Business Writing and Document Production
domain
an organization's unique name on the Internet
RFP (requests for proposals)
ask companies to bid on a service
table
columns and rows that represent a certain set of data; can be created in a spreadsheet program, word processing software, or slide show presentations
analytical report
evaluates the data and may answer questions, feature a recommendation, or discuss feasibility
Serif
fonts have small projections on each letter and are generally assumed to be easier to read Ex: Times New Roman, Garamond, Bookman Old Style
Sans Serif
fonts without serifs, popular online Ex: Arial and Helvetica
Adobe InDesign
for more complicated designs, currently the industry standard, usually takes special training to use *not best for websites
em dash
formed by typing two hyphens together to separate or highlight a thought
line charts
good for showing data trends over time
pie charts
good for showing percentages
bar/column charts
good for visual comparisons between data intervals
branding
includes everything from the way a company's receptionist answers the phone to the look of the company's website, packaging, and promotional materials
jargon
industry terminology
hyphen
joins words or to separate syllables in a single word
Transactional Documents
legally binding records or any documents relating to transactions between businesses and their customers and clients ex: service statements, invoices
semicolons
link closely related independent clauses or sentences that are not joined with a conjunction
style guide
manuals that provide information on the basic rules of writing, including: proper grammar, punctuation, correct spellings, abbreviations, and capitalizations of words
active voice
means the subject does the verb's action and follows the pattern of subject, verb, and object
DPI (dots per inch)
measure of pixel, or dot, density; in particular, it is the number of individual dots that can be place din a line within a one-inch span (PPI - pixels per inch)
Shift + F6
move counterclockwise among panes in normal view
PAR (pixel aspect ration)
often called the DAR (dot aspect ratio), defines the ratio of width to height in an image
Memos
often used to communicate information internally when the message is confidential, sensitive, or needs a signature; helpful when staff members do not have access to office email
en dash
one dash to show a range in numbers
Indirect Style
paraphrasing your source using third person narration
colons
placed after independent clauses to emphasize what is coming next; a signal for the reader to pay attention, used between two independent clauses
Direct Style
quote your source exactly and use quotation marks
informational report
report to bring someone up to date on a situation
Redundancy
saying the same thing in two different ways
income statements
show revenue & expenses of an organization over a certain period of time such as monthly, quarterly, annually, etc.
statements of owner's equity
show the owner's capital at the beginning & end of a period of time
cash flow statements
show the sources of income as well as describe cash expenses over a certain period of time
Ctrl + F1
shows or hides ribbon
Copyediting
similar to proofreading but includes checking for style compliance using the company's approved style guide
balance sheets
snapshots of an organization's financial position comparing assets, liabilities, and owner's equity
templates
starting points for documents and other productions such as flyers or forms
progress report
states the purpose and nature of a project, provides background so the reader can understand the history of the project, discusses progress and concerns, and ends with an expected completion date
CTRL + Shift + Tab
switch between thumbnail pane and outline view
punctuation
the process of making the meaning of a sentence clear through the use of spaces, capitalization, and symbols
SEO (search engine optimization)
the process of maximizing the number of visitors to a particular website by ensuring the site appears high on the list of results returned by a search engine
Editing
the process of reviewing your work to see whether the content is clear
word wrapping
the process of using a word processing program to break a section of text into lines so it fits the available width of the display area and does not hyphenate words
brand
the reputation a company builds that tells a customer what to expect in terms of product, service and experience
pixel
the smallest physical object in an image
formatting
the way you organize and present the copy and can include the shape, size, binding, typeface, and paper choice
meeting minutes
they are an official record for future reference; they can be formal or informal, depending on the type of meeting
commas
used to join two independent clauses with a coordinating conjunction or to divide lists
document
used to record information that needs to be referred to later
passive voice
used when the subject receives the action
metaphor
when you declare something is the same as something else
secondary research
you read books or periodicals or search the internet for relevant material
To insert Headers & Footers:
- Click insert tab -Click Header or Footer in H&F group -Choose style you want to add
Website Building Tools
-Squarespace -Wordpress -WIX -Google Sites
Disadvantages of working in a team
-every effort is a group effort, and some individuals might not feel they are a part of the success -team members sometimes do not get along -some team members can have trouble comprising or listening to other ideas -slower members of the team can inhibit the rest of the team
A successful brand achieves:
-provide immediate recognition for your company and products -enhance your company's credibility -prompt an emotion response and motivate the customer to purchase
Advantages of working in a team
-team members share mutual goals -team members bring different skills, experiences and talents -members hold each other accountable -members build off others' ideas, which sparks creativity and innovation -others can fill in when a team member is gone
Inserting a shape into Microsoft Powerpoint
1. Press and release Alt 2. Press N, S and H to select shapes 3. Use arrow keys to move through categories of shapes and select the shape you want 4. Press CTRL + Enter
4 types of financial reports
1. income statements 2. balance sheets 3. cash flow statements 4. statements
CTRL + e
Center a Paragraph
Ctrl + A
Highlights entire document
Microsoft Visio
Industry standard program for creating professional and detailed charts, diagrams, and other graphical representations
Microsoft Excel
Robust spreadsheet software with built in tools for building a variety of charts to illustrate information
Prezi
cloud-based alternative to Microsoft Powerpoint
primary research
collect information through surveys, records, and observations
database
a collection of information organized to be easily accessed, searched, and updated
independent clause
a complete thought that has a subject and a verb and can stand alone as a sentence; a simple sentence
simile
a figure of speech that is a direct comparison and connects the subjects being compared using words such as "as", "like", or "than"
written proposal
a formal plan that includes detailed, direct suggestions for how the products or services will be performed through the final outcome of a project
Business Letter
a formal way of communicating clearly with clients or company employees
Grammar
a set of rules governing the composition of clauses, phrases and words
parallelism
a way to help readers understand how two or more parts of a sentence are related. Uses components in a sentence that are grammatically the same or similar in their construction, sound, meaning, or meter.
Reports
accounts of proceedings, transactions, or events
chart
collection of info on a sheet or display in the form of graph, table or diagram
informal reports
between 1 and 3 pages and can be formatted similarly to a letter or memo, written with a direct approach, and have no prefatory sections; more closely resembles a substantial letter or memo
formal proposals
can range from several to a couple hundred pages, may include supporting documents such as a copy of the request for proposals, an executive summary, a title page, a table of contents, or an appendix
Proofreading
checking for punctuation, grammar and spelling mistakes
Dangling modifiers
describe the incorrect word in the sentence or something that is not even mentioned in the sentence
compliance report
describes the awareness of how an organization is complying with guidelines, regulations, or legislation within their industry or government
financial reports
documents and statements about an organization's financial results, condition, and cash flows
informal documents
documents for casual communications, although they still can be used to discuss business
formal documents
documents used for communicating factual information that must be a part of the official record