Building Blocks of Writing: Vocabulary, Spelling and Grammar

Notepad, laptop, pen, and a cup of coffee on a desk

Building Blocks of Writing: Vocabulary, Spelling and Grammar

Sections of This Topic Include

Vocabulary
Spelling
Grammar

NOTE: Be sure to first notice: How to Improve Your Writing

Also consider

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Library’s Communications Blog

Vocabulary

Vocabulary is the collection of words conveyed by a person or in writing in order to communicate with the reader or listener. The more words that you understand in your personal vocabulary, the more effectively you will comprehend what the speak or writer is intending to convey. The term “vocabulary” is sometimes used interchangeably with the term “lexicon”.

Also consider

Spelling

By the time we have finished grade school, we know what spelling is, although we might not be able to define it. Wikipedia defines spelling as the “…interpretation of speech sound into writing”. You can’t proceed with improving your writing unless you start by knowing how to spell.

Grammar

Grammar specifies the rules for how to correctly construct a sentence. It covers subjects such as how to use commas, apostrophes and punctuation, as well subject-verb matching, run-on sentences and using the correct tense.

Introductions

Guidelines and Tips

Guidebooks

Online Assistants

For the Category of Communications (Business Writing):

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Also, scan the Recommended Books listed below. They have been selected for their relevance and highly practical nature.

January 18, 2022February 23, 2022

How to Write Brochures

Person drafting out the content of the brochures

How to Write Brochures

Assembled by Carter McNamara, MBA, PhD

Various Perspectives on Writing Brochures

Tips to writing a good handout
Twelve Tips for Writing Better Marketing Brochures
How to Write a Brochure

Also see
Related Library Topics

Also See The Library’s Blogs Related To Writing Brochures

In addition to the articles on this current page, also see the following blogs that have posts related to Writing Brochures. Scan down the blog’s page to see various posts. Also see the section “Recent Blog Posts” in the sidebar of the blog or click on “next” near the bottom of a post in the blog. The blog also links to numerous free related resources.

Library’s Communications Blog

For the Category of Communications (Business Writing):

To round out your knowledge of this Library topic, you may want to review some related topics, available from the link below. Each of the related topics includes free, online resources.

Also, scan the Recommended Books listed below. They have been selected for their relevance and highly practical nature.

Related Library Topics

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January 18, 2022February 23, 2022

Use Your New Typographic Capabilities

Use Your New Typographic Capabilities

Contributed by Deane Gradous, Twin Cities consultant

You may have learned to type on a mechanical typewriter. At that time, typists emphasized words by capitalizing or underlining them, which was all the capabilities they had. Today’s business writer has nearly all the capabilities of a professional typesetter at his or her fingertips. This article contains strategies for using the typographic capabilities in Microsoft Word and other word processing programs.

Boldface

Boldfaced type is commonly used in headings, such as Word’s Level 1 heading, which was used as the title style for this article, and Word’s Level 2 subheading, which was used to introduce this segment. In general text, boldface is not used for emphasis because boldfaced words stand out like facial blemishes. As an alternative, some business writers use italics for emphasis. It would be even better if they limited their use of italics and relied on sentence structure to make their emphases clear.

Italics

Italics can be used to show that a word is to be read as a word, for example “The word system is much misused in business writing.” Foreign words that have not been absorbed into English are italicized.
The titles of complete works–books, newspapers, poems, songs–are italicized. Titles of parts of works–articles, chapters–are enclosed in quotation marks.

Small caps

Use small caps for A.M. and P.M.
Modern practice recommends using small caps for acronyms that are pronounced as words, for example
RAM memory. Initialisms, which are pronounced letter by letter, are typed in full caps, for example CPU. When you follow this rule, readers will know how to pronounce what you write.

Dashes

The hyphen (-), the en dash ((the en dash is slightly longer than the hyphen), and the em dash (sometimes represented by two hyphens: —) are important and useful horizontal characters. The hyphen, in addition to being used to break a word at the end of a line, is used to connect two words that modify another, for example “Come to a 3-day meeting.” The en dash is longer than a hyphen and shorter than an em dash. It is used to connect two numbers, for example “Circle October 3 (en dash) 5 on your calendar.”

