|
By Allen Boivin-Brown
“Writing an effective DS Report
is an art, not a science. There are no magic formulas or specific
rules, but there are guidelines and principles which can help.
In Part 1
(Tip #3), we considered, “The Audience.” Now,
let’s focus on . . .
Layout & Appearance
Most of these guidelines for layout
and appearance were stressed in the DS training, and some
may seem obvious, but all bear repeating. Some of these suggestions
may seem to be nitpicking, but they are the subtle things
which make the Report inviting and, when added together, increase
the chance of the Report being read. And that’s the
goal!
These suggestions and insights come
from Bernard’s years in the newspaper business.
One Page.
The Report must be condensed to one page only. People are
often busy and have short attention spans, so one page is
the limit. Any longer, and the Report could seem overwhelming,
causing someone to resist reading it.
Bold Capitals.
Only two items should be in bold in all caps: the word REPORT
and YOUR NAME. This catches the eye, and immediately informs
the reader of the purpose of the paper.
The Word “Draft.”
This must be on the Report in the upper portion. This invites
people to give you advice. It turns a typo, usually an embarrassing
mistake, into an opportunity for the reader to be helpful
to you by pointing it out. This, then, can lead to further
discussion about your Report.
Description Paragraph.
This should contain descriptive words and phrases separated
by ellipses ( … ), rather than long sentences piled
together. There is no need for standard punctuation such as
initial capitals or ending periods. The dots between words
and phrases allow the information to be absorbed in small
chunks. It provides mental breathing space so information
is taken in easily.
Lower Case Headings.
The headings down the left-hand side of the page should be
in lower case so as not to draw attention away from the text
to the right.
Right Hand Text.
Text should always be to the right of the headings, not below.
This makes the Report more inviting to read.
White Space.
Leave as much white space as possible between blocks of text.
This makes the Report easy to read. You will always have more
information than you can put on one page, so only include
the intriguing highlights about yourself. This will engage
the reader in a way that will allow you to tell your story
person to person.
Coming in the next issue of DSNews:
Tip #5, Writing Effective Dependable Strengths Reports (Part
3), “Wordsmithing & Content.”
|
