Transcript Document

Writing skills workshop
Dr Ronnie Scott
ronnie-scott.com
9.30-10.50:
Key messages, key
people, the most
effective channels
11.10-12.30:
From academic texts
to clear writing
13.30-14.30:
Writing for the web
Messages, audiences
My research
proved …
My analysis
established …
My work provides
a new proven
method for …
My findings
revealed …
Academic leaders
Industry leaders
Thought leaders
Top conferences
Leading journals
Best networks
Funds and prizes
Top employers
Joining the dots
Writing skills workshop
Dr Ronnie Scott
ronnie-scott.com
9.30-10.50:
Key messages, key
people, the most
effective channels
11.10-12.30:
From academic texts
to clear writing
13.30-14.30:
Writing for the web
www.ronnie-scott.com
Ten guidelines
Know your
audience
Know your purpose
Plan your structure
Keep sentences
short and simple
Keep paragraphs
short and cogent
Use active, not
passive, verbs
Avoid hanging
participles
Avoid
nominalisations
Check grammar,
spelling and
punctuation
Test your writing
on other people
1 Know your audience
Imagine yourself
in the position of
your audience
What are their
needs and
expectations?
What are their
motivations?
How could you
research this?
2 Know your purpose
What outcome do
you want from
your writing?
What do you
want the reader
to do next?
How could you
establish this?
3 Plan your structure
Begin with your
Unique Selling
Points
Each sentence
follows logically
from the one
before
The writing builds
to a call to action
How could you
ensure this?
4 Keep sentences short
Use simpler
words
Cut unnecessary
words
Examples >>
How could you
ensure this?
Use simpler words
accomplish
ascertain
disseminate
endeavor
expedite
facilitate
formulate
in lieu of
locality
optimum
strategize
utilize
>>
do
find out
send out, distribute
try
hasten, speed up
make easier, help
work out, devise, form
instead of
place
best, greatest, most
plan
use
– www.web.net/~plain/PlainTrain/UsingAppropriateWords.html
Cut unnecessary words
with regard to
>>
by means of
in the event that
until such time
during such time
in respect of
in view of the fact
on the part of
subsequent to
under the provisions of
with a view to
it would appear that
it is probable that
notwithstanding the fact that
adequate number of
excessive number of
about
by
if
until
while
for
because
by
after
under
to
apparently
probably
although
enough
too many
– www.web.net/~plain/PlainTrain/UsingAppropriateWords.html
5 Keep paragraphs brief
Vary the length of
your paragraphs,
but always keep
them short
Each paragraph
should contain
related sentences
How could you
ensure this?
6 Use active verbs
Customers are
believed to have
reduced their
annual spending
This result is
understood to be
correct
The report will be
published soon
We believe that
customer have
reduced their
annual spending
We understand
that this result is
correct
We will publish
the report soon
7 Avoid hanging intros
Being a recent
book, Ivy should
have heard of it
Before reaching
the station, the
sun came out
Looking out the
window, the cow
was eating grass
Rushing to finish
the paper, Bob’s
printer broke
Flying across the
country, Perth
came into view
Without knowing
his name, it was
hard to call him
8 Avoid nominalisations
the
the
the
the
the
the
the
the
use of
>>
avoidance of
clarification of
improvement of
provision of
recognition of
realisation of
management of
to
to
to
to
to
to
to
to
use
avoid
clarify
improve
provide
recognise
realise
manage
A seedy example
Many Australian plant species
produce seeds with fleshy
appendages called elaiosomes. It was
hypothesised that elaiosomes are
involved in the dispersal of seeds by
ants. To test this hypothesis, the
removal of seeds with elaiosomes was
compared to seeds from which the
elaiosome had been removed and
observations were made to confirm
that the agents of seed removal were
indeed ants. It was found that the
removal of seeds with elaiosomes was
significantly greater than those
without elaiosomes. Observations of
the seed removal process confirmed
that ants were the only agents of
seed removal.
How could you
revise this to
change the
highlighted
nouns to
verbs? Any
other changes?
– http://unilearning.uow.edu.au/
academic/3b.html
9 Check grammar etc
Check grammar
Check spelling
Check punctuation
What resources
could we use?
10 Test your writing
Have an office
writing buddy
Have a virtual
writing buddy
How else could
we test our
writing for clarity
and effect?
Test your skills
The truly vital importance of this original, ground-breaking
research must not be misunderstood. Being unique, readers
must take notice of it’s formal results, it’s truly innovative and
original and new research methods, and how it examines the
discourse and tropes of international and interpersonal
economic forces. The authors are to be praised for they’re
dedication to the clarification of linguistic tortuousness. And
they’re recognition that modes of cognition reflect and privilege
dominant ideologies.
The most eminent provision of this research will ultimately be
recognised to be the exposition of the on-going dialectic
between the diametrically opposed polar extremes of the visible
light spectrum. The producers of this research adumbrate that
that, for every instance of their obfuscated linguistic exercise,
the absence of illumination is equal to the lack of colour.
Test your skills
We should appreciate the importance
of this original research. Readers
should note the valuable results and
the innovative research methods, and
the examination of economic forces.
We should thank the authors for their
clear writing, and for recognising that
culture influences thinking.
Specifically, the authors argue that
black is white.
Writing skills workshop
Dr Ronnie Scott
ronnie-scott.com
9.30-10.50:
Key messages, key
people, the most
effective channels
11.10-12.30:
From academic texts
to clear writing
13.30-14.30:
Writing for the web
Scanning, not reading
Writing for the web
Researcher brings city of the dead back to life
Glasgow Necropolis, a neglected part of the city’s heritage,
could be the latest tourist attraction, according to Dr Ronnie
Scott.
His research into the origins of the Necropolis shows that
the people who made Glasgow the Second City of the Empire
also laid out Scotland’s first garden cemetery.
The cemetery, and their monuments there, reproduce the
Victorian grandeur that gave the city its distinctive architecture.
It is Victorian Glasgow in miniature, with monuments designed
by the leading architects of the day, including Charles Rennie
Mackintosh and Alexander “Greek” Thomson.
Dr Scott’s research is of interest to a number of groups:
• Tourist bosses will be grateful for a new attraction;
• Historians have been given an insight into Victorian beliefs;
• Architects will be happy to see works by famous colleagues;
• Family historians will welcome the records that have been
unearthed.
If you want to know more about the history of the
Necropolis, you can buy Dr Scott’s book, Death by Design: The
True Story of the Glasgow Necropolis (Edinburgh: Black &
White, 2005), or visit his web site at www.ronnie-scott.com
Identifying benefits
My research
proves that X
sector can
profitably expand
its Y activities
My findings
challenge the
established way
of doing Z
My thesis
provides solid
evidence that A
managers can B
with confidence
My work gives C
teams a proven
strategy to
improve their D
www.ronnie-scott.com