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Hello, Welcome to November and another edition of the Word Constructions newsletter - or the first edition if you have just subscribed :) October has been another busy month - I have written about us pages for various websites, articles, information brochures, book reviews, fact sheets and edited a children's story for QuickCraft. When I write for clients, I aim for consistency. I find it very distracting when I read through a single webpage or brochure and find the same thing done in more than one way. For example, a webpage that refers to CDs (correct), CD's and cds isn't as easy to read as one using CDs in every instance. One way to get consistency is to develop a style sheet or style guide for your business. Alternatively, look at your work after you have written it. Is there a term or word you repeat throughout your writing? Skim your work for that term or use the find function in your software to find it for you. Then simply change them all to be the same. I will be speaking at an intensive workshop in Melbourne on the 17th November. I will be talking about content for blogs and then we will help each person develop ideas for their own blog. Full details are here if you are interested in learning about blogging. Use your words wisely! Tash
PS I will add a
discussion of style sheets to
my blog later
today if you need help with making your documents consistent.
blog -
wordconstructions.wordpress.com
Outsourcing mistakes Once you have decided to outsource some of your work, you need to consider how you will manage your suppliers. Obviously, this will depend in part on what task they are performing, what deadlines you have and your level of comfort with the supplier and the process. I have seen various people make mistakes in how they manage (or don't manage!) their suppliers. Some major mistakes include micro-managing the supplier, switching suppliers mid-job, manipulating suppliers and not setting clear rules. You can read more about these mistakes in this new article. All men make mistakes, but only
wise men learn from their mistakes. Be appropriate By Tash Hughes of Word Constructions The use of form letters is acceptable, but make sure they are not overly general or unsuitable for some clients. I once received a form letter from my old school, which was obviously written with school parents in mind as it discussed “helping your child develop.” It was irrelevant to me and prevented me donating as they wished. Your choice of language is also important. Using technical terms and difficult words may show you have a great vocabulary, but will stop many people understanding what you’ve written. Likewise, using the latest slang and street language is likely to upset an older conservative reader. Each business and each document needs to be written to suit the audience. However, it is never appropriate to use swearing and derogative terms in business documents. It is also not appropriate to say negative things about competitors – apart from possible legal problems, it is unprofessional and unappealing There are more tips for business writing in my business documents article.
Christmas is coming -
How prepared is your
business? It is now November and Christmas is starting to loom! Last month I gave you some articles to help prepare for Christmas, and this month here are some other links that may be of use for you...
Christmas Ideas from Save Time Online
 A personalised and unique Christmas gift idea
Do you plan to give clients a Christmas gift? How
about a bottle of wine for your suppliers? You could make some children very happy and impress their parents, so why not check out the possibilities here. Poor examples Sometimes, the easiest way to learn the correct way to do something is to see it done poorly so in this section of my newsletter, I show you some real-life examples of writing that need a little help. Today's example comes from an email sent by a service provider to a major client. example: Issues with this example: Personally, I found the message a bit rude and aggressive, and certainly inappropriate for a prized client. And we can only assume that John is no longer with the company - a quick proof read and the writer could have fixed that one. For instance, the client is being told Sam gave them a procedure and they're not following it. This may be true, but saying so won't help; it is more effective to remind the client about the procedure and how it can help them. The client expects some service and is not responsible for John leaving his job, yet this email seems to blame the client rather than apologising or taking any responsibility. A better version would be: (without changing the meaning) We have just discovered this email and some others in John's inbox. Unfortunately, John is not working for us any more so we had missed these emails. We apologise for the delay in replying. To avoid this situation in the future, could you please direct all queries to info@ourcompany.com instead of to an individual's personal email address? That way we can be sure to answer your emails quickly. Thank you for your cooperation. Dealing with competition Have you thought much about your business competition? Then share your thoughts in the BMN competition survey by clicking here. The more who answer, the more accurate the results will be. You are welcome to pass this newsletter on to anyone you think will be interested, but please send it as is without changes. If you were passed this email by a friend, you can subscribe here. This newsletter is only ever sent to my clients and people who request the monthly newsletter & writing tips found at www.wordconstructions.com. Your email details will never be given, lent or sold to any party whatsoever and you are free to leave this service at any time by unsubscribing here. Important: This email (including any attachments) is intended only for the use of the addressee and may contain confidential information. If you have received this email in error, please notify the sender. Whilst Word Constructions has taken reasonable steps to ensure this email is virus free, it accepts no responsibility and makes no warranty. The recipient should take its own steps to ensure there is no virus. Word Constructions accepts no liability for any damage caused by any virus transmitted by this email. |
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© 2007, Tash Hughes