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5 tips to improve your email writing skills
An English blog post containing a list of five steps for writing effective emails.We’ve all been there. You click open an email, and there’s a long block of text that stretches beyond where you can see. Your first reaction is to close the window and flag the email for later. Much later. Email can be a useful communication tool, but not everyone uses it well. Below are 5 steps to follow in order to draft an email that readers will open, read and understand. 1. Maintain your credibility Present yourself as the trusted professional you are. Be polite: say please and thank you as appropriate Keep a professional tone: avoid slang, exclamation marks, and smiley faces Use a suitable greeting and opening, but avoid insincere small talk Include a suitable sign-off that fits the tone of the email Keep your email signature simple and short: limit images and avoid cursive fonts Don’t use too many high importance flags 2. Present your email thoughtfully Give the right amount of information in the right way so that your reader is able to read your message easily, and wants to. Place your key message and call to action near the top so it’s the first thing your reader sees Organize the rest of the information from most to least important Limit the number of issues covered in the email to increase the chance of a response Write briefly and stick to the point: try to keep to 150 words or less Use short, everyday words instead of jargon and difficult words Avoid acronyms and terms your reader won’t understand Keep sentences short 3. Help your reader scan We don’t read content onscreen word for word. In fact, most of us scan a web page in an F-shaped pattern. Use layout and formatting to guide your reader through the email and to your key points. Put your key message and call to action at the top For a longer email with a lot of details, use headings Write in easy-to-read chunks: use short paragraphs and lists with bullets or numbers Don’t use too much bold; if you emphasize too many words, you end up emphasizing nothing Avoid all caps, huge fonts and random colours; these slow the reader down 4. Write your subject line last Your subject line could determine whether your reader opens your email. Make it count. Write the subject line after drafting your message Use action verbs so the reader knows what you want done Be specific and descriptive so the reader knows right away what the message is about Appeal to the reader’s needs: ask yourself what will make the reader care about your email Avoid starting a sentence in the subject line and finishing it in the body Keep your subject line under 50 characters or 6 to 8 words, so the whole line will show in the inbox preview Keep in mind that some smartphones show only 33 to 44 characters for the subject line 5. Review and revise Imagine that everyone in the company will read your message. Emails are quick to create, but leave a lasting impression. Review your work now to save time and get results later. Use the spell-check feature to reduce errors Read the message backwards to check for errors that a spell-checker won’t catch, like homonyms and usage errors Check that your key message is perfectly clear, without typos, wordy phrases, or anything that can be misunderstood Check that all names and titles are correct Make sure you have attached any important files or included any necessary links Do you have a useful tip for effective email writing not included here? Please share it in the comments.Source: Our Languages blog (posts from our contributors)
Number of views: 212,975
4 tips for simplifying your PowerPoint presentations
An English blog post about how to simplify PowerPoint presentations and make them more effective.You’ve probably had this happen to you before. You’re attending a class, conference or meeting. When you get there, you take your seat, the speaker puts their PowerPoint up on the screen, and AARGH! The text is so small and dense that you can’t even read it. What’s more, you realize that you’re trying so hard to make out the words on the screen that you’re paying no attention to what the speaker is saying. We tend to forget that a PowerPoint presentation is supposed to be a visual aid. It’s the equivalent of a blackboard, projector or poster. There’s no need to write everything you’re going to say on a PowerPoint. Its purpose is to draw the audience’s attention; it shouldn’t become a source of distraction. So how do we create effective presentations? In this post, I summarize the major tips I’ve been able to glean from the Internet and provide a few references for those of you who want to find out more. One slide, one idea One way to cut back the clutter is to treat every slide in a presentation like a paragraph in a text. Each slide should present only one main idea, and this main idea can be broken down into three to five points at most. It’s a good way to zero in on what’s important. The “5 × 6 = 30” rule As I mentioned in the introduction, one of the problems in PowerPoint is the font size. The more text you have on a slide, the smaller the characters will be. If the text is too small, then there’s too much of it. So if you’re wondering whether you need to do some more pruning, the font size can be a good indicator. For those of you who like math, here’s a rule I came across in my reading and that I’ve adapted for you below: 5 points per slide 6 words per point 30-point font size Five and six are your ideal maximum allowable limits. But you can consider 30 a good average to shoot for. For example, you could have a title in a size 32 font and a bulleted list in size 28. Also, there’s nothing to stop you from going higher than 30, but ideally, you shouldn’t fall too far below that threshold. Bear in mind, too, that sans serif