Read/Write Strategies

Keywords:

lists, notes, handouts, print, and text in all its formats and whether on screens or on paper.

Description:

This preference uses the printed word as the most important way to convey and receive information.

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People with a Read/Write preference prefer:

• to write and read. They like words that have interesting meanings and backgrounds.
• to use lists (a, b, c, d, and 1, 2, 3, 4) and to order things into categories.
• to arrange words into hierarchies and points; order and structure in anything presented.
• extracting meanings from headings and titles.
• correcting mistakes.
• clarity in what has been written.
• challenging rules and regulations because of their wording.
• people who write or speak using challenging words.

To take in information:

• use lists (like this one!)
• use titles and headings that clearly explain what follows.
• use bullet points and numbered paragraphs.
• use dictionaries and glossaries, and articles about trends in word usage.
• spell-check; correct written language errors.
• read handouts.
• read books that are dense with text, essays, manuals, and reading lists.
• use definitions, constitutions, legal documents, minutes, and rules.
• write notes (often verbatim).
• get information from people who use words well and have lots of information in their sentences.
• as you listen, sort out what they are saying into your own categories and lists.

To present information to others:

• Order things into priorities of importance, categories, or schemas…
• Contribute in print to a variety of print media.
• Rewrite any ideas and principles in your own words.
• Be aware that others may not have a Read/Write preference like you, so respect their differences.

In education:

• Convert your “notes” into a learnable package by reducing them from three pages down to one page.
• Write out the words again and again.
• Read your notes (silently) again and again.
• Do any “extra” suggested reading.
• Organize any diagrams, or graphs … into statements, e.g. “This graph shows that the trend is…”
• Use a digital device to arrange your ideas and to “try” different words.
• Imagine your lists arranged in multiple choice questions and distinguish them from each other.

In the workplace:

• Use SWOT analyses showing Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats.
• Use Risk analyses.
• Strategic and management plans e.g. management by objectives (MBO), especially written ones.
• Write out your words for others to read, and use handouts, noticeboards, and post-its.
• Read carefully what others have written.
• Watch and read new material appearing on noticeboards – in the workplace, office, and online.
• Have current business news running on your computer.
• Quote from business magazines and journals.
• Write lists of tasks and carefully record important print information.
• Find out the preferences of others and deliver in their preferred modes.