According to the passage, ‘Writing to Communicate’ effectively is governed by techniques that are oftentimes seen in ‘effective writing’ for which strategies can be given to readers that will facilitate them understanding the intent of writers (Ormrod, 1999). There are ten (10) such strategies. The use of ‘appropriate’ linguistic structure is a prerequisite strategy that aids in the process of communicating the intended message. The other examples here are precision of thoughts, which relates to saying exactly what you intend to in a succinct manner. Before the writer can begin the writing process, he/she should have a set of clear primary objectives that will guide his/her thought process. The procedure should begin by presenting an overview of the intending topic at the beginning of the work to enhance effectiveness. In order to effect the process throughout the text, the organization of thoughts is made easier by clear themes and sub-themes. The author will blend these points with appropriate transitory word(s) and-or phrase(s) to enhance flow of his/her thoughts. He/she should elucidate abstract thoughts with concrete illustrations and statistical diagrams as necessary. Providing a summary of the main ideas at the end of each paragraph and at the end of the text is a strategy to enhance the readability of the material. The entire text may require more than one draft; and so the writer should prepare him/herself for this exercise.
By Paul Andrew Bourne, M.Sc. (pending); B.Sc. (Hons.); Dip. Edu.
Graduate Assistant
University of the West Indies
Mona Campus
Kingston, Jamaica
West Indies