6   Methods of Presentation

Decision Trees

Decision trees are a form of flow diagram in which readers are routed according to their responses to questions. Use decision trees to provide a visual representation of conditional steps in a procedure, or to help readers decide which procedure to use. Each box of the decision tree can indicate a different procedure.

Tips on Creating Decision Trees

Here are some tips on creating decision trees:

• Use diamonds for questions and boxes for actions.

• Always indicate where the reader should start.

• Try to keep the text in the shapes to four or five words.

• Try to keep the shapes the same size.

• Don’t include more than one action in a box. If necessary, refer the reader to a step-by-step procedure.