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Writing Business Documents - The power of formatting

Compare the following two documents.

If you had the following two documents on your desk, which one would you read first?

Most would say Document 2 because it is easy to read. It:

• is open with lots of white space around the words
• has tables
• has bullet points
• has headings which act like sign posts.

Your eye can scan Document 2 and all the sorting and comparisons have been done for you. You do not have to concentrate as much when reading it. Formatting is more than cosmetic in a document; it increases comprehension and encourages reading it.

Document 1

This email is in response to your request for an evaluation of smoke detectors for home use. It presents my recommendation, discusses the criteria used, and provides some details concerning the evaluation. Buy one dual-purpose smoke detector, the Smoke Alert Model A-200, price $60. This model rates ‘above average’ in its detection of slow fires and its alarm loudness, and average in its detection of fast fires. All smoke detectors were evaluated first for speed of response to both fast and slow fires.

Slow fires, of the sort caused by a cigarette dropped in bedclothes, are best detected by a photoelectric detector. Fast fires, like those involving flammable liquids, are best detected by an ionization detector. The Smoke Alert model recommended above is a combination photoelectric and ionization unit. It is a dual-purpose detector that provides the best combined detection.

The smoke detectors were also tested for alarm loudness, since audibility is an essential feature. Fourteen smoke detectors were evaluated and the overall ratings are presented at Appendix 1.

Regards

Andrew Jones. 

Document 2

Introduction
Thank you for your request to evaluate smoke detectors for home use. I have pleasure in presenting my recommendation, as well as an outline of the criteria used and the scope of the evaluation.

Recommendation
I recommend you purchase one dual-purpose smoke detector: Smoke Alert Model A-200; price $60.

Ratings:

• Detection of slow fires: Above average
• Detection of fast fires: Average
• Alarm loudness: Average

Criteria considered

• Speed of response: All smoke detectors were evaluated for response to both slow and fast fires. Slow fires, such as those caused by a cigarette dropped in bedclothes, are best detected by a photoelectric detector. Fast fires, like those involving flammable liquids, are best detected by an ionization detector. The Smoke Alert model recommended above is a combination photoelectric and ionization unit. It is a dual-purpose detector that provides the best combined detection.
• Alarm loudness: The smoke detectors were also evaluated for alarm loudness, since audibility is an essential feature.

Evaluation scope

1. Number of detectors evaluated: 14
2. Overall ratings: see Appendix 1

Next steps
Please call me on 9876 5432 if you would like me to order the recommended smoke detector for you.

Kind regards

Andrew Jones. 

Formatting techniques

Keep the following principles in mind when formatting your next document.

Headings — Help the reader interpret content more easily. “What the mind does not expect, it will not accept.”

• Use Title Case for the name of a document (e.g., Business Writing Skills).
• Use sentence case for headings in the document (e.g., The power of formatting).
• Do not use ALL CAPS—harder to read.
• Avoid underline and block italics; both reduce readability.

Bold — Use to give emphasis; be selective. Too much bold becomes visually distracting.

Tables — Useful for presenting a large amount of information clearly and concisely.
Guidelines:

• Reduce the body font size by one step inside tables.
• Align text left and figures right.
• Align decimal points.
• Shade headings.
• Put units of measurement in headings.
• Reference the table in the text and place it close to that reference.
• Place captions for tables/graphs/charts above; for photographs, place captions below.

Shading — Use sparingly for emphasis, or it becomes distracting.

Font — Keep one consistent, easy-to-read font throughout; you may change the font in headings only.

Bullets and numbering — Use a stem sentence to introduce lists.

White space — Gives shape to documents and orients readers. Good white space makes a page look uncluttered and inviting; it also aids readability.

Short paragraphs (chunking) — Aim for a maximum of 7–8 lines. Comprehension tends to drop after about 10 typewritten lines.