Word Tips and Tricks

Using Paint to Convert Images into JPG, TIFF and PNGs November 20, 2006

Posted by iawalsh in : How do I ?, Formatting, Writing, Style, Templates, Troubleshooting, Cool Tricks, Tips , add a comment

You can use Paint to convert many graphic files from one file type to another. You don’t need to buy Adobe Photoshop or other expensive graphic design tools. Paint has many small tricks up sleeve.

You can open these file types in Paint:

BMP
JPG
TIFF
PNG

You can save the BMPs (also known as bitmaps) as Monochrome, 16 colors, 256 colors, and 24 bits depending on the type of image you want. For example, if you’re creating documents that will be printed in black and white, then saving the images in Monochrome will significantly reduce the file size.

You can convert these files from one type to another. This means that you can convert, for example:

BMP to JPG
JPG to TIFF
TIFF to PNG
PNG to BMP

And all the different combinations that these offer…

If you’re creating web pages, I’d recommend using JPGs. These provide high-quality images that take up a small amount of space. You can also cut and paste them directly into Word and other Office applications.

How To Write Headings November 20, 2006

Posted by iawalsh in : How do I ?, Formatting, Writing, Style, Templates, Recommended, Microsoft Office News, Cool Tricks, Tips , add a comment

The earliest memory I have of writing is producing a very long and serious essay on Hamlet. I managed to write eight pages. The teacher wanted 2000 words – minimum. So, we all churned out hundreds and hundreds of words. Did anyone read it? Probably not.

Maybe you wrote something like it too. Do you remember what it looked like? Think back. Long, heavy, dense paragraphs, all written in long-hand. Easy to read? My essays (maybe yours were better) never used a single heading. Large slabs of text. Starting with the introduction (Hamlet was the son of…) it galloped headlong towards the end (…which is why he died!).

In academic writing, particularly ‘creative writing’, you can get away with such things. What’s important is that you get your feelings and thoughts down on paper.

Business writing is very different.

Unlike academic writing, in the business world you have a very attentive audience, some of whom have paid money to buy your products! They expect you to tell them how it works, which only seems reasonable.

A lot of my time is spent editing other people’s work. One of the quickest ways to get started, or at least get into the document, is to introduce strong headings. These add shape and confidence to the document. Suddenly it has structure. A framework begins to emerge.

Why Write Headings?

Knowing how to write clear, informative headings will make a great difference to your documents. Headings are like sign-posts. They tell the reader where to go. They call out and say, “This paragraph is about Writing Blogs” while the next says, “this paragraph is about Business Blogging.” Without them the document is reduced to a rant. It goes on and on without direction. You, the reader, can’t find anything. Looking at the document makes you negative. Not a good start!

Usability.gov touches on this point, “Once the information is chunked appropriately, write headings that are descriptive of the information. On the Web, page headings become links out of context on a previous page - like the table of contents of a printed booklet. Therefore, headings should clearly explain to users what page they are about to link to.”

Short informative headings help readers focus. They summarize text into ‘bite-size’ sentences. As the name implies a heading is the ‘head’ of the text you’re about to introduce.

Writing Effective Headings

Try to distill your headings into snappy 3-5 word sentences. Use positive language. Get to the point. Avoid using jargon, puns, archaic words, complex phrases, and other such affectations.

To write an effective heading:

Examine the section you want to summarize.
Identify the key topic. Every section (and paragraph) should have one key topic. Don’t mix ideas. You’ll confuse the reader and probably yourself in the process.
Write a single sentence that describes the section. Keep it very simple.
Revise the sentences and add an action verb.

For example, note the difference between Printing Duplex Reports, Saving XML Files To Shared Networks, Creating and Archiving Backups instead of Reports, Files, and Backups. While the former is informative and descriptive, the latter is dry and curt.
Emphasize actions with nouns. Write Printing Digital Forms rather than Printing.

Are Headlines Important?

Research from Eyetrack III shows that readers scan documents rather than read word by word, , especially when reading online. In general, readers start with the first heading (or summary) and then, if interested, scan the other headings on the page. If their interest is piqued, they’ll go back and read more text.

Eyetrack III add that “People typically scan down a list of headlines, and often don’t view entire headlines. If the first words engage them, they seem likely to read on. On average, a headline has less than a second of a site visitor’s attention.”

It’s not just the headlines that they scan, rather it’s the first few words in the headline that matter.
“For headlines — especially longer ones — it would appear that the first couple of words need to be real attention-grabbers if you want to capture eyes.”

