Begin with meaning, then provide details

Effective practical writing (for example, business writing or persuasive writing) begins with the main point you want to convey, and then adds the supporting details.

Our brains process meaning, or the gist of something, before we start processing the details, says John Medina in his book, Brain Rules.

Studies show that emotional arousal focuses attention on the “gist” of an experience at the expense of peripheral details. Many researchers think that’s how memory normally works—by recording the gist of what we encounter, not by retaining a literal record of the experience. With the passage of time, our retrieval of gist always trumps our recall of details.

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Of course, at work and at school, detailed knowledge often is critical for success. Interestingly, our reliance on gist may actually be fundamental to finding a strategy for remembering details.

In other words, once we have a good grasp on the gist, the core central meaning or point of something new, it becomes easier to remember the details. The central meaning gives us something to hang those details on.

Medina is a developmental molecular biologist and teacher at the University of Washington School of Medicine, and he says that his lectures became much more effective when he began using this principal. “You have to do the general idea first. And then you will see that 40 percent improvement in understanding.”

Give this a try when you’re writing an email, a report, a proposal, or even a letter to the editor. Don’t beat around the bush, or engage in rhetorical “throat clearing.” State your point right up front, and then go into the details.

Note: I picked up Brain Rules recently, and there’s plenty in it for writers to learn. Expect to see some more posts inspired by this book.

(Post written with Windows Live Writer.)