15 Fundamental best practice writing principles and practice

1. CHARLES COTTER
14 AUGUST 2013

2. 
 A –B – C (ACCURACY – BREVITY – CLARITY)
 A – I – D –A (ATTENTION – INTEREST – DESIRE –
ACTION)
 “THINK BEFORE YOU INK”
 BEST FIT METHODS – FFP; FFM; FFR –
PURPOSE/MESSAGE/READER
 BE STRATEGIC AND SELECTIVE WITH INFORMATION –
VALUE ADD AND RELEVANT ONLY
FUNDAMENTAL BEST PRACTICE
WRITING PRINCIPLES

3. 
 “LESS IS MORE” – HAVE AN EFFICIENT AND
ECONOMICAL WRITING STYLE
 “CUSTOMIZATION IS KING/QUEEN” –
CONDUCT A READERSHIP ANALYSIS
 PROPER STRUCTURE
 USE THE INVERTED PYRAMID METHOD
FUNDAMENTAL BEST PRACTICE
WRITING PRINCIPLES

4. 
 ENHANCE THE READIBILITY OF YOUR DOCUMENTS
 USE APPROPRIATE LANGUAGE, STYLE AND TONE
 INTEGRATE RATIONAL AND CREATIVE THOUGHT
PROCESSES
 USE ACTIVE VOICE
 ENSURE QUALITY ASSURANCE
 ACHIEVED PURPOSE – OUTCOMES AND RESULTS
FUNDAMENTAL BEST PRACTICE
WRITING PRINCIPLES

5. 
 During a disaster, the Health Department will have
the responsibility for the provision of medical
assistance and the coordination of medical treatment.
Staff will be provided with information on the drills
and will receive notification of the dates.
 During a disaster, the Health Department will be
responsible for providing medical assistance and
coordinate medical treatment. Staff will be
informed about drills and notified of the dates.
ACTIVE VOICE EXAMPLE

6. 
 REFER TO PAGES 44-46 IN LEARNER MANUAL
 PURPOSE OF MEMO’S
 STYLE OF MEMO’S
 APPROPRIATE LENGTH OF MEMO’S
 LAYOUT/FORMAT OF MEMO’S
 BEST PRACTICE PRINCIPLES
WRITING MEMORANDUMS
(MEMO’S)

7. 
HEADING
OPENING/INTRODUCTION
BODY/KEY POINTS
CLOSING
MEMO FORMAT

8. 
Analyze a current/recent Namibian
Public Service Memorandum by
using the Memorandum Evaluation
Checklist.
Identify gaps and propose
improvement strategies.
LEARNING ACTIVITY

9. BEST PRACTICE PRINCIPLE COMPLIANT
YES (Y) NO (N)
1. ABC
1. AIDA
1. WELL PLANNED
1. ADOPTED BEST FIT METHODS
1. PROVIDED VALUE-ADDING AND RELEVANT INFORMATION
1. EFFICIENT AND ECONOMICAL WRITING STYLE
1. ADAPTED TO THE LEVEL OF READER
1. PROPER FORMAT AND STRUCTURE
1. USED INVERTED PYRAMID
1. MEMO IS USER-FRIENDLY (READABLE)
1. APPROPRIATE LANGUAGE, STYLE AND TONE
1. INTEGRATE RATIONAL AND CREATIVE THOUGHT PROCESSES
1. USE OF ACTIVE VOICE
1. APPARENT QUALITY ASSURANCE – WELL EDITED WITH NO
APPARENT MISTAKES
1. ACHIEVED PURPOSE
MEMORANDUM
EVALUATION CHECKLIST

10. 
 SUMMARY OF KEY POINTS
 QUESTIONS
 THANK YOU
CONCLUSION

11. 
 CHARLES COTTER
 (+27) 84 562 9446
 charlescot@polka.co.za
 LINKED IN
 TWITTER: Charles_Cotter
CONTACT DETAILS