I found out some information this afternoon that will help me finish a project I've been working on. I had been looking for the answer to a question, and although it's a simple answer, it was extremely hard to find. But not knowing the answer was holding me back.

I think the simplicity of the information made it be hard to come across---as if no one wanted to waste time writing it out, because those preparing the project instructions figured everyone would know that step already.

Remember when you were first writing papers in school? I remember being taught to write as though anyone reading would be learning of the subject for the very first time. And I think that would be a wonderful thing for writers of instructions to remember!

I rarely take offense if someone tells me something I already know. I appreciate the effort, especially if the other person has no way of knowing what I may or may not know about the subject. About the only time being told something ever angers me is if the information I'm receiving is conveyed in a condescending manner. And that makes me angry whether or not I already know the information.

So I've spent most of the rest of the day getting caught up with my project, and being grateful to the person who wrote the instructions in which I finally got the answer I needed.

What about your experiences with instructions? I mean the ones where you REALLY need them; where jumping into the project isn't possible without being told how to do it. Come tell us.

Also, feel free to continue posting to other forum topics, or to start a new one.