By Dana P Skopal, PhD
When responding to questions in our workshops, we can see that many writers have a narrow perspective on writing and editing. Many business people seem to focus on putting information into their document and maybe using grammar and spell check tools. However, writing for your reader requires you to step back and question how clear is your key message.
Most readers of information documents want to know what is important and what do they need to do with the information. This aligns with Robert Linsky’s approach – aptly named the ‘LUNAtic approach’. The focus is having a clear understandable message, which must adhere to the ‘three pillars of LUNA – Locate, UNderstand, Act’. A reader needs to be able to locate information easily, and then they need to understand it. The final step is for them to act on the information.
Our research shows that producing your documents requires you to go through four elements – and to keep referring to them when writing, revising text, and editing. The first is content (your disciplinary knowledge) and to ensure you write with technical accuracy. Second, check your register/language/tone and grammar. The third element is to place the information in a logical structure and with headings to guide your reader, which means a coherent macro-structure so your reader can easily locate the information. The final step is information design and clear layout.
As Robert Linsky writes (p 640), ‘Clear communication isn’t simple. It isn’t just design, or plain language, or psychology or usability, but all of these in varying degrees depending on the application.’
References:
Linsky, R. (2017). The LUNAtic approach to information design. In Black, P. Luna, O. Lund, & S. Walker (Eds.), Information design: research and practice, 635–641. Routledge.
Skopal, D. P. (2022). Written communicative expertise: The production of public information documents. Journal of Applied Linguistics and Professional Practice, 16(2), 185–206. https://doi.org/10.1558/jalpp.19105
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