Memo
To:
Genine Latrice Perez
From:
Melissa Peaden
Date:
February 18, 2021
Re:
Week 6 – Chapter 3
In Chapter 3, it gives many examples of questions someone should ask themselves or
find out when writing a document. The chapter also mentions the different phases of
writing the document such as, planning, drafting and revising. Each phase presents
different questions that someone should ask themselves. For the assignment, I have
decided to choose one question from each of the phases that I mentioned previously
and answer and explain.
Planning: Why and how will the reader use your document?
As mentioned in Chapter 3, there are many factors that you have to consider when
answering this question. You will have to analyze your audience and find out what it is
they already know, what they want to know and what their preference is on how the
information is presented. You also need analyze the purpose to know how the reader
will use the document so that you can present the information that is useful to the
reader. If you were to skip these steps it would be nearly impossible to write your
document while presenting a document that is useful.
Drafting: Should I use an existing template or create a new document?
Although using a template could make it quicker and easier to write your document,
there are a lot of downfalls as well to using an existing template. In the chapter, it is
pointed out that there are many negatives to using an existing template such as, the
template not reflecting the best design principles such as font size, the template not
sticking out to interest the reader, and the fact of not being useful from a content of the
document stand point. Using a template can give you a baseline for the formatting of a
document however. The use of templates can also prevent the writer from learning how
to use the program and sharpening their skills within the program. As described in the
chapter, the use of a template has more negatives than positives.
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Revising: Does the draft meet readers’ expectations?
During the revising phase, you get an opportunity to look back on your document to
verify that you have addressed all the important points of the document and you are
meeting the readers expectations. As mentioned in the chapter, if the reader is
expecting one thing and are look for it in the document when they don’t see what they
are expecting they will be distracted or even turned off by the document. Also as
mentioned in the chapter, different cultures have different expectations. Therefore,
when writing your document, it all comes full circle as these are things you should
consider in the planning phase and verifying in the revising phase.
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