Assignment Purpose
This assignment gives you experience in writing a set Instructions for a non-specialist audience. Instructions spell out the steps necessary to complete a task or set of tasks.
This assignment also offers you the opportunity to develop the following:
Written Communication Skills
In writing for a non-specialist audience, you will practice many of the features of good writing that we have identified as a class:
Clarity
Organization, including visual organization
Concision
Tasks
1. Decide on a task or set of tasks to write instructions for. Previous WR 320 students have written about:
Inserting an acupuncture needle into a trigger point
planning a character strategy in a computer game
soldering fine metals for jewelry
trailering a horse
parsing a string of hexadecimal characters to decimal numbers
The task should be one your are very familiar with and sufficiently complex to require detailed instructions.
2. Plan your draft by reviewing the criteria for success and one or two sets of instructions that you have personally found helpful in the past.
3. Draft your instructions. About 800 words.
Divide the task into two or three major sections and title them. The more specific your title is, the more helpful it will be to the reader.
Working from the titled sections, draft out as many steps as necessary for each. You may want to bullet or number the steps in each section.
Anticipate as best you can what a non-specialist might need to know in order to follow your instructions. Consider whether visual aids are necessary and what hazards might need to be avoided along the way.
Write an introduction. This is the place to provide background information and also an
explanation as to why someone might want to perform the task in the first place. For instance, why in the world might someone want to transform his or her bicycle from a multi-geared bike, to a bike with a single gear and without the capacity to coast? What are the benefits to completing your set of instructions?
Some considerations:
Audience
You will be testing your instructions with your base group. As you write your instructions, be sure to notice terms or words your audience wouldn’t know and define them. You will also need to describe an equipment necessary to follow your instructions.
Layout
As single-spaced instructions are easier to follow, you may single space for this assignment. In fact, you may experiment more broadly with page designs that you think organize and present your instructions in the most usable fashion. You might also use images that you create to guide your audience through the task.
Criteria for Evaluation
This assignment is considered complete when you have submitted document to this assignment that is about 800 words and attempts all of the following elements:
Clear and limiting title that accurately defines the task at hand
Introduction: Provide background and explain the benefits of performing the task
Logically ordered steps: usually chronological order
Division of complex tasks into sections with sub-steps
Appropriate level of detail
Hazard notes and warnings
Language of instruction: imperative mood, direct address, and active verbs
Page design and text layout that lends itself to rapid comprehension
Includes 2-3 major sections with enough
Includes an introduction that provides a logical and compelling reason someone might need your instructions
Is ready for audience testing in class