Content is judged literally in the blink of an eye.

You can read more at: http://poynterextra.org/eyetrack2004/blurbs.htm

How to Write a Report? November 16, 2006

Posted by iawalsh in : How do I ?, Writing, Style, Templates, Recommended, Troubleshooting, Tips , add a comment

To succeed as a report writer, you need to appreciate the mindset of your readers. Report writing is very specific. It’s there to help people make decisions. When you understand this, your approach to writing repots becomes much simpler. Instead of writing reams and reams of pages, you focus on the reader’s needs.

Report writing in a nutshell:

Start with a specific purpose.
Describe the problem.
Provide facts, figures and data that relate to the topic.
Draw conclusions.
Recommend a course of action.
Reports are highly-structured. They rely on headings, and sub-headings, to introduce topics while also providing direction to readers. Tables, charts, and diagrams also enhance the findings.

7 Step Plan On How To Write A Report

Consider the aim of the report and its intended audience.
Planning - Decide how you will gather information, for example, interviews, surveys, and questionnaires.
Information - Gather the information, then organize it and start analyzing it.
Conclusions - Decide your conclusions based on the information you have read.
Recommendations - Decide your recommendations and, where appropriate, the best course of action for the readers to take.
Start the writing phase. Refine the report through a series of drafts.
Edit and publish the final copy.

As you write your report, keep an eye on the following areas:

Check the accuracy of the facts, figures, and other research data.
Check cross-references and links to other sources of data.
Check that links to websites are ‘live’ as broken links will reflect poorly on your report.
Check that your conclusion and recommendations align with the data you have presented.
Avoid using industry terms or jargon. Provide a glossary where necessary.
Put charts, diagrams and statistics in context by providing some supporting text.
Use a consistent writing style throughout the document. Choose a positive language, write in the present tense, and prefer simple rather than complex words.

Basic report format:

Title Page
Give prominence to the official name of the report. Underneath this enter the name of the author, the publication date and copyright notices.
Table of Contents
Enter the table of contents, using heading 1 only. In some cases you can also use headings 2 entries, though it’s best to avoid going any deeper than this level for most reports. Keep the reader focused on the main points.
Executive Summary
In the opening paragraph introduce the main topic or issue that you’re about to discuss. If relevant, explain why this report has been commissioned. Avoid clichés, jargon or archaic words at all costs. It sets the wrong tone and you’ll lose all credibility with the reader.
Next, put the report in context by informing the reader of the methodologies you used when gathering data, research you performed, interviews and surveys carried out and so forth.

Your ability to demonstrate a commitment to the topic in question may significantly influence the reader’s opinion. Alternately, if the reader feels that you lack interest in the subject matter they will hardly be encouraged to turn the next page. Would you?
Finally, summarize your main findings and outline the key recommendations. Keep this succinct. Providing too much detail will discourage the reader from continuing. Stimulate their interest.

Keep this to one page!

Tip: the Executive Summary is like a standalone document. People should be able to read this as it stands and understand the essence of your report.

Introduction
You’re now into the document proper.
Outline what you’re going to cover in this report. For larger reports, you may want to list the main chapters and describe what each one will cover. However, for most reports you can stick to:
-Background. Does this follow from previous reports? It this part of a larger project? Will additional reports follow?
-Role. Outline its value to the reader and why they should study its findings. What does this report discuss that other reports have overlooked? Does it break new ground? Are its authors uniquely qualified?
-Objectives. Describe your objectives in writing this report, for example, to investigate the success of online banking in Asia. Describe how successful you were to achieving this and obstacles you encountered, such as data protection, legislation, or language issues.
-Scope. Clarify the boundaries of this report by defining what’s within scope and also, most critically, areas that are out of scope. This is important to address as the reader may have expectations or assumptions that could color their thinking. By defining the scope, you reduce the likelihood that your report will be mis-interpreted and remove any ambiguity that may exist in the reader’s mind.
-Limitations. Similar to the point above only. Highlight areas that were not covered, or not covered in sufficient depth, due to restrictions placed on the report’s authors. Examples of this could include financial restrictions, lack of technical resources, time constraints, access to data sources, or legal issues.
Heading
This is where you start the main discussion. In the following chapters, use headings and subheadings to organize your data. Provide data in tabular format (tables) where appropriate. Label and number all tables, figures, diagrams, charts, and other such pieces of information.