The em dash, the longest of the three characters, is used to indicate a break in the structure of a sentence, for example “We could allow 20 minutes for–oh, let’s not bother with that issue at the meeting.”

The hyphen, which is easily accessed via the keyboard, should not be substituted for the en dash and the em dash.

To find the two longer dashes, open the Insert menu, select Symbol, and locate them on the character map for normal text. Select the desired dash and insert it into
your text. Note the absence of blank spaces before and after these three characters.

Special characters

To shorten the process of adding em dashes and other special characters to your text, learn their ASCII code numbers. To insert a special character into your text, hold down the Alt key and type 0 and its code number on the number pad. When you let go of the Alt key, the special character is inserted in your text at the cursor.

For example, to insert an em dash, hold down Alt and type
0151 on the number pad. Lift your finger from the Alt key and voila!

Paragraphs

Double-spacing between paragraphs often uses too much page space, especially when you are trying to keep your text to a single page. At your direction, the computer will add extra points of space above each paragraph. To set a paragraph style with additional line space above it, as I have done with all the paragraphs in this article, open the Format menu and select Style. In the Style windows, select in order normal style, modify, format, paragraph and type 3 pt in spacing before. Close and apply.

Indents

Punching the tab key to indent the first line of every paragraph by five full spaces was great for typewriters and for lines of text six inches long. In columnar text, the first lines of paragraphs are usually indented by a space the equivalent of an M. To match the paragraph style in this article, use a first-line indent of 0.15 inches.

Make this adjustment in the Format menu. Select Paragraph and set the first-line indent under Special.

Lists may be indented the same amount.

The default indent for bulleted lists in Word is 0.50
inches–too large an indent for columnar text. Set it at 0.15
inches.
To ease the typing of indented lists, create a new paragraph
style. Set the left margin indent about 0.15 inches, and indicate a hanging indent about the same amount. Name the new style bullet.
Word’s default setting for the distance between the
bullet and text is 0.25–again, too large. To reset this distance, search under the Format menu for Bullets and Numbering, select Modify, and set the distance at 0.15 inches.

Titles

The title of this article is centered and set in large, bold-faced type–22-point Arial [Lucida Sans in the online version].
It could be even larger, but I chose to keep the title on a single line. By convention, the whole title or just the important words in the title are capitalized, but this convention is often ignored in favor of the more easily read sentence capitalization style. Research has shown that readers find all caps very difficult to read. Capitalized words have no ups and downs to help the reader discern the differences among the letters.

Subheads

Subheads (headings) are used to indicate the hierarchy of text. Let the style and size of type say “This is a head; pay special attention because it indicates the relative importance of the text that follows.”

Traditionally, headings were capitalized like titles; that is, the initial letter of each word was capitalized, except articles, conjunctions, and prepositions of five or fewer letters. Today’s business writers increasingly choose to use sentence capitalization for headings; that is, they capitalize only the initial word and any proper nouns. Headings may be followed by quotation marks, question marks, and exclamation points, but not by periods, colons, or semi-colons.

The text within the heading and the level of each heading form a well-organized content outline. The writer decides how many levels of headings to use. The savvy reader skims the headings to understand how the text is organized. The highest level in the hierarchy of headings indicates to the reader that a major section will follow. The next lower level indicates subsections.

All headings of the same level are constructed in parallel form. For example, the headings in this article are nouns with a descriptor as needed.

Spaces

Some hard-won typewriting practices are no longer acceptable in today’s computer-formatted text. You may have a well-entrenched habit of adding two spaces between sentences. You may even think your text looks better that way. Not so. Adding the extra spaces makes your reader’s job harder.

You can use the search-and-replace feature in the Edit menu to change all instances of two spaces to one space. Before applying the spellcheck function and printing your work, search for two spaces [ ] and replace with one space [ ]. This search-and-replace step is especially important when using the Times font, which tends to hide extra spaces on the screen but shows them clearly on hard copy.

Smart quotes

If your program’s default preferences setting specifies straight quotation marks, it’s time to change to “smart quotes.” To learn how to make this change, search for smart quotes in the Help menu.

