Chapter 10 Organizing Information
This chapter uses four major sections to help the reader understand better why information organization is so important as well as how to organize information. They are: Transforming information into knowledge, Developing the Organization of Information, Implementing the Organization of Information, and Using Organization.
Transforming information into knowledge
The process of transforming information into knowledge is important because it makes sense of that info. It is essential because the organization of information affects the rest of your project, and the more ways you organize it, the more things you’ll see in it. If you don’t do this, other people will organize it in their own minds, maybe interpreting it differently than you would have chosen.
Strategies for organizing information are common but you need to have reason behind the one you choose. Choose the one that will convey information to your audience most effectively. It could be a document, oral presentation or a visual.
Developing the Organization of Information
This section of the chapter is broken down into the three strategies useful for organizing information. Each of these subsections explains how to organize info using the specific strategy. They are also ways to experiment with and test your organization to make it more effective.
Outlines
This is a tool to help you manage your material in an easy manner. It makes it easy to rearrange, add and delete information, which helps when putting together your document for presentation.
Storyboards
Story boards are a related sequence of hand drawn or electronic sketches of pages or screens that organize their critical points. Storyboarding is used by communicators to show the ideas of a final project to an audience.
Tables and Spreadsheets for Organizing Information
Tables and spreadsheets enable you to classify information into comparable groups and then identify categories of details about each group. Collected information can be sorted and organized into your spreadsheet.
Implementing the Organization of Information
In this section Burnett once again uses her opening paragraphs to introduce options pertaining to the implementation of organization. Her opening statement, “The way information in a print or electronic document, oral presentation, or visual is organized affects the meaning that the audience constructs,” starts the chapter off with an idea of importance. She closes her introduction by listing the last of eight subsections titled: Alphabetical Order, Numeric Order, and Continuums, Topic Sentences and Transitions to Signal Organizations, Whole/Parts Organization, Chronological Order, Spatial Order, Ascending/Descending Order, Comparison/Contrast, and Cause and Effect.
Alphabetical Order, Numeric Order, and Continuums
This subsection briefly explains the three ways listed in the title for organizing information. It gives examples of each way for better understanding.
Topic Sentences and Transitions to Signal Organizations
This is a short subsection that explains how to use topic sentences and transition words or phrases to effectively make a paragraph flow so as not to lose or confuse a reader. This is important when making web sites because poorly working websites seldom get repeat looks.
Burnett finishes this subsection by explaining that all of the following apply to written documents, oral presentations, and visuals thereby keeping the reader in touch with her opening statements in her section intro.
Whole/Parts Organization
This subsection does a good job of explaining whole/parts organization, which is the relationship of an idea (the whole) with its parts on a macro or micro level. The visual examples are just right for the explanation.
Chronological Order
Chronological Order is a short, detailed paragraph with visual examples using chronological order to organize information by sequence or order of occurrence.
Spatial Order
Spatial Order --- arrangement by relative physical location --- describes the physical parts of nearly anything, from cellular structures to the orbital path of the moons around Jupiter. Visuals are particularly effective for spatially arranged material because they help to see the actual physical relationships.
Ascending/Descending Order
Ascending/descending orders present readers with information according to quantifiable criteria. Descending order uses most to least important order; ascending order, a least to most. Topic sentences, usually first in the paragraph, are second in a paragraph that has been arranged in ascending or descending order.
Comparison/Contrast
When information has been organized by contrast and comparison it tells readers about similarities and differences. This type of organization can be seen in pros and cons of an argument as well as advantages and disadvantages in consumer products. Burnett lists many more examples in her text.
Cause and Effect
The cause and effect organization of information focuses on precipitating factors and results. This is on of the most complicated forms of information organization. Making strong arguments involves considering the ways to organize the information and avoiding errors in logic.
Using Organization
Burnett uses the last section to wrap all of the subsections together to give the reader an idea of how organized information can be used effectively during any technical communication. She gives an example of when each type of organization can be used. She makes a point of putting web page addresses throughout her chapter for assistance clarification and examples of everything she said in her text.
