Building Well-Organized Paragraphs

Paragraphs are groups of sentences about a single idea. Effective paragraphs contain a topic sentence, sentences that explain the main idea, and techniques that build coherence.

Effective paragraphs have clear topic sentences that introduce the main idea. Topic sentences are supported by sentences that further explain the topic.

Read the selection and answer the question that follows.

As a member of the crisis management team, you are required to attend our biannual crisis management workshops. These workshops will prepare you to lead your division in the event of a company crisis. The workshops always take place during the second week in January, and they are held at our headquarters in Dallas, Texas. Workshop registration information is available on the company website.

Identify the function of the sentence These workshops will prepare you to lead your division in the event of a company crisis.

• Support sentence
• Topic sentence

Paragraph coherence occurs when the ideas in a paragraph are linked, and there is a logical flow from one idea to the next.

Which of these are techniques that you can use to help the reader follow your ideas? Check all that apply.

• Place prepositions near the end of the sentence.
• Use pronouns to refer to previous nouns.
• Avoid repetition of words and phrases.
• Show connections with transitional expressions.
• Use bullets and lists to connect similar ideas.

Read the following paragraph and its possible revisions. Then choose the revision that has the best paragraph coherence and that most accurately supports the original paragraph.

In the event of a crisis, your company should be ready to respond immediately by appointing a crisis team of five to seven employees who are responsible for executing the crisis management plan. This team will be responsible for implementing the plan and communicating important information internally. The CEO and PR director should handle external communication. All of these details should be outlined in the crisis management plan, which is clearly a critical preparatory step.

1. In the event of a crisis, your company should be ready to respond immediately. Preparing for the crisis requires planning. The critical first step is the development of a crisis management plan. Additionally, your company should appoint a crisis team of five to seven employees who are responsible for executing the crisis management plan. This team will be responsible for implementing the plan and communicating important information internally. However, external communication should be handled by the CEO and PR director.

2. In the event of a crisis, your company should be ready to respond immediately. Therefore, having a crisis management plan is an important preparatory step. The CEO and PR director should handle external communication. Additionally, your company should appoint a crisis team of five to seven employees who are responsible for executing the crisis management plan. This team will be responsible for implementing the plan and communicating important information internally.

3. In the event of a crisis, your company should be ready to respond immediately. Your company should appoint a crisis team of five to seven employees who are responsible for executing the crisis management plan. This team will be responsible for implementing the plan and communicating important information internally. However, external communication should be handled by the CEO and PR director. Therefore, having a crisis management plan is an important preparatory step.

The best revision of the original paragraph is:  .

Select the most appropriate transitions to promote paragraph coherence in the paragraphs that follow.

In the event of a crisis, your company should be ready to respond immediately; , having a crisis management plan (CMP) is an important preparatory step.  , your company should appoint a crisis team of five to seven employees who are responsible for executing the CMP.

. Your CEO should be responsible for speaking to the press;  , it is also a good idea to appoint someone to handle media requests. If your company does not have a public relations executive, this job should be handled by the head of marketing or human resources.

, you will also need to assign members to interface with your own employees as well as public safety agencies.

Shorter paragraphs are more readable and inviting to business audiences. Answer the following question about paragraph length.

Which one of these techniques will help you control the length of your paragraphs?

• Break longer topics into multiple paragraphs.
• Use a smaller font size to maximize space on the page.
• Limit the use of bullets and lists.