Organizing content so each element of a document leads clearly and logically into the next helps ensure readers will stay interested in what you have to say.
BENEFITS OF ORGANIZING CONTENT
n their own, a set of well-written sentences don't make an effective document. The sentences may still fail to communicate a writer's message if they're not properly organized.
A very long, dense body of text with no paragraphs is shown.
As a writer, organizing your content is an essential part of the writing process. It involves combining sentences into coherent paragraphs, each of which has a clear purpose.
Logical sentences are arranged into illogical paragraphs. Paragraph one reads:
"Our employees became increasingly frustrated."
Paragraph two is:
"When we installed a new version of our business software, computers kept locking up. Of course, each time a computer locked up, the employee (and sometimes a computer technician) had to spend time solving the problem. There were times that we even lost files, which had to be recreated, at the cost of even more time."
Paragraph three is:
"All the problematic computers were purchased five years ago. At first, they were more than adequate but then, about two years ago, we started noticing problems."
In turn, it involves arranging paragraphs so that text is ordered in the best possible way to get your message across.
Logical sentences arranged into three logical paragraphs. The first paragraph reads:
"All the problematic computers were purchased five years ago. At first, they were more than adequate but then, about two years ago, we started noticing problems."
The second paragraph is:
"When we installed a new version of our business software, computers kept locking up. Of course, each time a computer locked up, the employee (and sometimes a computer technician) had to spend time solving the problem. There were times that we even lost files, which had to be recreated, at the cost of even more time."
The third paragraph is:
"Our employees became increasingly frustrated."
There are two key benefits of organizing your content well:
- it makes the document easier to follow and so quicker to read, and
- it's easier to understand your purpose and what you want from your readers
EASIER TO FOLLOW
Your sentences may be clear and concise, but if they're not logically connected, or your main point is buried in a third paragraph, they may frustrate and confuse your readers.
Organizing content so each element of a document leads clearly and logically into the next helps ensure readers will stay interested in what you have to say. It helps "lead" them through a document.
EASIER TO UNDERSTAND
Organizing content well involves arranging it so that your purpose in writing is immediately clear. Further content should then support or expand on the main idea you're presenting.
Doing this makes it far more likely readers will understand what you need to communicate. In turn, this makes it more likely they'll respond in the way you hope.
There's no one best way to organize a business document.
Ultimately, this will depend on who you're writing for and on what your purpose is.
QUESTION
What are the benefits of taking the time to ensure content in a business document is well organized?
- You will be able to make your document shorter
- Readers will find it easier to follow the document
- You can use the structure of the document as a template for organizing all your business messages
- It's more likely readers will understand your purpose and what you want from them
Organizing content well does not necessarily mean it will be shorter. You should state your main idea at the very beginning of your message and then follow this through with relevant supporting details.
Organizing content clearly and logically makes it easier to follow. This helps ensure you maintain readers' interest, and don't waste their time.
The ideal structure of any document will depend on who you're writing for and on what your purpose in writing is.
The clearer the organization of your content, the clearer your message will be. If the organization of your content enhances your purpose, readers will understand why your message deserves attention and what you want from them.
I have been teaching and training agents, team leaders, supervisors, managers and admins of call centers and other businesses in BPO related fields. This series, comes as a result of that experience. I have more than 4,000 modules that I plan on sharing here. This is # 003-13