| 5W1H: An Effective Approach to Collecting and Presenting Key Information By Dave Baldwin |
One of the most universally used tools for information gathering,
analysis, organization and presentation is the 5W1H framework.
This method is used across a range of professions, from process
analysts to quality engineers to journalists, to understand and
explain virtually any problem or issue. The same method can be
used to organize the writing of reports, articles, white papers, and
even whole books.
The Basic Approach
This approach seeks to answer six basic questions in gathering
information about nearly any subject: Who, What, When, Where,
Why, and How. Sometimes, depending on the context, a second
"H" might be used: How Much.
In journalism, news story writing requires that the questions to be
answered take a basic form:
- Who is it about?
- What is it about?
- When did it happen?
- Where did it happen?
- Why did it happen?
- How did it happen?
Applying the 5W1H framework to other types of writing or
investigation takes some interpretation. The order in which the
answers to the questions is presented may vary, but the "what" is
usually addressed first.
What
In journalism, the "what" identifies an event and is often stated in
the "lede," or first paragraph of a news story.
The "what" is the primary subject, the reason the information is
being gathered and presented. Apart from journalism, it may be
stated in a title and in a purpose statement. The "what" may need
to be defined, a process that may comprise the remainder of a
document.
Who
A news story identifies who an event involves. The "who" may be
part of the lede, and could be the reason the story is news worthy.
In other contexts, the "who" identifies the persons or groups the
"what" concerns. It might describe the audience of a document, or
those who are affected by a policy, process or procedure.
When
A key part of a news story is describing when an event happened.
Answering the "when" indicates any time sensitivity related to the
"what." It may be part of an instruction regarding the proper point
at which a action should be taken. Sometimes it may be part of an
"If...then" scenario of conditional action.
Where
A news story reports the location at which an event took place.
The "where" describes a geographical or physical location of
importance to the "what." At times, the where may be less
important than other factors.
Why
The "why" is usually the most neglected of the questions in the
framework. News stories often lack information from authoritative
sources to explain the "why."
In other contexts, the "why" may be considered irrelevant,
particularly when describing a policy or procedure decreed by an
organizational authority.
Efforts to ascertain and explain the "why" may help those affected
be more accepting of any change the "what" requires.
How
For journalists, determining how an event took place may be nearly
as challenging as explaining the "why," although more effort is
usually put to satisfying the question.
When describing policies, processes or procedures, the how may
be the most important part of the effort.
A considerable appetite for understanding how to do something
can be found across audiences. Sometimes effort focuses on the
"what" when more work should be devoted to explaining the "how."
Conclusion
The 5W1H framework can be applied to any topic at any level of
granularity to gather, analyze and present information from the
simplest to the most complex.
Attributed to a Rudyard Kipling poem, 5W1H is the place to start
and may be enough to take you to the finish.
Copyright © 2012 David A. Baldwin. All rights reserved.
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