Kenya Lucas reports:

"At any given time, a CEO has numerous responsibilities that often compete for her attention and have a significant impact on a company’s success. Keep this selective vision in mind when you write a memorandum for CEO approval of working documents. Hone in on key points such as the nature of the documents, why she should invest her time and the deadline for completion. Make sure you are easily reachable to answer any questions or provide additional information...All memos begin with a standard header that consists of four double-spaced lines -- usually flushed to the left of the page. Enter the full name of your company’s CEO after the 'To:' line. Enter your own name after the 'From:' line. The next line begins 'Date:' and typically states your memo’s month, day and year. 'Re:' marks the subject line that summarizes the memo’s main point in a few clear words...A memo’s body ideally contains two to four paragraphs. State your main point in the first sentence or two...Continue the body with information that supports your opener’s main point...Include signal phrases such as 'according to our evaluation study' or 'based upon the Foundation’s recently awarded grants' to point the CEO to supporting evidence where appropriate...End your memo with a brief, warm closing that supports how to move your request forward...Retired corporate general manager Ernest Auerbach writes of a personal rule on the Texas Enterprise website: 'Never write more than one page to a company chairman or chief executive.' In cases where your memo absolutely must exceed one page, include a summary of key points...Add your signature to the bottom of the memo, followed by an enclosures notation line. Specifically, the line should begin 'Enclosures:' then cite all attachments such as text documents, graphics and tables. Double-check your memo’s body to ensure you have mentioned each item to avoid any confusion on the CEO’s part."

Kori Morgan reports:

"In many ways, a photograph is like a poem; through the use of detail, it captures an image that transmits a feeling or idea to readers. A snapshot poem takes advantage of this quality by recreating the emotional core of a photograph. Even if readers haven't seen the picture, they should still be able to visualize it and understand its importance. You can write a snapshot poem by choosing and observing an interesting photograph, using imagery and tone and considering the image's significance...Any picture can provide inspiration for your poem. Often, poets use family photos as the basis for their work...You can go through photo albums and find a picture that's important to your family. You can also search for interesting photos on the Internet, in magazines or at flea markets or antique stores. Pictures that seem to have stories behind them will give you more material...Once you've picked a photograph, high school English teacher Amy Jo Harrell suggests observing the image for 90 seconds to help you emotionally connect with the scene. When the time is up, you can free write about what you noticed and brainstorm ideas...Because readers should be able to visualize the photograph, your poem needs clear imagery. Imagery is any description that evokes the senses, such as sound, sight, taste or smell. As you look at the photograph, think about what sensory details might be important to a vivid description of the scene. Since you also want to evoke the feeling associated with the picture, tone...is also important. When you read over your first draft, think of how you might use precise word choice to effectively bring the emotion to life...Considering the overall significance of the photograph will give you ideas of what message the poem might send. If you're writing about a personal photograph, you can discuss its significance directly...If you've chosen a different picture, you can still consider who the people in it might be and what the photograph could mean to them. Then, you can refine your imagery and language to create unity with this importance."

J. Johnson reports:

"It benefits professionals to have a strong grasp of business writing, particularly if they are in an administrative position. When your boss asks you to write something in business form, such as a memo, you need to know the correct way to do it. Otherwise, you...will not have the impact that you desire on the recipients. You can avoid this scenario by knowing how to write a memo in standard business format. Create a memo that includes all of the [standard] sections, which includes the heading, purpose, discussion and closing, advises Hodu.com. A summary is an optional section. Set up the heading for your memo. All memos will have a standard heading that includes four lines to be labeled 'To,' 'From,' 'Date' and 'Subject.' Fill in the heading of your memo. After 'To,' type who the letter is being distributed to, such as a specific person, group of people or department. After 'From,' place either your name or the person’s name you’re writing the letter for, such as your boss. Type the distribution date after the word 'Date.' Include a few words that summarize the purpose of the memo in the 'Subject' line. Type a brief paragraph that explains the purpose of the memo in a few sentences. The memo may be for informative reasons, to explain a problem or [to] request a certain action from the recipients. Discuss the purpose of the memo in detail in the next several paragraphs. Don’t give unnecessary information or repeat yourself, but offer enough details so that all recipients understand the reason for the memo and its importance. Write the action, if any, that needs to be taken by the recipients in a closing paragraph. Explain what needs to be done and how to go about accomplishing it. Add a summary section to the end of your memo, if it’s longer than one page or contains very detailed, complex information. This will help clarify the purpose of your memo and give the recipients a reference to look back on without having to read the entire memo again. Include all of your key points, as well as any actions that need to be taken, in the summary section."

