I have a signature writing style.
My writings are usually in your face, funny, easy to read and therefore engaging. They have personality and identify themselves as mine, even before you see my signature. Before you begin to wonder what is the matter with this woman, the foregoing is a summary of some of the comments made by my faithful readers.
Truth be told, having a signature writing style is not critical to producing an adequate report. I have struggle through many dull and boring reports (I had to!) and taken action as required. But the ones that really excited me and caused me to engage the writer further, were those that had personality or character.
You see, the way you write and produce documents is as much a statement about your professional image as the clothes you wear or your posture. So how your report looks and reads goes a long way to creating the right impression of your work, of you and or your business.
Additionally, having a signature writing style have the following benefits:
- People recognise that you have written a document even when your name isn't on it
- People are more likely to take the action you recommend because they identify with the "personality" behind the writing
- Your writing is more interesting and persuasive
When you are writing reports your signature style should be cognizant of the following:
- The flow of ideas should be smooth and logical. This makes the report easy to read and sustains the reader's interest. The enormity of ideas should be introduced progressively so that there is a gradual build up of ideas for the reader.
- It is important that you write reports in "standard" English, paying attention to grammar. Bad Grammar is as much a statement about you as it is an irritant to the informed reader.
- Colloquialisms and abbreviated forms should be avoided. Instead of writing "he blew his top" it would be better to say "he showed considerable irritation".
- Avoid fancy fonts. They may look clever or innovative, but they are more difficult to read, some are nearly impossible to decipher and using them liberally soon identifies you as a word processing newbie. Any printed material looks very untidy if you use more than two different fonts and two different point sizes. Generally the fewer the better.
- Limit main attention-grabbing headings to no more than fifteen words and remember that black text on a white background is the easiest colour combination to read.
- Remember too that left-justified text is easiest to read. Fully justified text sometimes looks neater but it creates uneven word spaces and is more difficult to read.
- As part of your style, spend the time to make your report look attractive. After all, people really do judge a book by the cover.
So go ahead, develop a signature writing style that is uniquely yours and driven by your audience. Whatever you do, try to be professional without being pompous.