This chapter uses four major sections to help the reader understand better why information organization is so important as well as how to organize information. They are: Transforming information into knowledge, Developing the Organization of Information, Implementing the Organization of Information, and Using Organization.
Transforming information into knowledge
The process of transforming information into knowledge is important because it makes sense of that info. It is essential because the organization of information affects the rest of your project, and the more ways you organize it, the more things you’ll see in it. If you don’t do this, other people will organize it in their own minds, maybe interpreting it differently than you would have chosen.
Strategies for organizing information are common but you need to have reason behind the one you choose. Choose the one that will convey information to your audience most effectively. It could be a document, oral presentation or a visual.
Developing the Organization of Information
This section of the chapter is broken down into the three strategies useful for organizing information. Each of these subsections explains how to organize info using the specific strategy. They are also ways to experiment with and test your organization to make it more effective.
Outlines
This is a tool to help you manage your material in an easy manner. It makes it easy to rearrange, add and delete information, which helps when putting together your document for presentation.
Storyboards
Story boards are a related sequence of hand drawn or electronic sketches of pages or screens that organize their critical points. Storyboarding is used by communicators to show the ideas of a final project to an audience.
Tables and Spreadsheets for Organizing Information
Tables and spreadsheets enable you to classify information into comparable groups and then identify categories of details about each group. Collected information can be sorted and organized into your spreadsheet.
Implementing the Organization of Information
In this section Burnett once again uses her opening paragraphs to introduce options pertaining to the implementation of organization. Her opening statement, “The way information in a print or electronic document, oral presentation, or visual is organized affects the meaning that the audience constructs,” starts the chapter off with an idea of importance. She closes her introduction by listing the last of eight subsections titled: Alphabetical Order, Numeric Order, and Continuums, Topic Sentences and Transitions to Signal Organizations, Whole/Parts Organization, Chronological Order, Spatial Order, Ascending/Descending Order, Comparison/Contrast, and Cause and Effect.
Alphabetical Order, Numeric Order, and Continuums
This subsection briefly explains the three ways listed in the title for organizing information. It gives examples of each way for better understanding.
Topic Sentences and Transitions to Signal Organizations
This is a short subsection that explains how to use topic sentences and transition words or phrases to effectively make a paragraph flow so as not to lose or confuse a reader. This is important when making web sites because poorly working websites seldom get repeat looks.
Burnett finishes this subsection by explaining that all of the following apply to written documents, oral presentations, and visuals thereby keeping the reader in touch with her opening statements in her section intro.
Whole/Parts Organization
This subsection does a good job of explaining whole/parts organization, which is the relationship of an idea (the whole) with its parts on a macro or micro level. The visual examples are just right for the explanation.
Chronological Order
Chronological Order is a short, detailed paragraph with visual examples using chronological order to organize information by sequence or order of occurrence.
Spatial Order
Spatial Order --- arrangement by relative physical location --- describes the physical parts of nearly anything, from cellular structures to the orbital path of the moons around Jupiter. Visuals are particularly effective for spatially arranged material because they help to see the actual physical relationships.
Ascending/Descending Order
Ascending/descending orders present readers with information according to quantifiable criteria. Descending order uses most to least important order; ascending order, a least to most. Topic sentences, usually first in the paragraph, are second in a paragraph that has been arranged in ascending or descending order.
Comparison/Contrast
When information has been organized by contrast and comparison it tells readers about similarities and differences. This type of organization can be seen in pros and cons of an argument as well as advantages and disadvantages in consumer products. Burnett lists many more examples in her text.
Cause and Effect
The cause and effect organization of information focuses on precipitating factors and results. This is on of the most complicated forms of information organization. Making strong arguments involves considering the ways to organize the information and avoiding errors in logic.
Using Organization
Burnett uses the last section to wrap all of the subsections together to give the reader an idea of how organized information can be used effectively during any technical communication. She gives an example of when each type of organization can be used. She makes a point of putting web page addresses throughout her chapter for assistance clarification and examples of everything she said in her text.
