Problems in Writing Official Documents of Supporting Staff College of Arts, Media and Technology, Chiang Mai University

Abstract

The objectives of this research were to: 1) study the problem in writing official documents, and 2) propose the guidelines for writing official documents that were suitable for the current conditions of supporting staff College of Arts, Media and Technology Chiang Mai University. The research employed both quantitative and qualitative methods, studying internal and external documents of 44 staff members, along with 5 supervisors and experts. This approach was used to analyze problems in writing official documents and to conduct training on “Techniques for writing official documents,” followed by testing the participants’ knowledge after the training.

The results of the research found that: 1. there were four aspects of problems in official documents writing. 1) Form, problems were found before the training 100%, after the training 61.36% included setting the margins of the paper, Garuda symbol Line indentation, typing distance. 2) Content, problems were found before the training 31.81%, after the training 52.27%, including content not complete according to the 5W 1H elements, content not relevant to the point that needs to be communicated, lack of references to relevant information lack of connection between the content of the cause, purpose, and conclusion, vague and unclear content, and inappropriate concluding phrases. 3) Language aspect, problems were found before the training 38.63%, after the training 20.45%, including redundancy in the use of words and phrases, titles not match the content and conclusions, superfluous language, colloquial expressions, misplaced personal pronouns and prefixes, and poor connection between cause and purpose. 4) Printing problems were found before the training 97.72%, after the training 86.36%, problems included headers smaller than 20 points, signer's name not centered, inadequate spacing between sentences, words split between lines, typos, missing text, repeated words, line spacing inconsistencies, unnumbered document pages, and fonts smaller than 16 points. The results also revealed that 2. guidelines for writing official documents for staff; they should prioritize adherence to the 5W 1H writing guidelines as per the Prime Minister's Regulations on Secretariat Work B.E. 2526 (1983) and its amendments. Additionally, staff should: understand the regulations to ensure accurate comprehension: follow instructions thoroughly and study the purpose of the official documents with discretion: choose the correct format and structure based on the purpose of the document: use correct and appropriate language and official terminology to convey the message accurately: observe examples of structures as guidelines: analyze and learn from examples of official documents: practice and develop writing skills. In summary, effective official document writing reflects the writer's capabilities. It is essential for documents to be practical, relevant, and appropriate for the time, occasion, place, and recipient.