Essential Knowledge for all Business Writers

• Help readers visualize and understand information
• Help readers locate information they want
• Emphasize key points or ideas
• Send signals to reader about writer’s knowledge or perspective
• Make writing persuasive

• Presentation matters
• First impressions are critical
• Documents are visual

• What format or document type?
• How will you lay out the pages?
• What types of highlighting devices will you use?
• What font, typeface, or type sizes will you use?
• Will you use visual aids? If so, which ones? Why?

• Use white space to separate and emphasize points
• Use headings to group points and lead the reader through the document.
• Limit the use of words all set in capital letters.
• Use a limited number of typefaces.
• Decide whether to justify margins based on situation and audience.
• Put important elements in top left and lower right quadrants.
• Use a grid of imaginary columns to unify the elements in a document.
• Use highlighting and decorative devices in moderation

• Make headings as explanatory as possible.

• Content of the Wage Assignment Form
• When a Wage Assignment is Used
• What Should You Do if You Think the Wage Assignment is Incorrect.

• Have You Signed a Wage Assignment Form?
• When Would Money Be Deducted From Wages to Pay a Creditor?
• What Should You Do if You Think the Wage Assignment is Incorrect?

• Creates vertical or horizontal spaces that aid in laying out a manual, brochure, or newsletter.
• Prevents overcrowding.
• Keeps design elements that are related together.
• Isolates and emphasizes key information.

• Use numbered lists to maintain sequence
• Use bulleted lists when sequence isn’t important
• Keep items parallel

• Think first about audience and purpose.
• Use a consistent design.
• Keep pictures near the text they illustrate.
• Don’t put important information on back page/panel that reader will cut off and mail/fax to you.
• Use bold or italics instead of extensive underlining.

• Use a big enough font to read from back of the presentation space.
• Use bullet-point phrases.
• Limit the number of points per slide (usually no more than 5).
• Use consistent template/design.
• Customize slides (use logos, charts, scanned in photos, etc.)