Make it interesting

1. Make it interesting KIS MII Keep It Simple Make It Interesting

2. Content, structure, words • Content • What does it say? • What information does it contain? • What is it trying to get the reader to do? • Structure • What order does it say it? • “Birds of a feather flock together” • If things belong together, put them together • Words • What type of language does it use? • Is it easy to understand? Can I say the same thing in a simpler way?

3. Structure your document • Headings • Use frequent headings • Use 2-3 levels of headings • Make the headings descriptive (and interesting!) • Background • Coffee in upland Java • Problem statement • Poor quality means low incomes

4. Structure your document • Paragraphs • Keep paragraphs short • One main idea per paragraph • One key sentence in each paragraph • Usually at the beginning • Use boldface run-in heads (or boldface the key sentence) • Helps you focus each paragraph • Delete them later • Put the paragraphs in a logical order • Link paragraphs together with transitions

5. Structure your document • Sentences • Keep sentences short – 17 words or less • Vary the sentence length and structure • Avoid passives • Avoid complex grammar

6. How to make it interesting • Use human interest – tell a story about a particular person or a village • Miriam used to think she could never grow enough to feed her family. No longer: for the last three years, she has harvested enough to sell a surplus. What has made the difference?

7. How to make it interesting • Paint a picture • At first sight, the hills around Tasikmalaya look green and peaceful. But that is deceptive. In fact, this part of West Java is subject to severe soil erosion.

8. How to make it interesting • Relate it to something the reader can understand • Adapting to climate change is a bit like working out how to live with an awkward new flatmate.

9. How to make it interesting • Use an analogy • Children need different types of food to grow and stay healthy. So do growing crops. The three most important nutrients that crops need are nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium.

10. How to make it interesting • Start with a specific example, then generalize • Pastoralists have always moved with their herds in search of water and green grass. That is one way they adapt to a changing climate. But it is not the only way. They also…

11. How to make it interesting • Pose a problem or question, then answer it • What is the best source of energy for people in rural areas for cooking and lighting? That depends on many factors…

12. How to make it interesting • Appeal to the senses • You see the smoke and smell the burning rubber before you get to the village. It’s hard to think that this is one of the places the cosmetics industry gets one if its key raw materials.

13. How to make it interesting • Surprise the reader • Drive from Entebbe airport to Kampala, and you cannot fail to see the coffins.

14. How to make it interesting • Use a diagram or photo • The tiny fields in the photo above are typical of this part of Rwanda. Land holdings are small and fragmented, and a family may farm several pieces of land many kilometres apart.

15. Your turn! • Think of an interesting angle on your topic • Work out how to say it in an interesting way • Tell us!

16. KIS MII • Keep It Simple • Make It Interesting