Guiding Your Readers

Readers are more likely to have problems understanding the writer’s purpose and responding appropriately when a document is poorly organized, lacks reader focus, or includes mechanical errors. If readers can’t understand the purpose, the document is less likely to succeed in achieving that purpose.

The danger is that readers may make their own assumptions about which points are most important, and these assumptions may not be the same as the writer’s. These differing assumptions may result in confusion or misunderstanding and make it harder for the writer to achieve the intended purpose.