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Dress Your Documents for Success
How to Present Yourself and Your Business With Written Materials

by Jacque L. Fryday, BS, CISM

It is just as important to dress up your written materials as it is for you to dress up for an interview. Whether you mail the materials or hand deliver them, they represent you and your business—and you want those materials to present a professional front.

Color

Before the recipient even touches your written material, he or she begins forming an impression from what he sees. When considering colors, keep in mind that warm colors (reds, oranges, and bright yellows) are dominant. They stand out and attract the eye’s attention before cooler colors (blues, greens, and pastels). For a pleasing affect, use a little bright, warm color and a good deal of cool color.

To a color-blind person, red and green (and sometimes yellow) are indistinguishable. For more information see Colors for the Color Blind.

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Graphics

Use graphics (photos, diagrams, or designs) when you can, but keep them to no more that three per page, at the most—one is sufficient, but not always necessary. Use of graphics depends on the function of the written material. For instance, graphics are very helpful for advertising, but are frequently left out of other materials, such as some white papers and journal articles. Consider your message when deciding on the use of graphics. Horizontal lines also help to call attention to items or to separate them.

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Texture

After color and graphics, the second thing the recipient notices as he picks up your written materials is the texture. Sleek materials feel better and will be held longer than rough materials. The more pleasing the texture and the longer the material is help, the more apt it is to be read.

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Alignment

Line up elements on the page so the eye flows smoothly between them. If items are in alignment, the flow is easy and the brain can more readily comprehend the message. When the elements are scattered about the page, the eye has trouble deciding where to look first, and will jump from one area to another.
Both left alignment and right alignment give a stronger impression than does a center alignment. Avoid using a center alignment unless you are going for a quieter and more formal look.

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Font

When choosing your fonts, consider the following:

• Avoid ALL CAPS — Research shows that the use of upper and lower case letters is easier to read than all capital letters. ALSO, MESSAGES WRITTEN IN ALL CAPITAL LETTERS APPEAR TO SHOUT AT THE READER. Instead of using all caps to emphasize a point, try one of the following ways, or a combination of them:
  
  
  • Make the letters bold.
  • Underline the word.
  • Use a larger font.
  • Use a contrasting font.
  • Use Small Caps.
  
  
• Set Headings Apart — Make it easy to find your topics by giving them easy-to-find headings and subheadings.
  
  
  • Use a font size that is at least 3 points larger.
  • Make the letters bold.
  • Use a contrasting font.
  
  
• Select Fonts Carefully — Use all the same font or choose fonts that clearly contrast. Choosing different fonts that too closely resemble each other introduces visual conflict. In this paragraph, I used Arial for the sub-topic heading, Times New Roman for the body text, and italicized the font names. Avoid the use of too many fonts and fonts that are too small or too large.

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Pagination

It is important where your page breaks fall.

• Always keep headings with the paragraph that follows.
• Always keep at least two bullet points or numbered items with the preceding paragraph.
• Always keep at least two lines of a paragraph on the same page.
• Always keep Notes with the related paragraph.

See Microsoft Office Assistance: Control Pagination to learn how to adjust your pagination settings in Word.

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Consistency

• Use the same theme throughout for any graphics, artwork, and bullets.
• Select and consistently use the same font, size, and weight for each heading and text element.
• Make sure indentations are the same throughout for the same type of paragraph.
• Use the same style for bulleted items in a series:

  If one bulleted item begins with a verb, all items in that series should begin with a verb. If the verb is a gerund (verb ending in ing), then all the beginning verbs should be gerunds.

  If one item is a complete sentence, all items in the series should be complete sentences.

  If one item has a period, all items in the series should have one.

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Good composition is the translation of abstract ideas into words and phrases that, when chosen well and arranged logically, paints a picture so vivid in the reader’s mind that it tells your message clearly, completely, and leaves no room for misunderstanding.

Simplify, Simplify, Simplify!

Avoid the mistake made by some, who tend toward verbosity—that is, the use of too many words and complex-sounding words. They do this in an attempt to make themselves sound more knowledgeable; but in effect, may drive the reader away.
The target reader is, most likely, a busy person, who does not want to spend time reading. Smaller size, fewer and simpler words and phrases, bulleted lists, and more white space makes your material look less complicated, and invites reading. A wordy narrative may seem insurmountable and may not be read by your intended audience.

Compare this original version, which is difficult to read and comprehend, to the edited version below, which is simplified and easier to understand.

(The original version is an actual excerpt from a software sales book. Only the product name has been changed to protect confidentiality.)

Original Version

XYZ supports both centralized and decentralized scheduling. The former facilitates a Central Scheduling department for hospitals that establish a central department for scheduling. The latter provides each department the ability to schedule not only its own appointments but those of other departments as well. Both approaches allow the hospital to benefit from proactive conflict checking to coordinate a patient’s multiple requests for service, and to provide their physicians with XYZ scheduling and their managers with department management reports. XYZ also works great in hospitals that combine a Central Scheduling office with some specific departments that maintain their own activities.

