How to Write Instructions

Preparing To Write Instructions

Know your audience. The first thing to do when writing instructions is to know your audience. Who are you writing for? Are these people experts or novices? Knowing your audience helps you choose your words, your level of detail, and the way you structure the instructions. For example, if you were explaining how to bake a cake to a professional chef, you wouldn't have to explain how to fold in the ingredients, why it's important to bring the eggs to room temperature, or the difference between all-purpose and self-rising flour. If you were explaining this to someone who doesn't know how to cook, these definitions and explanations may make the difference between a good cake and a bad cake. Err on the side of caution and don't treat the audience as an expert. This ensures your instructions are always clear and able to be followed.

Identify any tools needed. Before you begin, you want to make sure you state clearly what is required to successfully complete the instructions. This might be a list of ingredients or a group of tools.

Perform the task. One great way to get clear instructions is to go through the process yourself. This way, you can write down specific steps. If you try to do something from memory, you may not remember everything. Then have someone else perform the task. Ask them for feedback about any confusing or unclear steps. Be careful not to leave something out. If you skip important steps, you make it impossible for the reader to complete the task. Also make sure you don't write the steps out of order. For example, if you say, "Mix the ingredients with a mixer. Place in the oven at 350 degrees," the reader may think you place the mixing bowl in the oven.

Writing the Instructions

Keep it simple. Effective instruction is simple. Don't use long, involved paragraphs. Instead, use short, clear sentences, bullet points, and visual aids.

Use active words. Instructions should be full of active, descriptive words. Start your steps with action verbs. This gives the reader a clear action to perform. Each step should read as a command and use the imperative mood. When defining or explaining, use as much descriptive language as possible. For example, say "Add two eggs" instead of "Two eggs should be added to the cake mix."

Add only necessary information. When you include additional information, make sure that you are including only what is necessary. Ask yourself, "Does the reader need to know this definition to understand the instructions?" or "Does the reader need this tip to successfully complete this task?" Refrain from adding unnecessary information. Unneeded definitions, tips, steps, or information can confuse your readers, making it difficult to follow the instructions.

Address the reader. When writing instructions, you should address the reader. Do this using the word "you." This helps lead the reader personally through the steps.

Be specific. When writing instructions, be as specific as possible. Outline exactly what they do. This includes which way they turn a wrench, how many feet they walk, or what the consistency of the cake should look like when they are done. Give all measurements exactly. If someone needs to cut off 5/8-inch of a board, say that. For example, if you are baking a cake, don't wait until step 4 to say, "Before mixing the ingredients, sift the flour and bring the eggs to room temperature."

Use sequence and time transitions. Transitions help connect the steps to each other. They also help relate the ideas. In instructions, you will use sequence and time transitions. This helps the reader understand the step-by-step instructions. Some common transitions are: first, next, then, finally, after, before.

Laying Out the Instructions

Include an introduction. Before you start detailing the instructions, you need to give the reader a brief introduction. This introduction explains what the reader should be able to do after the instructions. It also provides an overview of the procedure. This should be written in clear, plain language. State the purpose of the instructions, who should read the instructions, and what situation might need the procedure. You can talk about what the procedure doesn't do. You can also provide background information in the intro. The introduction can mention any warnings or important information that is needed before the reader begins the process. But remember most people will skip the intro, so don't put anything important in the introduction that you don't put somewhere else. For example, "These instructions provide information on how to bake a chocolate cake. The first section explains how to combine the wet and dry ingredients, and the second section explains how to bake properly."#Place the steps in sequential order. Instructions need to be in a specific order. The tasks should logically follow one after another. Step 1 has to be completed before you can move on to step 2. Organization is pivotal for writing instructions. If it doesn't matter which order something is done in, start with the most important.

Organize your steps into prerequisites. Instructions are made up of sequential interrelated tasks. Before you start writing your instructions, you have to decide which steps are prerequisites. This means that you have to decide what has to be done first to complete the overall task. For example, if you are baking a cake, you have to heat the oven, mix the ingredients, and make the frosting before you can complete the cake.

Break the instructions into separate tasks. Most instructions contain multiple tasks that must be completed for the procedure to be finished. Organizing the instructions into separate parts for each task helps the instructions read clear and as simply as possible for the reader. For example, if you are working on a car, there are different things you have to do before getting to the engine. You have to place the car on a jack, remove other car parts, or remove covers. Each of these tasks require their own sets of instructions. You should break each task down into a separate part with its own unique set of instructions. These parts, just like the steps, go in sequential order. You can't remove the engine cover before jacking the car or removing the part blocking it. Parts should be listed in the order that they need to be completed. Try to keep each task around 10 steps. If you go over 10 steps, find another task or part to break the procedure into. This helps people be able to go back and track their progress. They will know when they have successfully completed a part. Additionally, if they made a mistake, they can go back and fix it without having to redo the entire set of instructions.

Label each task clearly. To help the reader understand the instructions, label each section of the instructions clearly. The heading of the task should summarize what that specific task or part covers. The reader should understand the task they will learn how to do before they begin.

Place one step in one sentence. The sentences for the steps should be short and only include one step per sentence. This ensures that you break down the task into separate actions instead of making each step with multiple actions. If a step has a related action that must be completed together, explain them in their sequence in the same sentence. For example, "Before pouring the cake in the pan, coat the pan with cooking spray" or "Coat the pan with cooking spray. Then pour the cake into the pan."

Provide trackable steps. One important key to instructions is helping your reader track his or her progress. Provide substeps that allow them to see they have done something correct. It might look like this: "When you have ___________, you will see _________." For example, "When the cake is done, insert a toothpick into the middle. If the toothpick comes out clean, the cake is done."

Include any alternate steps. For some steps, there might be multiple ways of doing the same thing. Make sure to explain the different ways the step can be accomplished. If there are conditions which make one step better in a certain situation, make sure to discuss that. If one step is easier, cheaper, or more effective, make sure to explain that.

Use substeps if necessary. For some procedures, you may need to break it down further with substeps. Substeps should only be used if they are too small to be considered their own step. Substeps help break down the step into separate parts or sequences of events. Add supplementary information into the substeps. This information gives you further detail about the step, such as what something might look like before and after or why the step is important.

Place warnings and conditions at the beginning. If there are things the reader needs to know, do, or understand before beginning the task, make sure you tell them that at the beginning of the step.

Anticipate problems. Think about places where your readers might run into problems. Then offer troubleshooting advice. You can also provide examples of things that might go wrong if they have completed a step incorrectly. This step is extremely important. If you have completed the instructions yourself, you will already know where you might encounter problems. That's why it's important to go through the process as you are writing the instructions.

Finish the instructions. This is very important. Some instructions are not complete when the last nail is hammered or the cake comes out of the oven. Think about what else the person needs to do. If you can think of a "Now what?" you still have other steps to add.

Finishing the Instructions

Format the instructions. When writing instructions, make sure to format them clearly. This helps the reader understand how to read the instructions and not get confused. Use a headings to label each discrete part of the instructions. Use numbers when listing the steps in order. Use bullets to list alternatives, additional information, or anything else under the steps. Visually separate the steps. Place a space between the steps to show a difference.

Choose an effective title. The title of the instructions should give an exact preview of what the instructions will explain. For example, "Instructions for Baking an Eggless Chocolate Cake" is much more specific than "Chocolate Cake."

Use visuals and diagrams if necessary. Some instructions require diagrams, pictures, charts, or other visual aids to help. Supplement the instructions with these visuals when needed. The visuals should repeat the ideas in the prose, not present any new information. Visuals are supplement material. Make sure visuals are near the prose. It should go above, below, or beside the step.