Ian Linton reports:

"A construction industry profile forms an important element of a construction company’s bid documents and its general communications material...In addition to basic information such as physical location and year of establishment, an effective construction company profile should include information that explains the type of work the company handles, its capabilities and resources and financial stability. The profile should be about 300 to 400 words...State the number of years in business and say whether it is a family-owned business, private company or public corporation. Indicate the size of the company in terms of turnover and number of employees. Give the location of the company headquarters and geographical areas of work. List the categories of work that the company undertakes...State whether the company handles refurbishment in addition to new projects...Describe the size, skills and experience of the company’s workforce. Provide details of the company’s apprenticeship, training and development programs and its participation in industry training programs. List any achievement awards such as the recognition programs run by the Associated General Contractors of America that cover training, safety, environmental sensitivity and other important industry issues...List the company’s industry accreditations, guarantee schemes and quality policies. Provide independent recognition of the company’s performance standards by quoting industry accreditations, such as membership of the National Home Builders Association or compliance with the National Green Building Standard or the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. Build customer confidence by describing quality policies in line with the recommendations of a body such as the International Organization for Standardization...Describe major projects that the company has delivered. Write case studies describing the objectives, challenges and achievements of the projects. Show how the project met its time and budget targets and highlight any specific features of the project. Include the names of architects, consulting engineers and any other professional services firms involved in the project. Add details of any awards relating to the projects. Ask project clients to provide references or recommendations...Outline the company’s management structure to demonstrate competence and control. Include biographies of key management team members with details of construction industry experience. Provide a financial statement showing revenue and profit over [a] recent period. Explain measures the company took to maintain stability during the recent economic downturn."

Lev of ReciPal reports:

"Whether your food business is large or small, you probably need to include an ingredient list on your packaging. While the nutrition fact label has an exemption for small businesses, the ingredient list does not...If you want all the nitty[-]gritty, you can read the FDA code itself...The most important part of an ingredient list is to list each ingredient in descending weight order. That means the most prevalent ingredient goes first, and the ingredient you use the least of in your recipe goes last. Remember that this is based on weight, not volume. Ingredients should be listed using their 'common' names. The example the FDA provides is to use 'sugar' instead of 'sucrose'. You get the idea. If any ingredient has [its] own list of sub-ingredients, those sub-ingredients should be listed in parentheses...Ingredients that are 2% or less of the whole recipe (by weight) do not have to be listed in descending weight order. They can be placed at the end of the ingredient list following a statement like 'Contains 2% or less of ...' or 'Less than 2% of ...'...Certain spices do not have to be declared by name, but can be listed in aggregate and declared simply as 'spices'. So, if your recipe has cinnamon, black pepper, and ginger[,] you can list them all together as 'spices'...Chemical preservatives must also be included along with the function they serve in the recipe, such as 'preservative', 'a mold inhibitor', 'to promote color retention', and a few others...There aren't nearly as many formatting rules for the ingredient list as there are for nutrition labels. It's generally just text laid out below the nutrition label, but there are a few rules to follow. The font needs to be a certain size. The benchmark is that the lowercase letter 'o' has to be at least 1/16th of an inch. It must also be legible and easy to read. As far as label placement, the ingredient list should be on the same part of your label as the manufacturing (or packing or distribution) address. It can be either before or after the nutrition label if your package has one."

Buddy Shay reports:

"Sociological analysis papers are unique because you cannot make interpretations on your own. You must apply a sociological theory like Functionalism, Conflict Theory or Symbolic Interactionism to the subject and show how that theory explains the topic...Unless your professor requires you to use a particular theory, choose one that speaks to you. As defined by the University of North Carolina at Wilmington, Functionalism describes how the pieces of society work together for the good of the whole, Conflict Theory states that society is a struggle between the oppressors and the oppressed, and Symbolic Interactionism shows that society is constructed from people’s behavior in groups and by people's interpretations. A strong sociological analysis applies a specific theory to show something new and different about social life...Decide what social situation to analyze. Your professor may have a specific requirement, like a particular movie, or you may analyze part of your personal history or a social problem. The problem could be something from the news or a problem you experience yourself...However, avoid thinking about the problem in purely personal terms; apply the theory and stay within that framework...Go through your course resources to find pieces of the theory that apply to your topic. You could take the basic framework of the theory or find a specific point to use. Examine the causes or effects of your subject and decide whether to apply the subject to society as a whole, using macrosociology, or to the immediate group, using microsociology...Use evidence from your experience or your sources to prove your points. The University of Berkeley advises to only include the important details that prove your point."

