Activity 1: Establishing main points

How do you arrive at these main points? There are a number of ways, and they are all about distilling the essence of what you want to communicate. Here are three strategies to help you. Think about the report that you are planning to write. If you are struggling to come up with ideas, try one of these strategies. You can type your answers in the fields below each strategy.

• Imagine you are sending your message by telegram at some outrageous price per word. How would you arrive at the essence of your message to save money?

• Ask yourself this: if you know your reader will only be skimming or paying partial attention to your writing, what is the absolute minimum that you want your reader to know?

• Imagine you have told your reader the title and purpose of your report. What questions would you expect them to ask? The questions you anticipate can form the basis for your headings.

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