Identify Effective Writing

Now let’s apply these ideas about effective writing to some actual World Bank documents.

Below are links to three e-mail messages. Read each message, keeping in mind the core assumptions about effective writing.

Sample 1 Dow Jones

Sample 2 OECD

Sample 3 Written Communication Guidelines

In the drop-down menu below, choose which document you are working with first. After you choose a document, a table will appear where you can write down your observations about the effectiveness of the e-mail. After writing your comments and checking your answers, come back to this drop-down menu and choose one of the other e-mail messages to analyze.

Some characteristics of effective documents have been provided for you in the table below to help you focus your analysis. For each characteristic, describe how well the e-mail message demonstrates that characteristic. Write in the space provided, and click the Check Answer button.

Don’t worry if some of the characteristics of effective writing are not immediately clear to you. You will be examining each of these characteristics in turn throughout the first four modules of the course.

First, choose which document you are working with: Dow Jones E-mail OECD E-mail Written Communication Guidelines E-mail