Don’t use smart (curly) quotes when you need straight quotation marks, as in foot (‘) and inch (“) marks. To add these straight marks, go to the Insert menu and select Symbol. Find the desired marks on the character map and insert them in your text.

Fractions

Commonly used fractions, in which the numerator and denominator are smaller than the normal text, can be found in the Insert menu under Symbol, for example ¾. For hints on using superscripts and subscripts to build unusual fractions, for example 3/35, search the word-processing manual or the help file.

Font style

For highly readable paragraph text, use Times in its 10- to 12-point size, 12-point if your readers wear bifocals or have resisted getting bifocals past the point of needing them. The text of this article is 10-point Times. [Lucida Fax “small” in online version]

For highly visible headings, use Arial in its 14- to 16-point
size and boldface the text. See the default settings for heading styles in Word.

Fancy type

Resist using a variety of fancy fonts. Blocks of text in Algerian, Braggadocio, or other fancy fonts may be nearly unreadable. But blocks of text in Times will
not tire your reader. Make your words exciting and meaningful through skillful writing, not by using tricks and gimmicks. Grayed boxes and outlined or shadowed type, when used indiscriminately, shout Amateur! or UNPROFESSIONAL!

In summary, with these word-processing strategies you will enhance the presentation of your ideas and ease your writing chores. Explorations into the word-processing manual or help file will yield other useful techniques.

Learn More in the Library’s Blog Related to This Topic

In addition to the articles on this current page, see the following blog which have posts related to this topic. Scan down the blog’s page to see various posts. Also see the section “Recent Blog Posts” in the sidebar of the blog or click on “next” near the bottom of a post in the blog.

Library’s Communications Blog

For the Category of Communications (Business Writing):

To round out your knowledge of this Library topic, you may want to review some related topics, available from the link below. Each of the related topics includes free, online resources.

Also, scan the Recommended Books listed below. They have been selected for their relevance and highly practical nature.

Related Library Topics

Recommended Books

January 18, 2022February 23, 2022

Recommended Headings for Business Reports and What Report Readers Want to Know

Someone typing a business report with a laptop

Recommended Headings for Business Reports and What Report Readers Want to Know

Contributed by Deane Gradous, Twin Cities consultant

Recommended Headings for Business Reports

Meeting reports

Group/date/place
Chart of follow-up actions and persons responsible by
date
Those present (those absent*)
Agenda items
Discussion of each agenda item
· Background
· Discussion
· Action plan
Next meeting and proposed agenda

What is the meta-message? “We make well-considered and important decisions.” “This group accomplishes a lot.”

Progress reports

Projects completed
· Final against plan (data)
· Learning to be shared
Projects in process
· Status against plan (data)
· Issues/concerns
Recommendations/implications

What is the meta-message? “I add value to the organization and am a learner/achiever.”

Research reports

Executive summary
Purpose/problem
Background
Research methods: design/activities/ costs, etc.
Research findings/results
Implications of these results
Conclusions/recommendations
Appendices (data, graphs, tables, charts, etc.)

What is the meta-message? “I follow good scientific methods.
You can trust my work, which is reliable and valid and the foundation for sound decisions.”

Trip reports

Date of trip/destination
Purpose of the trip
Background
Details
· Who
· What
· Findings/results
· Implications
Conclusions/recommendations
Follow up
Attachments

What is the meta-message? “I am a good investigator/ambassador.”

What Report Readers Want to Know From Research/Activity Reports

Do I need to read your report? Does the title indicate a subject that is relevant to my responsibilities? Is the title
accurate and descriptive? Does your report look interesting and readable?
Give me a quick overview? Does your report have an executive summary so I can decide whether or not I need to read the whole thing?
Why did you undertake this research/activity? Fill me in on the context and the background. Explain the relevance of your research/activity to our larger organizational goals.
What purposes or accomplishments did you aim for? What were the major objectives and sub-objectives of your research/activity? What questions did you ask?
What methods, processes, and procedures did you use? Because I and other may need to make decisions on the basis of information in your report, I expect to see a detailed description of what you did to obtain your results/findings. What obstacles and surprises did you encounter in the process?
What are your results/findings? I don’t want to know everything you know about your research/activity. I do want to know what you discovered/accomplished. I hope you have included negative as well as positive results, so I and many others can learn from your research/activity.
How do you interpret your results/findings? Your facts are interesting and important, but they also require some heavy thinking to interpret. Don’t leave all of the difficult, interpretive work to me. Give me tables, lists, charts, and/or graphs and point out the patterns in the data. Turn the data info information.
What are the implications of your results/findings? What do your results/findings mean in terms of others’ activities? Turn your information into knowledge. Go beyond your interpretation to explain the significance of these results/findings. Do also express the limitations of these results/findings.
What follow-up research/activities do you recommend? Because you have studied and explored the context, the background, and the results/findings in some detail, I look to you to offer recommendations on related decisions and future research/activities.

