form a homogenous entity
 Every sentence should convey a single thought.
 Every paragraph should discuss single idea
 Every correspondence should deal with only one
subject
 ATTACHMENTS
 Attachments are documents or items which are
attached to the main document.
 APPENDIX: This amplifies a portion of main
text.
 Appendix should be listed in the order of their
appearance in the main document
 They are attached at the end of the main
document
 ATTACHMENTS……….
 ANNEXURE: It is an amplification of a portion
of the appendix
 An annexure is to an appendix, what an
appendix is to the main body
 An appendix can have number of annexures.
THANK YOU