Learner Guide - RTO Training Materials · 2017. 10. 15. · 3 BSBWRT401 Learner Guide Write complex...

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BSBWRT401 Write complex documents

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Learner Guide

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BSBWRT401 Learner Guide Write complex documents


A message from the CEO.

Take this opportunity to provide a personalised welcome

to your learners.

Thanks for choosing to complete your studies with RTO

NAME. All our learning materials are written in an easy to

use format to ensure that your learning experience with RTO NAME is simple,

straight forward and successful. We only use learning materials that are

written and developed by training professionals with real ‘hands-on’

experience in the field as well as the appropriate level of vocational and

educational skills and knowledge in their subject area. I hope you find this

learning experience rewarding and enjoyable and that it serves as a starting

point for your educational journey. At RTO NAME We pride ourselves at

providing support to all learners and welcome requests for assistance and

support.

Jane Trainer

CEO Training Company

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Contents

A message from the CEO. .......................................................................................................................... 2

Unit information. ........................................................................................................................................... 6

Element 1. Plan documents ....................................................................................................................... 8

1.1 Determine the purposes of documents .......................................................................................... 8

1.2 Choose appropriate formats for documents ............................................................................... 10

Document Formats ................................................................................................................................ 10

1.3 Establish means of communication ................................................Error! Bookmark not defined.

1.4 Determine requirements of documents .........................................Error! Bookmark not defined.

Source of information and data to determine document requirements ....... Error! Bookmark not

defined.

1.5 Determine categories and logical sequences of data, information and knowledge to

achieve document objectives ..............................................................Error! Bookmark not defined.

1.6 Develop overview of structure and content of documents ........Error! Bookmark not defined.

Element 2. Draft text .................................................................................................................................. 13

2.1 Review and organise available data, information and knowledge according to proposed

structure and content ........................................................................................................................... 13

Reviewing the data, information and knowledge ............................................................................ 14

Organising the data, information and knowledge ........................................................................... 15

2.2 Ensure data, information and knowledge is aggregated, interpreted and summarised to

prepare text that satisfies document purposes and objectives .......Error! Bookmark not defined.

Ensuring data, information and knowledge is interpreted and summarised . Error! Bookmark not

defined.

2.3 Include graphics as appropriate .....................................................Error! Bookmark not defined.

2.4 Identify gaps in required data and information, and collect additional material from

relevant enterprise personnel .................................................................Error! Bookmark not defined.

2.5 Draft text according to document requirements and genre .....Error! Bookmark not defined.

2.6 Use language appropriate to the audience ............................................................................... 16

Element 3. Prepare final text .................................................................................................................... 18

3.1 Review draft text to ensure document objectives are achieved and requirements are met

.................................................................................................................................................................. 18

3.2 Check grammar, spelling and style for accuracy and punctuation ........ Error! Bookmark not

defined.

3.3 Ensure draft text is approved by relevant enterprise personnel .Error! Bookmark not defined.

3.4 Incorporate revisions in final copy ...................................................Error! Bookmark not defined.

Element 4. Produce document .................................................................Error! Bookmark not defined.

4.1 Choose basic design elements for documents appropriate to audience and purpose Error!

Bookmark not defined.

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Enterprise / house style and guides .......................................................Error! Bookmark not defined.

Formatting styles and their impact on formatting, readability and appearance Error! Bookmark

not defined.

Rules and conventions for written English, as defined by general and specialist sources ..... Error!

Bookmark not defined.

Basic design elements .............................................................................Error! Bookmark not defined.

4.2 Use word processing software to apply basic design elements to text .... Error! Bookmark not

defined.

4.3 Check documents to ensure all requirements are met ...............Error! Bookmark not defined.

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Page Left Intentionally Blank

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Unit information.

Application

This unit describes the skills and knowledge required to plan documents, draft text, prepare final

text and produce documents of some complexity.

It applies to individuals who work in a range of business environments and are skilled in the

creation of reports, information and general promotion documents that are more complex than

basic correspondence, memos or forms and that require review and analysis of a range of

information sources.

No licensing, legislative or certification requirements apply to this unit at the time of publication.

Unit Sector

Communication – Writing

Unit Details

For further details relating to the content and requirements of this unit, please click on the

following link: https://training.gov.au/Training/Details/BSBWRT401

https://training.gov.au/Training/Details/BSBWRT401

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Page Left Intentionally Blank

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Element 1. Plan documents

Performance Criteria.

1.1 Determine the purposes of documents

In the workplace there are many different types of documents that serve many different purposes.