In short,

What are the facts?
What do they mean?
What do we do now?

Learn More in the Library’s Blog Related to This Topic

Library’s Communications Blog

For the Category of Communications (Business Writing):

To round out your knowledge of this Library topic, you may want to review some related topics, available from the link below. Each of the related topics includes free, online resources.

Also, scan the Recommended Books listed below. They have been selected for their relevance and highly practical nature.

Related Library Topics

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January 18, 2022February 23, 2022

Cues and Transitions for the Reader (of Your Correspondence)

A business correspondence on a work desk

Cues and Transitions for the Reader

Contributed by Deane Gradous, Twin Cities consultant

To show addition
· and
· in addition
· besides
· furthermore
· moreover
· what’s more
· too
· not only … but also
· both … and
· not so obvious
· as well as
· another

To show time
· now
· since
· after this
· at length
· thereafter
· already
· at length
· after a few hours
· in the end
· afterwards
· then
· later
· previously
· formerly
· at an earlier time
· at the same time
· simultaneously
· meanwhile
· in the meantime
· and then

To show sequence
· first, second, etc.
· next
· former
· latter
· final
· last

To emphasize
· obviously
· in fact
· as a matter of fact
· indeed
· what’s more
· even without this
· especially
· truly
· really
· certainly
· moreover
· in truth
· above all

To compare
· similarly
· likewise
· in like manner
· parallel with
· in the same category
· comparable to
· equally important

To contrast
· on the other hand
· on the contrary
· conversely
· by contrast
· from another point of view
· more important
· but
· yet
· and yet
· however
· still
· after all
· for all that
· although this is true
· while this is true
· in spite of
· though
· even though
· nonetheless
· nevertheless
· notwithstanding
· in spite of this

To include
· namely
· especially
· specifically
· in detail
· including
· in particular
· to list
· to enumerate

More on next page

To repeat
· to repeat
· in brief
· in short
· as I have said
· as I have noted
· in other words
· once more
· again
· yet again
· that is

To give examples
· for instance
· for example
· to demonstrate
· to illustrate
· as an illustration
· a case in point
· another case

To show purpose
· to
· in order to
· so that
· for the purpose of
· with this in mind
· with this in view

To conclude
· to conclude
· in conclusion
· thus
· finally
· last
· to end

To infer
· hence
· so
· therefore
· consequently
· as a result
· for this reason
· this being the case
· it follows that …

To summarize
· in brief
· in summary
· on the whole
· to sum up
· in other words
· briefly
· in short
· in conclusion

To exclude
· with this exception
· all except
· all but
· except for this
· not that
· but not
· neither … nor

To show condition
· if
· whether

To show alternatives
· or
· either … or
· whether …or not

To concede
· no doubt
· admitting
· to be sure
· certainly
· indeed
· granted
· true
· in any case
· in any event

To refute
· no
· hardly
· on the contrary
· never

To mark
· with respect to
· as for …
· concerning
· in point of reference

To link
· in general
· to resume
· in particular
· to continue
· to return
· along with

To paint a picture
· imagine this scene
· to illustrate my point
· let’s examine this idea closely

Learn More in the Library’s Blog Related to This Topic

Library’s Communications Blog

For the Category of Communications (Business Writing):

To round out your knowledge of this Library topic, you may want to review some related topics, available from the link below. Each of the related topics includes free, online resources.

