Format for Progress Reviews

1. In progress reviews, you sometimes set your ideas out differently under the major sides

a. You do so when you will be present while the client is reading the document

- And you wish to provoke discussion on the ideas being presented

• So that you will have his immediate response to your findings

• And that you will be able to carry on with your work in the direction intended

b. You therefore put the ideas on the page in a way that will aid the client's reading process

- You want him quickly to grasp the main points

- You want him easily to see their relationship to each other

- You want hint clearly to distinguish the less essential points

2. To achieve the proper visual effect, you must obey certain rules

a. Make short, direct statements at each level

- Omitting grace notes

- And liaisons

b. Limit each level to one statement only

c. Use parallel construction for ideas at the same level, where possible

d. Ensure that ideas at each level relate directly to the level above them

- Either explaining it

- Or supporting it

3. Do not bother to use this format unless you intend to obey the rules

All of these devices serve as visual aids to the reader. They are meant to display to the reader's eye the logical relationships with which his mind is grappling, and in this way to help him comprehend them more quickly. Admittedly, they save only tiny amoms of the reader's time, but if he is a person who has scores of documents passing over his desk each day, the value of such small savings is considerable.