There are the documents that you access from online sources, company intranet, those you

receive via email, given to you as a hard copy, those you purchase from others, those you sell

and of course, those you create yourself. Typical examples of the types of documents, of some

complexity, that we might receive and create during our work are:

• Resumes and Curriculum Vitae (CV)

• Employment contracts

• Quotations

• Website pages

• Presentations

• Catalogues

• Reports

• Project plans

• Detailed spreadsheets

• Policies and procedures

• Training manuals

• Instruction manuals

Please note that the creation of complex documentation for the purposes of this unit does not

include basic correspondence, memos or completing forms.

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All business documentation will have a purpose or objective. Examples of purposes or objectives

of documents may include:

• Providing information

• Proving instruction

• Conveying knowledge or skills

• Conveying research findings

• Documenting policies, procedures and processes

• Influencing attitudes, opinions, beliefs

• Meeting legal requirements

• Meeting other data, information or knowledge needs of an audience

• Proposing recommendations, options and actions

The purpose of a document is; what the document is designed to do. For example, a resume is

intended to promote you as a candidate for a position and present your skills, knowledge and

experience as a concise, easy to read, well-presented and targeted summary. A work instruction

or operating procedure is designed to lay out the steps of a task in logical or chronological order

so that they can be followed by a wide range of people and to list the hazards, risks,

organisational and legal requirements associated with performing that task. The purpose of a

research report is to present the detailed findings of methodical analysis of collected information

according to an established structure and format, to prove or disprove a theory or hypothesis or

to make a case for one course of action over another.

End of Learner Guide Section.

Please Complete Assessment Task 1.1

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1.2 Choose appropriate formats for documents

Document Formats

The format of a document will be determined by its purpose and the type of information it is

intended to present. Matching the format to the document purpose and information type is

important to ensure that the information can be presented appropriately and according to the

purposes or objectives for which it is being created. Examples of formats that can be used are:

• Detailed business letters and documents

• Emails

• Instructions and procedures

• Manuals

• Publications, leaflets, brochures

• Reports

• Speeches and presentations

• Submissions, tender documentation and public notices

• Website text

It would appear strange to receive a report in the format of a promotional brochure or an

instruction manual in simple email format. Examples of the types of documents provided

previously and an appropriate format in which they may be created are provided below:

• Resumes and Curriculum Vitae (CV) – A detailed and structured business document,

usually no longer than four pages, presented either electronically or as a printed version

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• Employment contracts – A detailed, formal document, structured with clearly defined and

numbered headings and sections

• Quotations – A detailed business document containing clear sections relating to the

products and services being offered, a breakdown of fees and charges, total costs and

methods to proceed with orders and payment

• Website pages – Formal or informal text, laid out in a form suitable for reading online and

compliant with the requirements of the web design program being used. It is also

important that the format used is compatible with a number of devices such as computers,

smart phones and tablets

• Presentations – The most common format of a presentation is PowerPoint slides displayed

on a screen, accompanied by speaker’s notes, handouts and other information

• Catalogues – The most appropriate format for a catalogue is in book form that is structured

and indexed to easily allow the reader to locate the products and information required

• Reports – Reports can come in printed or electronic formats and will have very clear

sections which adhere to a set method of presenting information such as a scientific report

or a financial report

• Project plans – These may appear in the form of blue prints, booklets or reports style format

and can be electronic or hard copy

• Detailed spreadsheets – Spreadsheets can be electronic or printed but will generally be in

the format dictated by the operating system that was used to create them such as

Microsoft Excel and appear as a series of columns, rows and cells into which data is

inputted

• Policies and procedures – The format used to present policies and procedures is usually in

booklet form, indexed and set out according to sections and headings

• Training manuals – These will appear either electronically or in hard copy as booklets, often

with pictures to illustrate information and will be structured according to topic

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• Instruction manuals – Like training manuals, these will be either printed or electronic and

can include information in a logical or chronological order supported by pictures,

diagrams, charts and illustrations



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Element 2. Draft text


2.1 Review and organise available data, information and knowledge

according to proposed structure and content

The information covered so far in this guide has enabled you to you understand the document

purpose, the format, the means of communication, the requirements including the audience

characteristics and to create a document plan which includes categorised and sequenced

organisation with an overview of the content. Now it is time to begin to create the content and

text that will populate the structure of your document.

Adding the content to the structure of your document or, the meat to the bones, will require you

to research the data, information and knowledge that you will be presenting or communicating

within your document. How much research and information gathering you will need to do will

depend on the complexity of the document you are producing. For example, an in-depth

scientific report will require hundreds of hours of research and analysis to create the content of

the report. Gathering, reviewing and organising the content for a promotional brochure, a

resume or a short procedure will take considerably less time but the content is no less important.

