Planning Log
Summary of Communication Problem:
(Briefly, what problem do you hope
to solve by writing this document?)
Reader Analysis:
Who is my primary reader(s)?
Who is my secondary reader(s)?
Respond to the following for both primary and secondary readers:
What characteristics (reading style, personality traits, etc.) do I know about the reader that may be relevant to how this document is written?
What is the reader's prior knowledge of or involvement with this topic?
Does the reader have a pre-established attitude toward the topic--friendly, hostile, neutral?
What is the reader’s technical background--expert? semi-expert? nonexpert?
What does the reader want to know about this topic and what will he or she do with this information?
Description of Purpose
What is my purpose in writing this document?
Am I trying to inform the reader? If so, what information do I want the reader to have?
Am I trying to persuade the reader? If so, what do I want the reader to think or do?
Am I trying to instruct the reader?
Am I trying to make a recommendation?
With your purpose(s) and reader(s) firmly in mind, respond to the following:
Statement of Point
In a brief statement, what is the most important piece of information in this document.
Description of Content
What are the key points that need to be emphasized in this document?
Which points are major ones and which are minor?
Is there information I should intentionally exclude from the document?
What sort of tone would be appropriate for this document?
Organizational Strategy
Should I opt for a direct or indirect arrangement of content? What would be the advantages/disadvantages of both methods?
What information should be placed at the beginning of the document? In the middle? At the end?
How long should the document be?
Are there any special considerations regarding format here--is this a special type of report or a routine memo/letter?
What headings will I use?
Are there any special considerations regarding page layout or design here?
Sample Response to Planning Log
Communication Problem:
This communication needs to advise Carl Hughes of a real and potential problem with one of his accounts. Discussing the matter in person with Carl would be the best way to convey this information, but since that is not possible, I must write him a memo that documents the problem and provides possible suggestions for solving the problem.
Reader Analysis:
Who is my primary reader(s)? Carl Hughes
Who is my secondary reader(s)? There are no secondary readers for the memo, but the attachments will be read by others at the main office.
Respond to the following for both primary and secondary readers:
What characteristics (reading style, personality traits, etc.) do I know about the reader that may be relevant to how this document is written? He doesn't like to read memos or other types of correspondence. His reading style is such that he may just glance quickly at the document. This is further complicated by the fact that he is totally unaware I am sending him a memo.
What is the reader's prior knowledge of or involvement with this topic? He is aware of the account, but since he is not that actively involved in his accounts, it is unlikely that he has any knowledge of the history of the problems associated with this account.
Does the reader have a preestablished attitude toward the topic? No.
What is the reader’s technical background? Expert. Has the same technical understanding that I do.
What does the reader want to know about this topic and what will he or she do with this information? He will want to know what happened yesterday as a result of my visit. He will also want to have a description of the problem with the toner dust build-up, the history of the service record, and the fact that Nina Boynton is threatening to pull the account.
Description of Purpose
What is my purpose in writing this document?
Am I trying to inform the reader? If so, what information do I want the reader to have? I am trying to inform him about the incident with Nina Boynton and the fact that she can and will pull the account.
Am I trying to persuade the reader? If so, what do I want the reader to think or do? I also have to persuade Carl that the situation is serious and that he must contact her today. In addition, I have to convince him to read the memo in the first place.
Am I trying to make a recommendation? Yes, I will recommend various solutions such as suggesting they lease two copiers instead of one.
With your purpose(s) and reader(s) firmly in mind, respond to the following:
Statement of Point
In a brief statement, what is the most important piece of information in this document.
There is a serious problem with the Premium account and he must contact Nina Boynton today or we will most definitely lose the account.
Description of Content
What are the key points that need to be emphasized in this document?
Which points are major ones and which are minor?
Major points:
-- he must contact Nina Boynton today.
-- we are in serious danger of losing the account.
-- he must read and complete the summary report before it is forwarded to the main office.
-- a description of my visit with Nina.
-- a brief history of the maintenance problems with the machine.
Minor points:
-- some suggested courses of action to help remedy the problem--these may include suggesting that Premium lease a second copier to help with the heavy copying workload and/or meeting with service people to determine other potential causes for the toner dust problem.
Is there information I should intentionally exclude from the document? No.
What sort of tone would be appropriate for this document?
My tone will be straightforward, yet informal because of the close working relationship I have with Carl. I must also be careful how I frame the recommendations, since I am not clear on whether Carl really wants me to provide solutions to the problem.
Organizational Strategy
How should I organize the information in this document to best address the needs of the reader? Should I opt for a direct or indirect arrangement of content? What would be the advantages/disadvantages of both methods? What headings will I use?
The best way to present information in this memo is the direct approach, beginning with the most important piece of information first. Because of Carl's reading behaviors, following an indirect approach would be disastrous here, since it is likely he may never read far enough to get to the important pieces of information in the memo. Since this is a very short memo, I will not use headings.
What information should be placed at the beginning of the document? In the middle? At the end?
I will arrange information in the order it is presented above--beginning with the call to Boynton and concluding with some possible recommendations.
How long should the document be? I want the memo to be detailed, but because of Carl's reading style I will try to keep it under a page.
Are there any special considerations regarding format here--is this a special type of report or a routine memo/letter?
This is a standard company memo format, although I will need an effective subject line to draw Carl into the body of the memo.
Are there any special considerations regarding page layout or design here? Yes. Again, because of Carl's reading style, I will attempt to use plenty of white space, short paragraphs, and if possible, provide a bulleted list of key information.