24 comments:
The introduction to the summary did a good job of telling the reader what would be talked about and gives the reader access to what is to be read. It is true to interpret information into knowledge because if you don’t, you won’t get what you’re trying to talk about and neither will your reader. Good summary and by color coding the sections and broken down topics made this piece very easy to read and very understandable. And by explaining further all of the steps to organize information, really tied together the blog and made it more understandable to me.
This chapter is a good one to keep in mind when organizing information, and i feel they did a good job getting the infromation to us in summary. One thing i would change was that there are no spaces and it all runs together, although i do like the color text. Information is an important thing and if not presented and organized correctly the message can be lost, good job.
Organization of information is very important when producing documents, oral presentations, and visuals whether at school or work. Planning takes time but it’s pays to have the information organized in such a way that it carries the intended meaning to the audiences. The chapter explains three strategies for organizing information; outlines, storyboards, tables and spreadsheets. These strategies have been summarized by the authors in simple clear explanations. My professors in my engineering design projects have always emphasized on project report organization. In this case text, diagrams, tables and graphs have to be well organized for the audience to understand your project. Generally this chapter has a wealth of information and has been summarized well.
This chapter makes a lot of sense to me. There have been many textbooks and websites I have read that leave me confused and unable to understand fully. Not that the information was over my head, but that it was disorganized and messy. Following the tips given in the chapter can really help to make even a hard-to-understand topic much easier to follow. It is very easy to pick out readings and websites that go about this all wrong. I will find myself not even reading a word of a website just based on how it looks and how it seems organized.
Two comments I have on this chapter:
Storyboards in my eyes can be very distracting if done poorly. Often the critical points on a slide presentation lack enough information to make the desired impact. Generally more than three words are needed to lock in a point. If I see a slide lacking critical information, I spend my time listening to what is said only to imagine what the critical point "should" have said, and in doing so, I lose the rest of the content being delivered.
The comment about poorly working websites I believe has to do not only with poorly organized literary content, but visual noise as well. I have been to sites that are so littered with poorly places visuals that I won't even bother reading the content.
I think that this is a really good chapter for people to understand how to organize data and information in a format that people will like and understand. I use this every time that I present something in front of many people. For the storyboard can be a good tool for a visual presentation if done correctly. I think this group did a very good job at explaining everything in the chapter and was well put together.
this chapter can be very useful when putting together a presentation or organizing information. when i usaully give a presentation infront of a room, i use a storyboard also. i believe that they can be an imporatant learning tool if used right. planning out the presentation is a huge part of the success of my presentations. if i didnt plan them, all my information would be scattered around and difficult to tell to other people.
Organization is the complement of information, without proper organization, the information will not be able to produce a high-quality effect. Personally, this chapter summery is well presented and is able to explain about the good organization of the information. The different topics under organization and furthermore the subtopics under those were able to clarify the organizing strategy. After reading the chapter one can clearly understand the importance of the organization of information. To sum up, this summery is able to present adequate knowledge about the importance of organizing information.
I think that this is a good chapter for the book to include because I am sure that most of us are not as organized as we could be. We may have some type of system that works alright for us now, but when we enter the work place it would probably be a good thing to have more skills. I think that this chapter also does a good job of explaining how different organizational systems can be used and what they best type for a certain medium might be.
This chapter was all about organizing the knowledge that you have about a subject. The problem though that most people face is that if the common person cant understand it then people will tend not to pay attention to what you have to say. So with that in mind Burnett explains how organize your thoughts into clear understandable paragraphs. Burnett uses many tactics that i had never heard about before reading this chapter. Burnett also made the point of saying that if your web page is not clear people will not revisit it so important to read this chapter and use some of the strategies.
Erickson and Arce's blog on chapter 10 covers some good points about organization. I found the point about organization being relative from person to person especially interesting. This only goes to show that you must be understandable and precise when organizing your information. It must be easily interpreted by others. Although the styles of organization may seem obvious. It is importanat to be familiar with them. Many times several styles can be used at once. This not only makes your information unique but stylish as well.