2.1 Subheading
2.2 Subheading
2.3 Subheading
Heading

3.1 Subheading
3.2 Subheading
3.3 Subheading
Conclusion
After presenting your case to the reader in the previous chapters, draw your own conclusions by interpreting the data as you see fit. Explain to the reader why you have come to these conclusions while also acknowledging any limitations or concerns you may have with the research findings, sources of data, or validity of information.
But, don’t mince your words. The reader has made the effort to get this far. They deserve to know where you stand on the matter.
Recommendations
This chapter dovetails from your conclusions. Recommendations outline the course of action based on data you’ve analyzed. When making recommendations, give consideration to the following areas:
Actions that are required
Individuals who will perform these actions
Guidelines to quantify the success or failure of the proposed actions
Warnings, threats, or dangers that may arise if these recommendations are not implemented.
References
Provide a list of all resources, (individuals, companies, books, websites etc) mentioned in the document.
Appendices
Attach supporting documentation to the report where appropriate. This could range from datasheets, technical specifications, to surveys, statistics, market research, or charts, diagrams, and other types of illustrations.

How To Write The Case Study in Five Days November 12, 2006

Posted by iawalsh in : How do I ?, Writing, Style, Templates, Recommended, Microsoft Office News, Tips , add a comment

An in-depth tutorial is beyond the scope of this newsletter, but the main points are:

Show the client examples of high-quality case studies. They don’t even have to be yours. But you need to paint a picture so they understand what you’ll need from them to make this work.
Ask them what they like, dislike, things that stands out, and color schemes they enjoy. If they have company templates use them, otherwise build new templates in the same style of what you’ve shown them.
Agree on the technology (or service) the client wants to demonstrate. This should be very clear. If you can’t agree on this, stop.
Get a list of customers who’re willing to provide endorsements. Don’t expect them to write compelling 20 word quotes. That’s your job. Write these quotes and send it to them. Get the approval and re-write where necessary. Recycle the unused quotes for other publications – let nothing go to waste.

Tip – always keep you eyes peeled for examples of great writing. Copy any quotes you find on brochures, magazines, and websites into a resource file. Use this for inspiration when you need to keep things fresh.

Get the Project Sponsor (i.e. the person who hired you) to gather screenshots, company logos, tech specs, datasheets etc. You’ll need these for the glossy PDF.
Start interviewing people. Ask them: what was the problem, how was it solved, and what difference it has made. Ask specific questions and you’ll get specific answers. Have your list of questions ready before you call them. Don’t make it up on the fly.
Compile the facts, statistics, and market research. This gives your case study more weight.
Send it out for review. Good, bad or indifference. It doesn’t matter, but you have to get feedback! Refine the material and then publish it. Never send out a publication without getting another person to check it first.
Send a PDF of the Case Study to every person who helped you with a thank you note (and business card) enclosed. Thank them for their efforts and encourage them to publish it on their website.

Tip: Remember this is an opportunity for you to generate more leads by demonstrating your professionalism. Contact everyone in person by phone – not email – and confirm that they got the PDF.
If you want, tell them how great it looks when printed and ask if you can send over a hard-copy. In this way, get your nice, shiny case study onto their desk!
Generate enthusiasm. Share whatever positive feedback you’ve received from journalists, partners, and customers. You want them to feel that their business must also have a case study. And who’s going to write it for them?
http://www.communication-newsletter.com/

How to Write a Report in 30 Minutes November 12, 2006

Posted by iawalsh in : How do I ?, Writing, Style, Templates, Recommended, Microsoft Office News, Tips , add a comment

The ability to write a compelling report is highly-valued in the business world. For those involved in project management or decision-making process, understanding how to produce a report is essential if they want to advance.

However, for most people, the idea of simply having to write another report brings on indigestion. What is it that makes report writing so unpleasant?

Well, like most things in life, if you can’t see where all the pieces join together, you’re bound to feel a bit nervous. Thus, that unpleasant feeling you get as stare at a blank page and start biting your nails. “Now, where do I begin…?”

Krouwerconsulting.com suggests the following exercise, “Select a report that you have written and give it to three people. Ask them to read it (often a challenge in itself). Then, ask everyone to state the recommendations and conclusions of the report. Do these match what you intended?”

In this article, I’ll give you a framework that you can use for writing reports. Once you have the framework in mind, it easy to get started. So, let’s start at the top.

