111
CHOICES AND STRATEGIES: Choosing Effective Organizational Patterns
| IF YOU WANT TO . . . | CONSIDER USING THIS ORGANIZATIONAL PATTERN | EXAMPLE |
| Explain events that occurred or might occur, or tasks the reader is to carry out in sequence | Chronological. Most of the time, you present information in chronological order. Sometimes, however, you use reverse chronology. | You describe the process you used to diagnose the problem with the accounting software. In a job résumé, you describe your more-recent jobs before your less-recent ones. |
| Describe a physical object or scene, such as a device or a location | Spatial. You choose an organizing principle such as top-to-bottom, east-to-west, or inside-to-outside. | You describe the three buildings that will make up the new production facility. |
| Explain a complex situation or idea, such as the factors that led to a problem or the theory that underlies a process | General to specific. You present general information first, then specific information. Understanding the big picture helps readers understand the details. | You explain the major changes in and the details of the law mandating the use of a new refrigerant in cooling systems. |
| Present a set of factors | More important to less important. You discuss the most-important issue first, then the next-most-important issue, and so forth. In technical communication, you don’t want to create suspense. You want to present the most-important information first. | When you launch a new product, you discuss market niche, competition, and then pricing. |
| Present similarities and differences between two or more items | Comparison and contrast. You choose from one of two patterns: discuss all the factors related to one item, then all the factors related to the next item, and so forth; or discuss one factor as it relates to all the items, then another factor as it relates to all the items, and so forth. | You discuss the strengths and weaknesses of three companies bidding on a contract your company is offering. |
| Assign items to logical categories, or discuss the elements that make up a single item | Classification or partition. Classification involves placing items into categories according to some basis. Partition involves breaking a single item into its major elements. | You group the motors your company manufactures according to the fuel they burn: gasoline or diesel. Or you explain the operation of each major component of one of your motors. |
|
112 |
Problem-methods-solution. You can use this pattern in discussing the past, the present, or the future. Readers understand this organizational pattern because they use it in their everyday lives. | In describing how your company is responding to a new competitor, you discuss the problem (the recent loss in sales), the methods (how you plan to examine your product line and business practices), and the solution (which changes will help your company remain competitive). |
| Discuss the factors that led to (or will lead to) a given situation, or the effects that a situation led to or will lead to | Cause and effect. You can start from causes and speculate about effects, or start with the effect and work backward to determine the causes. | You discuss factors that you think contributed to a recent sales dip for one of your products. Or you explain how you think changes to an existing product will affect its sales. |