How headings can help with the flow of your writing

I've recently been working with a mature student studying law on the reports he's written as part of his assessment.

When he contacted me he was looking for proofreading help but at the end of the project the one thing he said really stood out as a lesson was how much headings can help make a document easier to read.

Headings help to tell a story
Whether we're talking about a complex report or an article or any piece of marketing communication, adding headings throughout can really help you tell the story.

Here's an example
Take a case study. A good structure for a story about how you've helped someone overcome a problem might be to write about:

• the challenge the client faced
• the solution you proposed
• why the client chose you
• how you implemented that solution
• what benefits the client has achieved

If that's how you're structuring the article, then adding in headings that fit with the structure will really help the reader to understand where the story is going. They don't have to be clever headings - meaningful and helpful are the key.

Creating different levels of headings

If you're writing a long piece such as a report or a brochure, you might find it useful to start using subheads. So under a heading of "Challenges" you might want to look at how the problem affected business operations, customer relations, staff morale etc. 

However you choose to structure your headings, make sure that you have some consistency right through the document, both in logic and in font. Give your headings different levels, say 1-3, and make sure every level 1 heading is the same font. Different sizes to differentiate headings may be enough. No need to get carried away with bold, italic and underlining - however tempting that might be!

Testing the flow through headlines

To test if your headings work, try looking at your document just with headings. Do they explain what the next chunk of text is about? Are they in a logical order that tells a sensible story? Do they lead your reader to a conclusion?

Would you like more help?

If you're like my student client who knows what to say but is having trouble organising it for the reader, I may be able to help. Drop me a line at kathy@wrightwell.com and we can talk. 

Tips on technical writing and editing

Once upon a time I was an editor at Butterworth Scientific which published technical journals and books. As well as honing my own journalistic skills I spent many happy hours editing and proofreading content from our contributors.

Almost as many moons ago I used this knowledge in a collaborative chapter with the late, great Ron Brown from KBC on editing technical writing. It's old, but it's still relevant, and not just for technical writers. There are tips here for anyone who writes or edits for business - marketing, articles, journals and books. And it's short.

Here's our guide to editing for accuracy and style.

Mistakes always happen

It's a horrible feeling. You finally get your beautifully crafted brochure printed, and people start pointing out the typos. Why didn't you spot them before you went to press? You read it over and over again. You should have noticed them. The truth is, we read what we think we wrote, not what we actually wrote. That's why getting someone else to proofread for you is absolutely vital. Not only can they highlight the spelling mistakes, but they should also be able to tell you if you're not being as clear as you think you are. Hand your piece of writing over to a colleague, your partner, a friend - or the kids - and it'll save you pain later. If there's really no one to help, then put your writing away for a day, and look at it again with fresh eyes in the morning. (But DO NOT rely on your electronic spell and grammar checker!)