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Structure Practice: Task 1 - Plan Your Structure

This document provides guidance on structuring documents by practicing different outlining techniques. It recommends starting with writing objectives and brainstorming ideas using methods like mind maps, post-it notes, or lists. Then analyze the ideas to identify the most important "must" elements. Consider the logical order of those key points and how to guide the reader effectively to the objective. Practicing reordering and changing perspectives will help determine the best structure.

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shubhamsharma2020
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23 views

Structure Practice: Task 1 - Plan Your Structure

This document provides guidance on structuring documents by practicing different outlining techniques. It recommends starting with writing objectives and brainstorming ideas using methods like mind maps, post-it notes, or lists. Then analyze the ideas to identify the most important "must" elements. Consider the logical order of those key points and how to guide the reader effectively to the objective. Practicing reordering and changing perspectives will help determine the best structure.

Uploaded by

shubhamsharma2020
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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STRUCTURE PRACTICE

We’ve just looked at three ways of getting your ideas out of your head and onto the screen – Post-It
Notes, a Mind-Map and a structured list. And we looked at a method for deciding which of your
ideas are most important – COULD-SHOULD-MUST.

Remember, you can only find out which techniques work best for you by practicing them. It’s well
worth the effort.

Task 1 – Plan your structure


Think of a real life example of something you need to write. It could be for work or something else, it
doesn’t matter. Then follow the steps below.

1. Write down your objective(s)


First, write down the objective for your real-life example. Make it as clear and simple as you
can. Remember to think SMART.
2. Write down your ideas
Next, set out your ideas using a mind map, post-it notes or a structured list. This becomes
the list of everything you could put into your document. If you normally do something like
this anyway, try something new. Is it more helpful or not?
3. Could/ Should/ Must
From your list of coulds, select the shoulds and then the musts, the things that are most
vital of all and that, if you left them out, the document would not work. This isn’t easy. Be
brutal and see what happens.
4. Order your ideas
Consider the order of your most important points. What comes first? What most naturally/
logically follows? Remember, you are guiding your reader step-by-step to your objective.
They are probably pressed for time and you want to get to the point quickly.
5. Change the order
When you’ve done this, try completely changing the order of your points. What’s the effect?
Better? Worse? The order in which you place your information makes a huge difference to
the quality and success of your work.
6. Change your objective and your reader
What if you changed your objective slightly? Or your reader? How would you change the
order, the structure, of your work? Learn to be as specific as possible at all times.

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