Critical Reading Skills

This unit on records detailed the importance of using critical reading skills and a good vocabulary to select fundamental and meaningful parts of information in a written article, so that one can reproduce and essentially decrease/increase its length in accordance with the requirements of their business. It may be a duty of a manager, a secretary or an administrator, to distribute wellwritten articles that emphasise the main facts of a communication to employees.

Précis writing is the technique used to summarise a written piece such as a report, by condensing it down to the main points and removing anything that is not needed or unimportant. The re-written article must be in the writer’s own words, although certain things like names, dates

All the central sentences must be recognised. Then the different sections can be indexed along with the main points within each section. Again, shortening phrases and ignoring irrelevant sentences is essential at this stage. All these shortened points can be linked together to produce a unified passage, perhaps around one third of the length of the original. In business, a formal and literary précis style is normally necessary for written communications because it is more professional and respectful. Reports, memos and letters are usually structured in a logical way in that the information flows naturally from one point to the next without unnecessary ‘padding’. They usually would not contain the writer’s own opinions on the matter or any other biased information. Less formal styles might be suitable in advertising.

Practice and development of précis writing would allow a business person to produce work quicker which is important when deadlines are set. It can be simpler when the indexing process is cut out, and the writer is able to produce a draft after underlining facts during the reading stage. With further refinement, the draft can be made into a final copy. Even the draft writing stage could be cut out

Opposite to précis writing, a business person may be required to expand on information within a shortened document or from notes. This would be to produce a report or letter in a more complete, formal manner for distribution. The writer should be careful to use correct language and tone, and ensure that it achieves its aim. Good writing can be developed by examining and constructively criticising various works. It is often necessary to change styles depending on the intention of the communication, such as to inform, persuade or enquire, and it is always beneficial to write in such a way that shows courtesy while avoiding insincerity and ambiguity.

Comprehension tests assess one’s ability to understand English and are a useful examination for people training to effectively use the tool of language personally and professionally. Good writers use their own words and never plagiarise, have a wide knowledge of the meanings of words and phrases, and are developed in critically judging pieces on their clarity and purpose, so that their own written work is of the highest