Creating reports involves organizing data. The trick is that you can’t write the report until you’ve gathered data. Likewise, you can’t gather data unless you know what you’re looking for.

Sounds like an earful, but it’s really quite simple when you see how all the parts fit together.

The first two steps are to work out:

What’s the purpose of this report? How will the readers use it?
Who is the target audience? What benefit do they get from reading it?

Clarify the purpose of the document in one sentence. Poorly-written reports are vague. They meander from topic to topic. Keep it focused. If a colleague asked you to explain your report, your answer would be: “this report discusses…”

After you’ve hammered this out, you can get into the nitty-gritty of writing the report. This involves carrying out the following five steps:

Identify the topic.
Gather the data.
Analyze the data to produce findings.
Analyze the findings to make recommendations.
Make recommendations and back them up with stats, facts and figures.

Keep these five points in mind and then start on the table of contents.

Get Started Now

The Table of Contents is the skeleton around which you write your report. List the main topics for your report. Let’s say there are five chapters.

To get things moving, pick the topic you’re most comfortable with and begin writing. You’ll finish this very quickly. Move onto the next topic, get it over with and start the next. Before you know it, half the report is finished. You don’t have to start with the introduction and plough through relentlessly. Once you understand the framework, writing the report is like Lego. You pick the pieces you want and assemble them in your own good time. Write your document around the reader’s needs. Ask yourself what the reader needs to know at each stage of the report.

Is the subject clear?
Have statistics and supporting data been supplied?
Are the relationships between different parts of the report clear?
Are the recommendations easy-to-understand? Are they persuasive?

Use Headings to Guide the Reader Through The Report

As the most effective reports are reader-centered, use a series of headlines to guide the reader through the report. Headlines are like sign-posts. They allow the reader to skip and jump through the document as they please. Readers are under no obligation to read every sentence in your report. Like a bored child at dinnertime, they pick and choose the best parts and ignore the rest.

Blend Sections Together

After you’ve written the chapters, put them aside. Try to get some distance. Move onto something else for a while.

Next up, refine the material. Try to make your arguments more compelling. Use facts, figures and statistics to persuade the reader that your recommendations are sound and based on real evidence. Write in plain English. Avoid clichés, hyperbole and flowery language. Use positive words and phrases to inject some enthusiasm into your report. Reinforce your arguments with quotes and references where most appropriate.

You’ve finished writing. Examine the document and see where you can blend the sections together. Ideally, words, sentences, and paragraphs should blend into each other quite smoothly.

Read the report aloud and you’ll hear where it jars. Your ear will pick up where the tone is insincere, sentences become disjointed, and the writing is strangled. Don’t be too hard on yourself, as it’s easy to get distracted while writing. Changes in tone, voice, and style appear from one section to another. Work on blending these together as otherwise the report will start to ramble or have an odd stilted feel to it.

Making the Last Cut

This time you have to start at the top and work your way through!

Print out the document. Don’t do this on the computer.

With a pen in hand, read the report once for voice and for voice only. Then go back and do the same for style, spelling, grammar, layout, cross-references, and so on. It takes as much time to edit as it does to write.

So, don’t try to do everyone at once. It can’t be done. The only person you’ll fool is yourself – but the reader will always know the difference.

One final tip: write in the afternoon and edit in the morning.

Scoping the Size Of A Project November 12, 2006

Posted by iawalsh in : How do I ?, Writing, Style, Templates, Recommended, Troubleshooting, Microsoft Office News, Tips , add a comment

One of the classic mistakes novice writers make is to start writing without looking at the overall picture. Planning the scope of your project is key to its overall successful.
So, before you start writing, identify everything involved in the development of the project. By the way, this applies to any type of project, whether it’s writing, development, design, or cooking…. You must have a plan.

For a documentation project, Identify the;

Software Templates and Style Guides
Access to IT Systems
People resources, such as graphic designers

that need to be in place so that you can write the documentation.Don’t assume these will be ready!

A lot of this may seem very obvious, but based on experience, client often underestimate the resources you will need to have in place. They tend to overlook system access, passwords, swipe cards, parking spaces, technical resources and other such requirements. Without these you can’t accomplish your tasks.

Encourage your client (gently but firmly) to ensure they‘re in place; otherwise your schedule will be knocked off balance. Don’t wait until you arrive at the building before asking if there is a test system you can use. Ask these questions in the warm-up meetings before you start on-site.

