LET'S COMMUNICATE 
Agriculture Communication Newletter 
April 2002, No. 76

CONTENTS

WRITE THE RIGHT WORD 
INFORMATION OVERLOAD 
TYPO MANAGEMENT 

WRITE THE RIGHT WORD

"Don't toy with me, Son. I'm a trained journalist." Carl Hiaasen

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Things have been quiet on the Trained Professional Watch. The most glaring word misuse in the local paper lately occurred in a direct quotation, so we'll assume the Trained Professional knew better but was quoting accurately. The misuse involved (unfortunately) a member of the local education community talking about "ALTERNATE" methods of education. That could mean using lecture one class period and multi-media the next. But I think the intent was ALTERNATIVE, or offering another choice.

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Let's face it. Most of the stuff we write will never be mistaken for the latest Tom Clancy novel. People read educational material because they need to know something, not for pleasure. So reading an information piece is, to some degree, work. We need to make it easy. To keep your readers interested (and reading), get to the point. Don't bury the most important points. Get them right up front. Then follow with the details. At a minimum, in the first paragraph or two tell them what you're going to tell them. Keep those paragraphs short and to the point. The wearying reader won't be intimidated by one more two- or three-sentence paragraph, especially if those sentences are crisp and clear. But five or six convoluted sentences might be the straw that breaks the concentration. Before you write, identify your purpose, then get there as quickly as possible.

INFORMATION OVERLOAD

Knowing what to leave out is a challenge in education. How can you edit down what you know? How can you possibly cover what needs to be said (you think) in the amount of time allotted?

As L.J. Boyce, University of Wisconsin said, "Too often so much information was provided that the person simply could not decide what was important and what was not... In our haste to 'cover the material,' insufficient attention is given to exploring meaning."

So, focus on three or four or five desired outcomes/learner objectives in each learning session. Allow some "white space" in your teaching. Build in times for learners to contemplate and process information through breaks, discussions or other participant-driven activities. Avoid drowning your learners in information overload.

Becky Koch Adapted from "Design for Learning," University of Wisconsin Extension

TYPO MANAGEMENT

Is your prose plagued by typographic pests? A new publication from Ag Comm, Time for ITM, Integrated Typo Management: A Comprehensive Approach to Controlling Compositional Pests, may help.

Like weeds or insects, typos (typographus mistakus) can infest your work and reduce the yield of your communication efforts. These yield-robbing pests attack your prose in several ways.

They can make it difficult to read. They can distract your reader. They raise questions about the accuracy of the rest of your work. They detract from your reputation as a professional. The publication outlines strategies for eradicating these literary pests.

The publication is available on the Agriculture Communication Web Page at: http://www.ag.ndsu.nodak.edu/agcomm/.itm.htm 

Tom Jirik