Good Instructions Writing in Stylewriter Software

“When you mount the cooker hood on a modulated kitchen please care that the superior border of the calibre is on the inferior border of the incorporated board.  When you fix the cooker hood to the incorporated board please set this border on the wall upon the bottom of the incorporated board and use the un-hooped holes.”

Instructions from Zanussi on how to fit a cooker hood.

Good instructions rely on:

• clear, easy-to-understand writing style;
• clear, logical and well-ordered organisation; and
• clear and attractive presentation.

Instructions need to be safe and unambiguous so an interesting and varied style is a secondary consideration.  This is one type of writing where repetitive and consistent use of one structure is a positive advantage.

If you are not sure of the background knowledge of your readers – aim low.  Those who know more can use the instructions as a checklist.  Other, less knowledgeable, readers benefit from receiving everything they need to know.

When you select Instructions as your writing task, StyleWriter Software adjusts its statistical measures as follows:

	Style Index	Average Sentance	Passive Index	Long Sentance Limit
Excellent Range	0-15	8-16	0-20	25

Writing Style

Your instructions should be easy to understand – you should never make your readers dig for information.  They need to grasp each instruction so your writing has be clear, concise and to the point.  As well as being in plain English, instruction writing should follow several simple principles:

• Write in the imperative mood:

Pull the wire back.

Type your password.

Fill in Section B first.

Turn left at the traffic lights.

• Use active verbs:

The cursor should be moved to the top of the page.

Move the cursor to the top of the page.

• Use “you” and “your” as much as possible:

The markers can be set in either order…

You can set the markers in either order…

• Keep your sentences short – between ten and twenty words.
• Use familiar, direct language and avoid jargon:

conduct an investigation – check, look over

utilise a wrench – use a wrench.

• Start sentences with instructional verbs:

press, type, adjust, attach, close, install,

lock, replace, spin, turn, wrap

Organisation

Good organisation is crucial when writing instructions.  You must give readers all the relevant information they need to complete the task.

A good introduction is important to an effective set of instructions.  As well as explaining what the instructions cover and how they are organised, your introduction should promote the product and motivate the reader to follow the instructions.  Remember that many people only read the bare minimum to get up and running with a product – so make the most of the introduction.

The way you organise instructions influences how easy they are to follow.  When writing instructions:

• Simplify the process as much as you can.
• Present the reader with a step-by-step guide to carry out the task.
• Keep one instruction to a paragraph.
• Organise the process into as many steps and sub-steps as needed.
• Arrange steps in a clear and logical order.
• Use chronological order in step-by-step instructions.  Where sequence isn’t vital, you can use a different arrangement.
• Keep each step in a series clear and distinct from every other step.
• Use dot points or numbering to list instructions.
• Separate instructions from problem-solving advice.
• Repeat instructions in full rather than referring readers to other sections.
• Set warnings or important advice separately so readers don’t miss them.

Presentation

Good presentation lets your readers find the relevant information quickly and easily.  Don’t make your readers read cramped and crowded lines.

• Leave plenty of white space – this helps pages look uncluttered.
• Be generous with graphics.
• Use simple numbering of points.
• Be consistent in the format you use in sets of instructions.

When writing instructions, test them on the people who are going to use them.  Do they understand them?  Do the instructions contain too much or too little?  Examine your instructions to see if users can follow them.

Plain English Writing Task Styles in Stylewriter

This entry was posted on June 13th, 2010 and is filed under Writing Task Styles. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.