Section 1.4.1.3

Writing for Managers

Assume that managers are busy people who need to use documents primarily as tools in makingdecisions. Because managers read and review many documents, be brief and to the point.

Levels of Knowledge

Managers vary in their technical knowledge. Many managers, especially in technical organizations,are general experts in a document's subject matter. Rarely,however, are managers specific experts in the content of adocument. Managers usually supervise a number of projects, so they may not be familiar with everyrecent technological advance. And often managers are specialists in fields such as marketing ormanagement and have little detailed technical knowledge.

Purposes in Using Document

Managers read technical and scientific documents for a variety of purposes:

In general, managers read for the bottom line, a concise summary of the presentsituation and specific recommendations for action.

Strategies for Writing to Managers

• Distill key information into an executive summary.
• In general, present information in order of importance.
• Emphasize information that will aid in making decisions.
• Present sufficient background information in your introduction.
• Summarize all recommendations for action in your conclusion.
• Segment information to allow easy reading of parts of the document.
• If necessary, put long, technical explanations into appendixes.
• Use graphs to summarize information.
• Explain any unfamiliar terms.

See also Document Density.

## Writing for Managers ##


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