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Power of persuasion in a paperless world
Robert DuboseAlexander Dubose Jefferson & TownsendHouston, [email protected]
A screen-reading environment is different from paper.
5 qualities of screen readersthat require writers to adapt
1. You must compete for their attention
access to unlimited information
2. Impatient for quick answers
Google/Westlaw
3. They multitask
Windows
iPad
Studies on multitasking
4. They skim
less sustained reading
Texts, emails
“the most distraction-prone workplace in the history of mankind.”-John Freeman
5. They struggle with navigation
The PDF problem – navigating documents on screen is more difficult
The Reading Brain in the Digital AgeScientific American, April 13, 2013
in praise of screen reading
LEGAL WRITING IN THE AGE OF THE SMARTPHONE
STEVEN STARKwww.starkwriting.com
THE PRINCIPLES OF GOOD LEGAL WRITING IN THE SMART PHONE AGE
• Organization – Lead With Your Conclusion• Use the first paragraph to tell the reader where you’re heading and
why.• Leading with your conclusion is more convincing to readers; the IRAC
style conveys arguments backwards.• For those who get too caught up in their material, leading with your
conclusion helps you to begin where the reader needs to, at the beginning.
• For readers who don’t read carefully, it gives them the most important information first.
• Writing in this fashion comports much more with the way that most information is given to readers in the modern world, especially in the US where communicators tend to be more direct.
The Rules of Writing
• Use strong verbs• Get rid of clutter• Keep sentences to 25 words or less• Move all clauses to the beginning or end of
sentences• Use shorter words• Always edit• Use graphics