Edited Version

XYZ supports both centralized and decentralized scheduling, or a combination of the two. Centralized scheduling is used by hospitals wishing to establish a central department for patient scheduling. Decentralized scheduling allows for patient scheduling within a department or between departments. There are benefits for both approaches:

• XYZ Scheduling—Allows the physician’s office to schedule all of a patient’s appointments, procedures, and labs with just one phone call.
• Proactive Conflict Checking—Ensures proper coordination of multiple services for the patient.
• Management Reports —Provide department heads with the information they need to make knowledgeable decisions.

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Speak in an Active Voice

In the English language, sentences are constructed with verbs to show action. The voice of the verb determines whether the subject performs an action or receives an action. In an active voice, the subject performs an action. In a passive voice, the subject receives an action. Use an active voice to create a stronger and more positive statement.

Example:
Passive: This article was written by me.
Active: I wrote this article.

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Avoid Negatives

Always avoid negative contexts. Usually, there is a way to turn negative situations into positive situations. If there is not; then there is usually a way to rephrase your sentence so that it makes a more positive impression.

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Use Proper English

Use the spelling and grammar function in your word processing program to insure correct spelling and to help you phrase your sentences right—just keep in mind that the grammar checker is not infallible and use it for a guide only.

Try to avoid the following:

• Contractions
• Split Infinitives
• Run-on Sentences

For a good grammar guide, refer to Guide to Grammar & Writing or to The Elements of Style.

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Know Your Audience

Before you begin composing your message, decide on your target audience. Who you address determines how you will approach the subject and in what manner you will present it.

Situation A

A doctor has written a journal article on the effects of weightlessness to the human body. A neighbor of his, an elementary school teacher, read the article and asked the doctor to speak to her class on the subject.

While the doctor used complex medical and scientific terms in the article to his peers, he changed his terminology greatly, using simplified lay terms when speaking to the school children.

Situation B

Company ABC develops and sells software. They are to give a presentation in hopes of selling their software to Company XYZ. In attendance from XYZ will be representatives from Finance, technical support people from the IT department, and a few end users.

1. XYZ's fiscal decision makers need a high-level summary of the software functionality, what distinguishes the ABC product from the competition, and the expected financial impact.
   
   
2. XYZ's technical support people are interested in detailed descriptions of the operating system platforms, interfaces, and hardware requirements.
   
   
3. The end users want to know what functionality is available and how the software can improve their workload.
   
   

Each of these issues need to be addressed and requires different subject matter.

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Localization

To get the right message across, your audience and you must have a common frame of reference or basis of understanding. Some of the worst misunderstandings occur when one culture tries to communicate with another. When writing for localization (or translation), be careful of your choice of words and phrases.

Example:
It is still common for Americans to use desire when offering a selection choice (i.e., select your desired function). However, in some cultures, the translated word holds a sexual connotation that one would wish to avoid.

When writing for localization, use simple terms and be consistent with sentence structures. Avoid the following danger areas:

• Humorous and casual comments
• Slang and colloquialisms
• References to culture-related items (TV shows, sports teams, ethnic foods)
• Neologisms (new words or new meanings to old words)
• Homographs (words that sound alike, but are spelled differently)

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Develop the Content

When you are ready to write, follow these steps to develop your content:

1. Determine your target audience. If applicable, research the audience.
   
   
2. Sit down for a notes taking session and write whatever thoughts pop into your mind. As you go about other business and think of something else, make a note of it.
   
   
3. Group all your notes into topics and subtopics.
   
4. Arrange the topics and subtopics in a logical sequence for an outline.
   
   
5. Read your outline. Are all the topics covered that you want to discuss?
   
   
6. Take each topic and subtopic individually and elaborate on them.
   
7. Add topics and subtopics as you think of them, being careful to put them in the logical sequence.
   
   
8. Reread your written material, fine tuning as you go.
   
9. Write a summary or overview and place it at the beginning of your material.
   
   
10. Reread your material, fine tuning as you go.
    
    
11. Write a conclusion or summary.
    
    
12. Proof your material.
    

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Here is an easy reminder for developing content:

• Tell them what you are going to tell them (overview or summary).
• Tell them (body of your material or story).
• Tell them what you told them (conclusion or summary).

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Use Markers

While composing, use markers or place holders to mark areas that are incomplete—areas where you stopped for a while, areas that need more information, definitions, or answers to questions. I use the following markers:

<><><> = Section needs work.

       ??? = Information is needed.

When you return to your document, you can perform a search to find areas that are in need of information.

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Keep to the Point

Always keep in mind the point of your message. It is easy to get sidetracked; and when that happens, you will begin to ramble and your document will seem disjointed.

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State the Source

Be sure your materials include your company name with contact information, so interested parties can follow up with you.

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