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January 18, 2022February 23, 2022

Two Formats for Sharing “Bad News” Correspondence

Businessman lost in thoughts after reading a bad news correspondence

Formats for “Bad News” Correspondence

Contributed by Deane Gradous, Twin Cities consultant

Two Formats, Two Results

“Bad news” memos and letters are easier to write when you remember the two formulas for organizing the content of such correspondence. Although the formulas appear to be only slightly different, the reader is likely to respond to each format in a different way.

Indirect format, or “You are a valued person.”

1. Thanks …
2. Because …
3. Sorry …
4. Thanks …

By using the indirect formula you prepare the reader for the bad news while you develop in his or her mind the rationale for your “no” decision. The indirect format is designed to preserve relationships under difficult circumstances for both writer and reader. It is gracious and definite and can be empathetic.

Direct format, or “Go away and don’t bother us again.”

1. Thanks …
2. Because …
3. Sorry …
4. Thanks …

By using the direct formula you quickly inform the reader of your decision. If you choose to add a reason for your decision, keep it simple. The direct format is not designed to preserve the relationship between writer and reader. Nevertheless, it is courteous and definite.

Choose the bad news format that fits your purpose.

Additional Resources

Also consider
– Asserting Yourself
– Conflict Management
– Emotional Intelligence
– Empathy
– Writing Skills

Learn More in the Library’s Blog Related to This Topic

Library’s Communications Blog

For the Category of Communications (Business Writing):

To round out your knowledge of this Library topic, you may want to review some related topics, available from the link below. Each of the related topics includes free, online resources.

Also, scan the Recommended Books listed below. They have been selected for their relevance and highly practical nature.

Related Library Topics

Recommended Books

January 18, 2022February 23, 2022

Using a Variety of Appeals to Sell Your Idea, Service, or Product

Using a Variety of Appeals to Sell Your Idea, Service, or Product

Contributed by Deane Gradous, Twin Cities consultant

Readers are rational, emotional, and spiritual beings. If you write to change readers’ opinions or to get them to accept your point of view, you could decide to appeal to their minds, their hearts, and their souls:

· Minds through reason (logos)
· Hearts through emotion (pathos)
· Souls through ethics (ethos)

Logos.
Logical appeals rely on evidence, such as research data or examples. Use reason to convince a skeptical reader of the truth or validity of your argument. Use reason to ask someone to take a new view of a situation.

Pathos. Emotional appeals attempt to arouse the feelings of the reader. Daniel Goleman, Author of Emotional Intelligence, says that such appeals rely on tapping the energy associated with basic feelings of fear, enjoyment, anger, surprise, or disgust. Two other basic feelings seem generally less applicable in writing to persuade in a business setting: sadness and shame. Emotional appeals are most effective when the reader can be expected to agree with your argument and you want the reader to act.

Ethos. Ethical appeals rely on the reader’s sense of right and wrong. Such appeals depend on the writer’s credibility as
a respected expert, reliable contributor, or well-informed observer whose opinions are believable because they are ethically sound. Ethical appeals are most effective when the reader can be moved by what is said and by who is saying it.

Examples:

A writer seeks to increase the budget for new computers in her department. She could use:

Logic–“A new computer would increase our productivity by 5 percent. Since our combined salaries are $300,000, that’s a productivity increase worth $15,000. Subtract the cost of $7500 for the computers, and you have a net gain of
$7500.”

Pathos–“Our old computers are so inadequate that we are feeling super cautious (fear) about tackling the biggest barcoding job.”

Ethos–“It’s only fair that our department gets new computers at this time. Our present computers are five years old. The neighboring department got new computers two years ago.”

Know your reader and choose logic, pathos, ethos, or all three–whatever works.

Learn More in the Library’s Blog Related to This Topic

Library’s Communications Blog

For the Category of Communications (Business Writing):

To round out your knowledge of this Library topic, you may want to review some related topics, available from the link below. Each of the related topics includes free, online resources.

Also, scan the Recommended Books listed below. They have been selected for their relevance and highly practical nature.

Related Library Topics

Recommended Books

January 18, 2022February 23, 2022

Organizing Information in Written Reports

Organizing Information in Written Reports

Contributed by Deane Gradous, Twin Cities consultant

By using appropriate headings in their reports, writers are more likely to address their readers’ needs for information. Organizing information under headings (Table 1) makes writing tasks easier and reports more complete.

