7-3 The Mechanics of Writing

After planning and outlining, the effectiveness of business / professional writing relies on the writer's ability to produce a well-written paragraph. Comprehending the key components of a paragraph and appreciating how these components can either weaken or strengthen your composition are essential for success in business / professional communication.

For something as important to writing and communicating as paragraph composition is, the skill of paragraph writing is something that many students and professionals struggle with. There are a number of reasons for this, the main one being an inability to think in terms of processes (inputs, transformation, and outputs) and a failure to follow a structured approach prior to writing.

Paragraphs are the tool a writer uses to contain their message / argument in all forms of writing. Paragraphs are simply a sequence of carefully crafted sentences grouped together in support of one main idea. A paragraph can stand alone as a composition or may be one part of a larger piece of writing, such as an email, report, memorandum, or letter. Regardless of its role or application, every paragraph has the same basic three-part structure; topic sentence, supporting sentences, and concluding sentences.