No matter which word processor you use, you have some powerful tools at your disposal that can help communicate your message efficiently and accurately. When you have a message to deliver, follow these simple rules and have confidence that your message will be received.
1. Keep it short and to the point.
I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard people say they didn’t read a message because it was simply too long. I’ve even heard a Pastor say this very thing in a sermon, “Send me an email but make it short. If it’s long, I promise I won’t read it!” Right or wrong, people are people and if you want them to receive your message, keep it short and relevant.
2. Take advantage of bulleted or numbered lists.
If you have a handful of information to deliver, using bullets or numbered lists is an easy way to organize the information for your reader. It also ensures that nothing is missed.
Compare the following information that I pulled from The Women’s Ministry Manual regarding the general qualifications of all PWOC board members.
Unformatted:
General qualifications for all board members
Confesses Jesus Christ as her Lord and Savior; Is devoted to God, dependent on Jesus Christ and led by the Holy Spirit; Has an understanding of and appreciation for the diversity of PWOC; Is active in a local PWOC; Is certain of her husband’s affirmation and support for her PWOC service, if married.
Formatted:
GENERAL QUALIFICATIONS FOR ALL BOARD MEMBERS
1. Confesses Jesus Christ as her Lord and Savior
2. Is devoted to God, dependent on Jesus Christ and led by the Holy Spirit
3. Has an understanding of and appreciation for the diversity of PWOC
4. Is active in a local PWOC
5. Is certain of her husband’s affirmation and support for her PWOC service, if married
You decide. Which one is easier on the eye and which one are you more likely to fully receive and recall later?
3. Take advantage of font decorations.
Font decorations are things like bold, italics, underline, etc. When you have a lot of text in your message, helping the viewer by pointing out the most important information is not only courteous, it’s also meeting your core objective. Note the following examples:
Unformatted:
The registration deadline is coming up soon. Please have all information and money turned in to the POC no later than Wednesday, October 21. At that time, you may also submit your t-shirt size and money for your conference t-shirt, if you choose to purchase one. Also remember to let us know if you have any special dietary needs that need to be conveyed to the conference planners. We’re going to have a great time fellowshipping and praising our Lord! See you there!
Formatted:
The registration deadline is coming up soon. Please have all information and money turned in to the POC no later than Wednesday, October 21st. At that time, you may also submit your t-shirt size and money for your conference t-shirt, if you choose to purchase one. Also remember to let us know if you have any special dietary needs that need to be conveyed to the conference planners. We’re going to have a great time fellowshipping and praising our Lord! See you there!
The above message has three pieces of information to deliver but one piece was clearly more important than the other two. If your reader gets nothing else from this message, you want them to know the deadline for registration, right? If they miss that info, then who cares about t-shirts and dietary needs!
Note: Be careful to use your font decorations judiciously. I can hear one of my college professors warning her students, “If you highlight the whole page, then you’ve effectively highlighted nothing.” Keep in mind that you want only the most important information to stand out. It can’t all be most important or it fails the most important test – most means more than any other.
4. Be mindful of font choices.
This point cannot be emphasized enough! In an effort to decorate messages, I’ve seen writers use font choices that actually make their message harder to read, than easier. This goes for color, as well.
In terms of font choices, stick with the standards. Using your system’s default font is a safe bet as it’s highly likely the reader’s machine holds the same font or can make a safe font substitution. Using a specialty font that your reader’s machine doesn’t have will trigger a substitution that often produces undesirable results. (This goes for Word documents that get emailed around, as well.)
Using your default font is a safe plan, but if you must make changes, the following fonts are present on most any machine:
- Arial (and it’s variations)
- Times New Roman (and it’s variations)
In terms of color choices, make sure that you choose a color that is dark enough to be seen against a white background. Using yellow is an obvious ‘no, no’ but while red is a good attention getter, choosing a dark red will be easier to see than the bright variations.
A final note on font choices, I’ve seen a huge increase in script fonts (fancy fonts) this year as folks try to stay consistent with the royal aspect of our International Theme. Research has proven that these fonts are simply not appropriate for text use. They are, however, great for header or title use. So, please use these decorative fonts sparingly and take it easy on your reader’s eye.
5. Never underestimate the power of good grammar.
If you want your reader to take you seriously, take your message seriously. When you fail to use good grammar (spelling, capitalization and punctuation) in your message, you’re making a statement about yourself and it’s not likely the statement you intended. You’re not really saving time by skipping these important details but the damage you do to your message, and your reputation, is immeasurable!
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“Tech Tuesday” is published every Tuesday. To reach Tracy with comments or questions, email her here.