Table 1. Headings for four types of reports

Work plan

Final report*

Title–Be descriptive (consistent with a previous proposal, if any).

Purpose–State the purpose of the work in one or two clear sentences.

Background–Take the rational from the original proposal and add background as the reader needs.

Objectives–List the questions to be answered, the avenues to be explored, the work to be completed,
or the results to be achieved.

Methods–Describe how the objectives will be achieved.

Materials–Estimate material to be used or consumed for the work.

Timeline–Include milestones and, where appropriate, future plans.

Appendix–Attach copies of correspondence and other documents important to the reader of the work plan.

Title–Be descriptive (consistent with the proposal and plan).

Purpose–State the purpose of the work in one or two clear sentences (consistent with the plan, or note changes).

Background–Tell the story behind the work. (The writer may
choose to place this section after conclusions and recommendations.)

Objectives–List the questions answered, the avenues explored, the work completed, or the results achieved. Objectives must
be consistent with the plan (any differences are explained).
Objectives may be included in a Purpose and objectives
section.

Conclusions and recommendations–Include new learning and
advice to decision makers.

Summary–Write this section last. It functions as an
executive summary of all the information in the report.

Methods–Describe how the work was achieved. If different
from plan, include rationale for changes.

Results and discussion–Include important results data and
graphic illustrations. Point out the information you want the
reader to note. Discuss the implications. In this section, demonstrate your thinking.

References–Identify relevant documents, including background information.

Appendix–Include long tables of data and other documentation to support the achievement.

* Contains all the information needed to back up the results
or to make decisions

Meeting
report

Trip report

Group name, date, and time of meeting

Distribution list–Include team members’ names typed in bold. Add asterisks by the names of attendees.
Add the names of FYI recipients in plain type.

Follow up and action plans–Create a 3-column table listing action items. The first item is a reminder
to all to attend the next meeting. Later items in column one describe action items completed since the last meeting, then the action items that were assigned during the meeting. Column two lists the persons responsible for the action items. Column
three lists dates of completion or expected completion.

Agenda–List topics discussed during the meeting.

Discussions, decisions and assignments–List projects or topics in the same order as on the agenda and include the following:

1. Project status to date (background)
2. Decisions and rationale
3. Recommendations
4. Significant barriers

Next meeting–List tentative agenda items for the next meeting.

Who went where, project #, and date of trip

People contacted–Include names, titles, and phone numbers.
This documentation is important for later reference and easily
done when all the information is at hand.

Purpose–State the purpose in one or two sentences. If two
projects and two purposes, the writer may want to file two separate trip reports.

Outcomes/benefits–Describe the expected and unexpected outcomes.

Objectives–List questions answered or avenues explored. Objectives may be included in the Purpose section.

Conclusions and recommendations –Include major findings and
advice to decision makers.

Background–Tell the story behind the trip. This section functions
as the rationale for the trip.

Results and discussion–Report the important events and activities of the trip and your thinking about what transpired.

Summary–This section must be written last but may be inserted
early in the report. It functions as an executive summary
of all the information in the report.

Attachments–Include any materials or documents the hosts
and visitors presented to one another.

Learn More in the Library’s Blog Related to This Topic

Library’s Communications Blog

For the Category of Communications (Business Writing):

To round out your knowledge of this Library topic, you may want to review some related topics, available from the link below. Each of the related topics includes free, online resources.

Also, scan the Recommended Books listed below. They have been selected for their relevance and highly practical nature.

Related Library Topics

Recommended Books

January 18, 2022February 23, 2022

Guidelines for Formatting Articles, Reports, and Papers

Guidelines for Formatting Articles, Reports, and Papers

Contributed by Deane Gradous, Twin Cities consultant

This is a title:
The subtitle qualifies it

The title is large type, centered, and may be all caps or sentence style as above. The introduction to the paper requires no heading because it comes first. The statement of purpose comes early in the introduction and is often followed by a list of the specific objectives the writer expects to achieve in dealing with the topic. In the following sentences or paragraphs, the writer provides background information to help the reader understand the context, definitions, assumptions, history, and so on.

