Boost Your Academic/Work Performance: Writing Effectively

Have you ever jumped in your car having no idea of where you are going or how you are going to get there? (Well maybe on odd occasions we have done that - but its not common!). Planning (i.e. our journeys) is something we do every day so it should be no different with our written work. Knowing where we are going and how we are going to get there is extremely important when writing. On this basis, this important lecture outlines the "bare bones" of planning written journeys.

The only way to tackle a written project is to start broad and work your way down to the detail. This lecture begins our writing journey by detailing structural and formatting considerations in a broad sense, i.e. specifically in relation to documents as a whole. In doing so, document logic, consistency and alignment take centre stage in this lecture.

In this lecture, working our way from broad writing considerations to the more specific, we stop along the way to understand structural and formatting issues that warrant careful attention when writing document sections and paragraphs. In particular, headings, sub-headings, tables and figures, that provide the signposts throughout the written journey, are the topics of discussion in this lecture.

It's a wrap for structuring! This lecture provides some final "food for thought" on the matter, while, at the same time, wrapping up the key points related to this important section on written structure.

This lecture is the only lecture that is specifically tailored to academic work. It is particularly relevant to undergraduate and postgraduate university students and MPhil and PhD students. This lecture is the only lecture in this course that is not relevant for report or business document writing.

You know, some things just don't make sense, do they? This is true of written work which may be well understood by the writer (i.e. creator), but often highly confusing to the reader. Good written expression enhances reader interest by providing "music to the ears"; music that can be created by anyone! This lecture introduces Debra's three-step approach to sense-making, which will certainly help you to do just that!

Debra's first step to sense-making involves Analysing. Whether it's analysis of literature, events, documents, history etc., it represents the important first step to making sense in your written work. In this lecture, Debra provides some great tips so that you are fully prepared for the next step to sense-making i.e. Arranging.

Debra's second step to sense-making involves Arranging. While you may have done a great job in analysing and synthesising the information you wish to refer to in your document, all that hard work will go to waste if you don't arrange the information in a coherent manner for your readers. In this lecture, Debra provides some great tips on this topic so that you are fully prepared for the final step to sense-making i.e. Arguing.

Every document has a purpose/premise/argument, whatever you want to call it. However, often in written work the whole idea behind the document just gets lost due to poor written expression. Follow Debra's tips regarding this final step of sense-making i.e. "arguing" and you will find your documents become much more persuasive and effective. As such, this lecture wraps up this section on sense-making.

While your written work is all about what you say and how you say it, its effectiveness is also heavily dependent on how it looks! In this section on styling or "adding the polish", Debra presents her four-step approach that covers a series of sequential steps to ensure your document looks great and is error free.

Debra begins with a broad view of styling by presenting Step 1 which involves styling the document (as a whole). In this lecture, she challenges traditional document segmentation (i.e. introduction, body and conclusion) by urging students to understand documents as those that create interest, provide information and make inferences.

Drilling down to the paragraph or section level, Debra presents her second step to styling and, in doing so, she shares some terrific ideas in relation to producing great paragraphs and sections.

Getting right to the "nitty-gritty" means dissecting your sentences so that they are just right! In Debra's third step to written styling, she gives some fine examples of good work in this respect; tips you won't want to miss!

Kick off your shoes, its almost time to celebrate - the final read is just around the corner. In this lecture, Debra presents the final step of her styling approach, which outlines how to approach the final read. Once done, you are well and truly on your way to writing effectively.

All good things must come to an end! In this lecture, Debra provides an important wrap-up of the course and discusses the practical tool (writing checklist) that can be downloaded from Lecture 20. Happy writing!

This is the last thing you need to do in this course. Follow these four important steps:

(1) Download this writing checklist
(2) Put it on the wall over your writing desk or area
(3) Constantly use it as your checklist before, during and after you have finished writing; and
(4) Enjoy your new-found writing confidence !!!!

Cheers,
Deb :)