fonts, such as Calibri and Arial, are easier to read on a screen than are other fonts. As little distraction as possible Another way to make your PowerPoint presentation more effective is to simplify the content. Depending on the type of presentation, certain elements may cause some people to tune out. For instance, it’s easy to forget about that new employee or that colleague who is colour blind. You have to adapt the presentation to your target audience and make sure it’s easy to read and understand. Here are some issues that can make a presentation cumbersome: lack of uniformity complex statistics acronyms (if not defined) technical terms (if not defined) dizzying transitions and animations colours that clash or are hard to distinguish A supporting document Is some essential information just impossible to sum up in few words? Then why not use a supporting document? A separate document can be a good way to communicate all the important information without cluttering up your PowerPoint presentation. It can be a particularly good idea if you’re presenting a budget, detailing recommendations or developing course notes. If the context allows, you’ll want to wait until the end of the presentation before sending out a supporting document, though. Otherwise your audience will read it instead of listening to you. Your turn! With such a pared-down PowerPoint, you may feel a little exposed. Your audience will have eyes—and especially ears—for you only! While all this attention can make some people more confident, it may leave others feeling more nervous. No matter how you respond, it’s always a good idea to practise beforehand, if possible in front of someone who’ll be able to give you feedback. Have you tried some of these tips or used a few of your own? Did they make a difference to your audience? Please leave me a comment and tell me about it! Sources View sources Canada School of Public Service. Building Your Presentation (TRN104) (online course for public servants only). “10 conseils pour votre présentation PowerPoint” (in French only). (2020, February 28). Le Parisien. Schmaltz, Rodney M., and Richard Enström. (2014, October 8). “Death to weak PowerPoint: Strategies to create effective visual presentations.” Frontiers in Psychology. Translated by Nicholas Vaughan, Language Portal of CanadaSource: Our Languages blog (posts from our contributors)
Number of views: 2,758
revision checklist
Use a checklist to organize your work, particularly when revising or evaluating long, complex documents. It will help you to cover all pertinent facets of the writing process and to meet your deadlines. The checklist below may serve as a guide; adapt it to fit your specific requirements. When you find problems warranting additional revision or research, indicate the relevant page numbers in the appropriate column for easy reference later on. Checklist Content Start date/time: Target date/time: Date/time completed: Content Review item Page(s) requiring further attention Comments Factual accuracy -- -- Logical flow of ideas -- -- Style and vocabulary Start date/time: Target date/time: Date/time completed: Style and vocabulary Review item Page(s) requiring further attention Comments Sentence structure -- -- Neologisms/jargon -- -- Multiple-noun phrases -- -- Redundancy/repetition -- -- Clarity (ambiguity) -- -- Usage/Gallicisms -- -- Level of language -- -- Metaphors -- -- Euphony -- -- Uniform vocabulary -- -- Stereotyping -- -- Personal names -- -- Official titles -- -- Place names/addresses -- -- Grammar and mechanics Start date/time: Target date/time: Date/time completed: Grammar and mechanics Review item Page(s) requiring further attention Comments Comments -- -- Spelling -- -- Punctuation -- -- Capitalization -- -- Compounding/word division -- -- Abbreviations -- -- SI/metric symbols -- -- Grammar and syntax -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- Reference notes Start date/time: Target date/time: Date/time completed: Reference notes Review item Page(s) requiring further attention Comments -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- Format Start date/time: Target date/time: Date/time completed: Format Review item Page(s) requiring further attention Comments Indentation of paragraphs -- -- Quotations -- -- Line length -- -- Headings -- -- Typeface, font, size -- -- Widows/orphans -- -- Columns/tables -- -- Final check Start date/time: Target date/time: Date/time completed: Final check Review item Page(s) requiring further attention Comments -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --Source: Writing Tips Plus (English language problems and rules)
Number of views: 1,202
email: advantages
Speed Communication by email takes considerably less time than writing and sending a letter or memorandum. Email can be delivered to all parts of the world minutes. In addition, if you click on the “Receipt” or equivalent button, you will be automatically notified of the time your message was read. Versatility Messages can be sent to specific individuals or to predefined lists of recipients within a local area network. Moreover, it is possible to send attachments with your message, including files, programs, graphics, and audio and video material. Efficiency Electronic letters or memorandums can be delivered more quickly and less expensively. They can also be processed by the recipient in a fraction of the time required to receive, read, answer and send correspondence on paper or to communicate by telephone or fax. Data sharing With the use of local area networks, employees can make use of shared storage locations to access files for reviewing, editing or consulting purposes. Keep in mind that, when you have opened a document stored at a shared location, other users cannot work on it.Source: Writing Tips Plus (English language problems and rules)
Number of views: 1,100