The document discusses the inverted pyramid structure for delivering written content. It originated during the American Civil War when telegraph communication was unreliable and news had to be conveyed succinctly. The inverted pyramid places the most important information like who, what, where, why at the beginning in the lead section, followed by supporting information in descending order of importance, with details at the bottom for easy editing if needed. This allows the essential information to be understood even if the transmission is cut off.

1. Communication Principles of ID: Inverted Pyramid
Inverted Pyramid
structure for delivering written content
Online
Magazines
Newspapers
American Civil War telegraph was tempermental.
News had to be conveyed succinctly and quickly.

2. Communication Principles of ID: Inverted Pyramid
LEAD
SUPPORTING INFORMATION
DETAILS

3. Communication Principles of ID: Inverted Pyramid

4. Communication Principles of ID: Inverted Pyramid
LEAD: most relevant/important like
who, what where and why
SUPPORTING INFORMATION: In order of importants
DETAILS: Bottom up, easy editing

5. Communication Principles of ID: Inverted Pyramid
LEAD: Hard (concise), Soft (narrative)
NASA is proposing another space project. The agency's budget request, announced today, included a
plan to send another person to the moon. This time the agency hopes to establish a long-term facility
as a jumping-off point for other space adventures. The budget requests approximately ten trillion
dollars for the project. ...
LEAD: Soft (narrative)
Humans will be going to the moon again. The NASA announcement came as the agency requested ten
trillion dollars of appropriations for the project. ...

6. Communication Principles of ID: Inverted Pyramid
http://www.veryshortlist.
com/other/daily.
cfm/review/2102/vsl/welc
ome-to-the-new-vsl/

7. Communication Principles of ID: Inverted Pyramid
http://www.veryshortlist.com/style/daily.
cfm/review/2112/Current_cinema//?

8. Communication Principles of ID: Familiarity
Familiarity
emotional state effects learning

9. Communication Principles of ID: Familiarity
The Principle of Least Effort
searching and seeking behavior of users
Thomas Mann, a general reference
librarian at US Library of Congress

10. Communication Principles of ID: Familiarity
The Principle of Least Effort
- humans will naturally gravitate toward
what is familiar and easy...even if result is poor
- ease of use may be more important to the
researcher than the quality of results

11. Communication Principles of ID: Familiarity

12. Communication Principles of ID: Familiarity
So humans are "lazy users" ....how does that effect us?

13. Communication Principles of ID: Familiarity
So humans are "lazy users" ....how does that effect us?
- Learn how users search content
(wayfinding, online, directions, etc.)
- forecast users abilities, tools of choice,
familiarity with technology, access to media, etc.
- appropriate information structure
for clear and memorable communication

14. Communication Principles of ID: Familiarity
Reading Museum
http://www.historypin.com/profile/view/Reading%20Museum

15. Communication Principles of ID: Familiarity
Uncertainty Reduction Theory
insight into social interaction and how individuals
cope when meeting strangers
Charles Berger and Richard Calabrese, 1975 journal " Human Communication Research"

16. Communication Principles of ID: Familiarity
Uncertainty Reduction Theory
When encountering a new person/group we have
3 phases of discovery:
Entry, Personal, and Exit
=
Understand this process so that we can predict behavior to reduce
uncertainty and discomfort

17. Communication Principles of ID: Familiarity
Uncertainty Reduction Theory:
ENTRY, PERSONAL, EXIT
communication via commonly accepted social rules:
- Shaking hands
- Conversation like
"How about this weather!?"
or "Nice to meet you."

18. Communication Principles of ID: Familiarity
Uncertainty Reduction Theory:
ENTRY, PERSONAL, EXIT
relaxed and sharing info more freely
- beliefs
- Values
- conversation like
"where do you work"
or "what music do you like"

19. Communication Principles of ID: Familiarity
Uncertainty Reduction Theory:
ENTRY, PERSONAL, EXIT
determine if the whether the relationship wil continue or conclude
- conversation like
"may I have your business card?"
or "it was nice to meet you"

20. Communication Principles of ID: Familiarity
Uncertainty Reduction Theory:
ENTRY, PERSONAL, EXIT
- when we are uncertain we seek information
- certainty is enhanced by similarities
- what we are uncertain of is less favorable

21. Communication Principles of ID: Literacy
Literacy
ability to recognize when info is needed
find, evaluate, analyze and use information

22. Communication Principles of ID: Literacy
Visual Literacy
now images exceed the printed the word
- Focus on interpretation, appreciation, gathering and creation of images
- Images aid thinking, desision making, learning and communication
- realize not all images are objective, some altered

23. Communication Principles of ID: Literacy
Semiotics
signs and symbols are elements of language and communication
- informs interpretation of imagery
- meanings assigned through variables ( sender, receiver, context and
culture)
- Semantics( relation between signifiers, like words,phrases, signs and symbols, what they stand for)
- Syntactics (study of the principles and rules for constructing phrases )
- Pragmatics (a subfield of linguistics which studies the ways in which context contributes to meaning.)

24. Communication Principles of ID: Literacy
http://aristotelis9.wordpress.com/2009/05/09/semiotics/

25. Communication Principles of ID: Literacy
Signs
denotation: most commonly accepted meaning
connotation: secondary associations based on personal experience

26. Communication Principles of ID: Literacy
Signs
Icons, Symbols, Indexes
literal visual representations

27. Communication Principles of ID: Literacy
Signs
Icons, Symbols, Indexes
abstract without physical form

28. Communication Principles of ID: Literacy
Signs
Icons, Symbols, Indexes
create connections between objects

29. Communication Principles of ID: Literacy
Signs: Context, culture and experience not fixed
Communication is never static. Experiences evolve and so does the
meaning we ascribe to signs

30. Quick Tips for Week 4: Inverted Pyramid
- Use stories or anecdotes to place information in context for an emotional
connection
- Consider previous precedents and user interaction. Will changes you
apply help or hinder communication
- Stick to the facts to enhance skimming and scanning for things with time
constraint.

31. Quick Tips for Week 4: Familiarity
- Evolutionary change through incremental steps
- Use familiar to introduce new concepts

32. Quick Tips for Week 4: Literacy
- Use customary icons and symbols to ensure communication.
- Be aware of Cultural changes to ensure consistent communication
(telephone looks different now that than
- be familiar with the visual language of your audience. Do they prefer
photos or icons or text? A literary review or ethnographic study can
help.