This one was very well put together, which is good considering its a chapter on organization. The Green subtitles made it easier to grasp, and sorted out the information nicely.
I feel they did a good job in stating the points that needed to be introduced when organizing information. I know I’m notorious for losing information and getting things lost on the day I need them the most. Organization skills are big on getting work done in a timely matter. I have started to create different ways in organizing myself and I see by reading this most of the steps I took are right along with this chapter. The topics have been broken down easily to, to help anyone who just may be starting to get them organized on the right path.
When I try to organize information I usually use an outline. It is easy to lay it all out and move things around if they need to be moved. I can never get it quite right the first time around. Things always need to be put in a different order or else it doesn’t make much sense. I find that it helps to make your topic sentences for your paragraphs and then build from there. I used outlines a lot especially in my speech class that I had last year. I would have been all over the place without them.
I think that this chapter is very important becuase everyone should and needs to be organized in their life. You can use organization in every aspect of your life whether it be for buisness, school or even to organize your life at home. They did a good oraganizing the information, a friendly comment is to maybe make spaces between topics. Otherwise good job explaining the importance of organization and ways to do so.
Organization is the main factor which we should have in our daily life.The thing that we are not familier is the organization of information. Reading this chapter made me more knowledge in managing in the inforamtion. But the knowledge made me more forward in making outline and organize systemic. Like we do some speech, we are organizing it with our skills and give audience information about the subject. So, it is more important to follow.
Organizing information is definitely one of the most important aspects of anything written. If you were to try and read this and it wasn’t organized and well-planned, it would be very difficult to figure out what I am trying to say. Introduction, body, and conclusion, we all have been writing in this format for many years and now we will have to use these skills along with the ones that we are learning right now to try and become good technical writers. This is by far one of the most important factors in writing.
In order to give a presentation that your intended audience will be able to comprehend you must have your information correctly organized. Having information jumbled abunch or incomplete will only create confusion for your audience and will greatly affect the response you get in return from your information. Some ways to avoid this would simply be one of three things, outlines, storyboards, and tables or spreadsheets for organizing information. Outlines sketch out the path of your information, storyboards for organizing the critical parts of the information, and tables or spreadsheets sort and organize your information even further, making it easier to understand.
I beleive that the way information is gathered is a huge factor in helping people get what they can out of the reading. I personally dont like reading something completly unorganized. I think that Burnett does a good job of explaining this. It is not good when people read a peice of information and get nothing out of it because it is so poorly illistrated. Thus, the summary and the Burnett chapter was written well and it was very easy to comprehed the information.
They way you organize and prepare your paper or project determines how people precieve it. This chapter summary gave helpful hints on how to organize, develop and relay your informantion so that others can understand what it is your are trying to say and where you are coming from. They did a good job breaking down each topic/section and elaboratin on them giving examples and descriptions for each.
organizing your information is a very critical thing to do either in the class room, at your work, and even at your home. information about different things can be interpreted wrong if you do not organize it the right way, or in a simple way that so that who ever you are presenting the info to can understand. it is good to be able to communicate info at home, expecially to little kids. theyt might not understand a rule and you are going to have to make things clear to them if they did something wrong.
This chapter reminds me of my history class in high school where we used to sort the event dates in chronological order and mug up before the exam. Why we sorted those facts in order? So that it could be easily accessed and stored in our memory and extraction will be easier. Organizing things is addition, deletion, and rearrangement of information. While organizing a piece of information, the implication should not change. This blog discusses a procedure how we can organize a block of information which was really helpful.
Information organization
This chapter is on information organization. The team really needs to read into this chapter to better understand what they read. This summary needs to be revised so that it is more easily read. The word run together entirely too much and it makes it very cumbersome to read through. The colors help a little bit but would be really beneficial to have the different topics separated. The information presented is of good value and will be helpful in deciding how to lay out the information to make it easily read. There are so many technical documents I have read through that should take a short read of this helpful information.
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