Data, information and knowledge can be gathered in many ways, for example by conducting

experiments, interviews, observations or surveys and documenting the outcomes. It could be

done by trialling a piece of equipment and taking notes of your experiences or by holding a

meeting and taking minutes. It could also be achieved by researching statistics or other

documents or online sources and selecting excerpts that will be included in your document

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Reviewing the data, information and knowledge

Reviewing the data, information and knowledge means to decide what will and will not be

included in your document. This could be based on research or extracting relevant information

based on the purpose and structure of your document to determine what is relevant and

appropriate for inclusion in your document. Simply put, reviewing the data, information and

knowledge is determining what will go into each section of your document. This can be achieved

by:

• Reading the information and highlighting the data, information and knowledge with a pen

or underlining it

• Editing a large block of text to remove any unwanted or irrelevant sections

• Discussing the information with others to determine which data, information and

knowledge is relevant and which isn’t

• Referring to previous documents to see what data, information and knowledge was

included

• Reviewing the structure in your document plan to see what data, information and

knowledge is required

• Using online sources of information, e.g. advice regarding the recommended content of

resumes, legal documents and employment contracts

• Referring to workplace policies and procedures which may dictate exactly what data,

information and knowledge should be included

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Organising the data, information and knowledge

If you have a good document plan in place which clearly details the structure and required

content for your document, organising the data will be relatively simple. This will enable you to

organise the data, information and knowledge according to the structure detailed in your plan.

You can do this by putting information into tables, sections of a word-processed document,

colour coding them, putting letters or numbers by them to indicate where they should appear,

grouping them by subject matter into separate folders or printing them off and putting them in

order in a pile. You may also choose to organise the information chronologically, e.g. when

presenting historical information or your own employment history for a resume.

By adhering to your document plan and gathering, reviewing and organising the data,

information and knowledge that will form the content of your document you can be assured that

the document will meet its purposes and objectives.



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2.6 Use language appropriate to the audience

At all stages in the production of a document, the end user of the document, the audience,

should be considered. You must not assume that the reader will firstly understand the information

just because you do or that the they will infer the same meaning from it that you do. The

audience and the genre / theme should be considered to ensure that the language used is

appropriate.

The document content and language used should be appropriate to the reader and this may

require you to:

• Gather information on the characteristics of the document audience which may include:

o Language, literacy and numeracy skills

o Cultural information

o General educational level

o Age

o Gender

o Location

o Industry

o Preferences for how they prefer the information to be presented

• Refer back to the document requirements and objectives to determine the appropriate

language. For example, if you are selling, the language should be upbeat and positive

whereas writing a report on an incident or accident should be more serious in tone.

• Refer to organisational style guides that may dictate a specific type of language or tone

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• Refer to online sources of information which may dictate what language should be used,

e.g. writing in the first, second or third person or trying to sound too clever on a resume, or

not sounding clever enough.

• Decode and simplify complex or industry specific language such as jargon and technical

terms

• Ensure that the language is concise and unambiguous, for example in training and

instructional brochures so that the reader knows exactly what is meant



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Element 3. Prepare final text


3.1 Review draft text to ensure document objectives are achieved and

requirements are met

Once the document text has been created and drafted as per the steps in the previous sections

of this guide, the draft must be reviewed to ensure that the document objectives are achieved

and requirements are met. At this point it is worthwhile to remind yourself of the objectives and

requirements of your document. Examples of these which were presented earlier in this guide are

given below:

Objectives

• Providing information

• Proving instruction

• Conveying knowledge or skills

• Conveying research findings

• Documenting policies, procedures and processes

• Influencing attitudes, opinions, beliefs

• Meeting legal requirements

• Meeting other data, information or knowledge needs of an audience

• Proposing recommendations, options and actions

Requirements

• Compliance with genre

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• Compliance with proformas, standardised reporting requirements or undertakings made by

the organisation about reporting

• File types and sizes for online documents

• Languages other than English requirements

• Legal or traditional requirements for the particular document format

• Organisational policy, procedures and guidelines applying to writing documents, including

house style

• Point numbering systems

• Requirements for illustrations, photographs, graphs, charts, maps and other illustrative

material to explain texts

• Standards for references, footnotes, citations, acknowledgements

• Time lines, including deadlines

• Word length

• Writing styles, including simplicity of English and use of technical language

Reviewing the draft text is important as writers of documents can sometimes stray from the original

intentions for a document, focus too heavily on one particular area, misinterpret information,

include irrelevant information or make mistakes. Reviewing the draft text can be conducted in

many ways, some examples of appropriate methods are provided below.

• Creating a checklist using the document objectives and requirements as the checklist items

and then reviewing the draft text to ensure that all boxes have been ticked

• Inviting colleagues and peers to proof read the draft text for you to ensure that the

language is appropriate and that information is clear

• Printing and reading the draft text yourself and making notes on changes and

amendments that could be made, as per the example below:

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• Reviewing the draft text and using the ‘review’ or comment functions in word processing

software function as per the example using Microsoft Word shown below:



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End of Learner Guide

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