Here are some areas to consider before starting your project:

Does the Writer have access to Test Systems?
Is the Writer is provided Training on the system that they are to document?
Will the Writer be working on site during the project?
Will the Writer have access to SMEs?
Will new Change Requests occur once the project has started?

Creating a Project Plan

Examine the following areas so you can define a project plan that reflects the amount of work that’s involved:

Training required for you to understand how the system works – eg 2 days
Gap Analysis between current documentation (if it exists) vs. proposed documentation - eg 2 days
Review current documentation (if it exists).
Can any material be reused or do you need to write everything from scratch. Re-writing existing material can be very time-consuming as you have to modify the tone, style, and phrasing to match your writing style. You also need to test the integrity of their documentation as you can’t assume the instructions are correct. eg 5 days
Agree on the Document Format – this will affect the workload if the document needs to be delivered in multiple formats, such as MS Word, Adobe PDF, Online Help, or Web Help.
Determine the number of pages that will be written per day, for example:
5 pages per day
100 page output
= 20 days documentation
Number of SMEs to review documents (allow 1 week turnaround) and provide feedback:

If you assume there will be 25% changes to the documentation (20 days) then the total project is increased to 24 days approx.

Note: SMEs are Subject Matter Experts, i.e. individuals with in-depth knowledge who can review the documentation accurately.

Getting Prepared

Speak to the client’s Project Manager and make sure you have access to the following:

Company image library for product screenshots, samples of training material etc.
Graphic designer to create illustrations, complex screenshots, splash screens, box shots.
Style Guide or, if none exists, agree on using an established guide such as the Microsoft Style Guide for Technical Publications.
MS Word Templates – make sure these are available before you start. If not, factor their design and development into the project plan.

This list is not exhaustive by any means.

The key thing is to think ahead and anticipate any areas which may undermine the project’s success.

Creating a New Style November 12, 2006

Posted by iawalsh in : How do I ?, Formatting, Writing, Style, Templates, Recommended, Troubleshooting, Microsoft Office News, Tips , add a comment

To create a new style, follow these steps:

From the Format menu, choose Style and Formatting, and then click New Style.
In the Name box, enter a name for the style, for example, Paragraph Text.
In the Style type box, choose Paragraph.
In the Style Based on box, select No Style. If you base it on another style, then, when that style is changed, you’re new style will also be changed. No Style makes sure it is a ‘standalone’ style that can’t be changed as it has no associations to other styles.
Click Format and select formatting options such as Font and Paragraph.
Click OK.
Click Add to template if you want these styles to be incorporated into the template this document is based on, which is usually Normal.dot.

The new style now appears in your “Styles” list.

Styles November 12, 2006

Posted by iawalsh in : How do I ?, Formatting, Writing, Style, Templates, Recommended, Cool Tricks, Tips , add a comment

Styles are one of the most powerful features in Word. A style is like a mini-template within a document. It groups together characteristics, such as font, paragraph and color, which you can apply to a piece of text.

This means that instead of having to change each piece of text by hand, you can select different items and apply the same style to them all with one click. Styles can be created for text, tables, and lists.

Applying styles
To apply a style to text, follow these steps:
1. Select the text you want to change.
2. From the Style drop-down list (the drop-down menu that usually says “Normal”), choose the style you want to apply, for example, Body Text.

That’s it! Your text is updated with the Body Text style.

Use Fewer Fonts November 8, 2006

Posted by iawalsh in : Misc, Formatting, Writing, Style, Templates, Recommended, Tips , add a comment

Use no more than two or three fonts per document.

If you use more than this, it will reduce performance, especially when you print or print preview documents. The Font and Symbol dialog box will also take longer to appear when you use additional fonts. Also, most professionally designed documents limit themselves to two or three fonts; if you go over this, your document may end up looking garish.

How to Copy Text and Graphics from PDF Files into Word November 8, 2006

Posted by iawalsh in : Misc, How do I ?, Formatting, Writing, Style, Templates, Troubleshooting, Cool Tricks , add a comment

To copy text from a PDF file into Word:

Open the PDF file.
On the Tools menu, click Select Text.
Select the text you want to copy (or click Edit, Select All to select the entire file).
Click Copy on the Edit menu.
In Word, click where you want to paste and click Edit, Paste.

To copy an image from a PDF file into Word:

Open the PDF file.
On the Tools menu, click Select Image.
Right-click the image that you want to copy, and then click Copy Image.

4. In Word, click Edit, Paste.

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