Why the way your documents look is as important as what they contain!
Appearances matter
We all know to update our CV / Resume when we are job seeking and how the best examples are well structured, easy to read and contain no spelling or grammar errors. Unfortunately many documents created in our work do not follow the same ethos.
We all make snap judgements based on how things look, whether it's a poster for a film, a magazine, a book cover or an advert. In our busy information overloaded lives we make snap assessments about whether content is worth giving more attention.
So why do so many people forget appearances when it comes to the documents they write at work?
In my years as a communicator and document editor I've come up against a pervasive 'mental barrier' that the appearance of a document isn't as important for business and technical documents. There's lots of arguments back I'm?given. Here are some of my favourites:
?"But I'm not a designer..."
"I'm not a trained communicator like you..."
"It's the content that's important...."
"I didn't have time..."
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"It's not a marketing campaign..."?
In the end it comes down to colleague priorities, and for many the priority is in getting the content written down, in the smallest amount of time possible.
What colleagues fail to take into account is the impact the poor appearance of their documents has?on its readers. Just as an interviewer is likely to write off a potential candidate if they walk in looking unprofessional, readers can make snap judgements about the quality of a document's content based on it's first few pages, and the ease of navigating.?
In technical and business documents this?often encompasses the title page, contents and document controls, meaning readers sees very little of the actual 'content' before making an initial judgment.?Readers are?more likely to react positively?to the content of documents?with a clean appearance, which are well signposted, easy to read, and navigate.
Ingredients of a good document
Find out a bit more of these five ingredients in the slides below.
If you would like to complete a quality assurance (QA) review of your documents, but are not sure where to start, I've created a handy QA review checklist, complete with some guidance notes for each item.
Can I help?
If you would like to know more about effective business writing or get some help with your copywriting or editing needs send me an InMail detailing your needs or questions.