The writer may close the introduction with his or her plan for organizing the main points of the paper that follows. Papers that are ten or more pages long require a title page, a table of contents, and an executive summary.

This is a major heading

Major headings are typed flush left, sans-serif if possible (that is, use of characters that have no curled or enlarged “tails”; the font of characters in this document has these “tails” and so is serif in nature), boldface, and four points larger than the paragraph type that follows. They signal the start of large sections of content. Long papers require three levels of headings. Short papers require only two levels of headings.

This is a minor heading

Minor headings are typed flush left, sans serif, boldface, italic, and two points larger than the paragraph type that follows. Headings function as signposts for the reader, who should be able to see the shape of the paper simply by skimming the title and the headings. All headings at a single level must be grammatically parallel. Breaking out long
lists of items that are buried in paragraph text also helps the reader. Lists are indented on the first tab and aligned 0.15″ behind bullets or numbers. Note the following formatting details for the paper:

· One and one-half inch margins all around the page
· Ragged right margins
· Single spacing
· 12-point Times ( This short sample was written in 12-point Times and may show up as such to the reader, depending on settings in their Web browser.)
· No end punctuation for items in a list (unless they are complete sentences)

This is a paragraph heading
.
Paragraph headings use normal paragraph type and boldface. They end in periods, which are not boldfaced. Paragraph
headings are clearly and logically related to the minor heading that precedes them. The paragraphs in this model are block style and have 6 points of added space above, which eliminates the need to double-space between them.

This paragraph is indented behind the first tab. Indent either a long quotation or a long example. Long quotations are referenced (author, year, page number).

Number pages at center or right.

Adapted from: Flower, L. (1981). Problem-solving strategies for writing. San Diego: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich.

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January 18, 2022February 23, 2022

Guidelines for Creating Overhead transparencies – NOTE: This page has been removed.

Guidelines for Creating Overhead transparencies

Contributed by Deane Gradous, Twin Cities consultant

Unless one is a gifted orator, the belief that spoken words are the meat-and-potatoes of a presentation is mistaken. The presenter who wants the audience to grasp the meaning of her message, must strive to create readable, interesting, informative transparencies (slides). In times past, words were the primary means for transmitting abstract concepts. Today’s audiences, however, are visual learners. They live and work with eyes focused on television, computer monitors, videos, photos, films, advertising graphics, and so on.

Visual images tend to dominate over words: The presenter who seeks to influence others’ actions or decisions will plan to accommodate the human preference for visual information. According to research, learners should be telling us: “I hear it, I forget it.” “I see it, I take it in.” “I see it, hear it, and do it; it’s mine.” In summary, will you tell people? Sure.
Will you show them? Certainly. Will you ask them to interact with you, one another, and the content of your presentation? Absolutely. Using all three methods – auditory, visual, and kinesthetic — enhances your ability to influence audiences.

Design hints

Type face = Times or Arial
Point size = 20+
Case = Sentence type
Location = Top 2/3 of slide
Page set up = Landscape
Ideas = One per slide
Lines = Six per slide
Words = Six per line
Color? = Yes, if available
Contrast = More important than color
Graphics? = Absolutely
Clip art? = If appropriate and additive

Production hints

Let PowerPoint ease your way to designing effective slides. If you already know Microsoft Word, learning PowerPoint will be a snap. Focus your efforts on formatting, organizing, and managing information and on gaining proficiency with the superb drawing tools in PowerPoint.
Produce a paper copy of each slide; stand up; throw the copy on the floor; and critically review it from the audience’s perspective.
Print slides on laser transparency film. Use a color printer if one is available.
Insert the slides in special sleeves that frame the slide (3M makes them).
Produce black and white or color handouts to facilitate note taking and review–two slides per page.
Create presenter notes pages in PowerPoint. To enable you to easily read your notes from their position on a lectern or a table top, use 16- to 18-point type.

Learn More in the Library’s Blog Related to This Topic

Library’s Communications Blog

For the Category of Communications (Business Writing):

To round out your knowledge of this Library topic, you may want to review some related topics, available from the link below. Each of the related topics includes free, online resources.

Also, scan the Recommended Books listed below. They have been selected for their relevance and highly practical nature.

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