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How to Formulate a Rule?

The Form of the Rule

Rule texts must explicitly contain the following structural elements and express them precisely:

  1. Addressee: For whom does this rule apply?
  2. Condition: Which behavior is required or prohibited?
  3. Consequences (optional): What are the consequences of violating the rule?

Example

»Members (addressee) who require a substitute to fulfill their duties (condition) must provide a replacement service of the same scope (consequences).«

Style

Rule texts should be formulated as briefly and clearly as possible for everyone. "Clearly" in this context means: simple, concise (the opposite of verbose, imprecise, and cumbersome), well-structured, and tidy.

Logical Consistency

The rules within a set of regulations must be logically coherent and must not contradict each other, because contradictions call the validity of the rules into question.

Comprehensibility

Important statements should always be placed at the beginning of a sentence or paragraph.
An average person serves as the benchmark for comprehensibility. The average short-term memory cannot process sentences that contain more than 7 objects and 22 words. Short sentences can be understood better than long ones. Sentences that are too long and deeply nested should be avoided and reformulated. Supplementary explanations can be added at the end. In rule texts, the accuracy and clarity of the texts carry particular weight. Expressing an accurate and unambiguous statement in a generally understandable way requires work on the text. It is about the right words and about finding a balance between precision and comprehensibility.

Optimizing Rules Based on Counter-Arguments

Counter-arguments address aspects that have not been sufficiently considered in the proposed rule. However, if the proposed rule is slightly modified, counter-arguments can be refuted.

Let us examine a counter-argument: Why do part-time jobs have a negative effect on students' homework completion? - Mainly because part-time jobs take time and energy that are then no longer available for homework. - If a condition is introduced into the proposed rule that a part-time job must not conflict with schoolwork, the counter-argument would be refuted and could be removed from the list.

Example

Students should have the opportunity to take a part-time job, provided that the activity is compatible with the fulfillment of school obligations.