We read in all the writing manuals, and also on this site, that the texts are effective when they are reader- oriented, reader-focused as our Anglo-Saxon colleagues say.
But putting yourself in the shoes of the many potential readers is one of the most difficult tasks for the professional writer. So difficult that most of the time this essential preliminary step to writing is skipped. So difficult that the two brilliant authors of Made to Stick call “knowledge curse” the wealth of experience and knowledge of the author, so good and expert not to remember what it means to go into a theme without knowing anything.
To put oneself in the shoes or shoes of the reader means that the omniscient author must learn, even if only for a while, to forget everything he knows and to look at the text as the ignorant and absent-minded reader. As you can buy essay for college or office, the results are perfect.
The precious Toolkit for making written material clear and effective opens with a grid that helps the writer to measure, and therefore to fill, the distance between himself and the reader. The Toolkit was created for the editors of texts dedicated to Medicare and Medicaid users, the two public health services of the United States, but the grid is very useful to ask the right questions before starting to write any informative, promotional or educational text or service.
Objective Of The Text
You know him perfectly. You know what it’s about and how it should be used.
The reader does not know him, he can only imagine it because he reads it for the first time.
Familiarity With The Theme
You are the expert. Know the theme in depth, well beyond what you wrote.
The reader has none or knows nothing about it.
Level Of Interest And Investment
You have invested time and energy in writing the text: your expectations on its use and impact are very high.
The reader may have no interest, it is up to you to capture his attention, convince him to invest time in reading, favoring that text among many others.
Reading And Understanding Capacity
You are a communication professional. Reading is one of your main activities and consider reading and comprehension skills as obvious.
The reader may have a low literacy level and poor reading habits. What for you is an automatic activity, for him or her can be a company with some difficulty.
Reading Method
You take for granted, or hope, that the reader reads everything carefully, from beginning to end.The reader will most likely first take an overall look at the text, then decide whether it is worth reading and hopping around in search of something that arouses his interest.