Robert Rimm reports:

"When a crisis happens, effective communication is one of the steps that must accompany the specific actions taken by an organization to address and mitigate the fallout. Businesses must communicate with clients and customers, as well as notify employees, politicians, regulators and the public. As part of a larger crisis communications plan, press releases are a key avenue to disseminate information to all affected constituents. The manner in which a company responds to a crisis can immediately shape public perceptions and have long-term consequences. Organizations have learned to be proactive, with leaders both accessible and transparent. When affected groups are accurately identified and informed, those responsible for dealing with a crisis gain crucial time to effectively solve it...Crises can and do happen to all types of organizations, from public corporations and private companies to hospitals and governments. Shareholders, customers, employees, patients and constituents have a right to know the truth in a timely and transparent way. Organizations that are not forthcoming can easily back themselves into a destructive cycle from which they may find it difficult or impossible to recover. Leaders should make every effort to maintain their accessibility and positive relationships with the press, both before and during a crisis, as credibility can determine both how the crisis is reported and how the public perceives it. The press is adept at discerning open dialogue and transparency versus delay and obfuscation, and reports accordingly...Organizations should develop and practice proactive procedures so that when a crisis hits, they are prepared. Levelheaded action trumps panic every time. Upper management members should be notified immediately so they can begin to deal with the crisis rather than learning about it on the Internet or their local news media. Regulated and licensed businesses must notify the appropriate agencies...Effective press releases indicate all such specific steps taken, including dates, contact information, personnel involved and ongoing plans...History has repeatedly shown that organizations willing to accept responsibility swiftly and unequivocally can quickly regain the confidence and trust of key constituents...Accurate and concise press releases should generally fit on a single page and fall within 300 to 500 words. Beyond that length, editors are less inclined to take the time to carefully read through them. When sent by fax, one-page press releases also avoid the possibility of lost or mismatched pages. If necessary, further communications can be sent when additional crisis information or updates become available."

Nicole LaMarco reports:

"It shouldn’t be tough to design a nice card with Word. The problem is that you don’t know how to curve text in the application. So, how do you do it? To be fair, Word isn’t a graphics program; it is a word processor, meaning that you use it to make stuff such as documents and books. However, it does have a handy tool called WordArt that you can use to graphically format whatever text you’ve entered into the application...WordArt is quite useful. It includes a wide range of styles that you can use to format your text to make it look visually appealing. One of these is the circle text generator, which you can use to make text curve. Once you’ve created WordArt, you'll notice a new tab on the ribbon labeled 'Format.' That's where you can add formatting. One option, 'Text Effects,' enables you to curve your text. It doesn’t even need to be in a circular shape. It can follow any path you choose. Moreover, you can still edit other things on the text, such as size, style, font, and even other effects that you apply to it...Start by launching Microsoft Word, and opening the document you want to format...Click on the Insert tab and then go to a mini tab labeled 'Text.' Once there, you should click on the option that says 'WordArt.' You will see a drop-down menu, from which you will choose your preferred style. Once you select your preferred style, you will automatically see a Format tab become highlighted...Click on the button labeled '[T]ext Effects' and hover your mouse over the transform option. You will see a range of options. Go to...the Warp options or the Follow Path option and select a curvature style you prefer. The Text Effect button will be represented as a blue outlined A in the WordArt Styles part of the tab labeled 'Format.'...Select the WordArt text and select whatever type of text you want. The text may look normal and it may not [seem to] change when you do this, but it will curve as soon as you exit WordArt editing...Click on the tab labeled 'Home,' and apply whatever text changes you like such as size, font, and so on...Finally, click outside of the WordArt editor and exit the editing mode. The curved text will now be displayed."

Jody Hanson reports:

"Special Education teachers are often asked to write recommendation letters for their students because they are the people most qualified to assess their strengths and skills. Although this task isn't listed as part of the job description, most special education teachers are pleased to help their students find jobs or get into college or technical school. Recommendation letters are an endorsement, based on your qualification and experience, that you believe your student is able to meet the criteria of the job or training. Jot down a few key points that you want to cover. Rather than starting your letter of recommendation immediately, take a few minutes to think about what you are going to write. Address the potential employer by name if the recommendation is for a job...If it is a general recommendation not addressed to a specific person, use the phrase 'To Whom It May Concern.' Indicate that you are pleased to recommend the student and that you feel she...will be able to do the job or to pass the technical course. Maintain a professional tone as you write your recommendation letter. List the student's strengths. Focus on the good points and note how much improvement the student has made in the time you have known him. Provide your contact details and mention that the reader can contact you for further information if required. Being reachable strengthens your recommendation. Leave your letter of recommendation for a day or so and then go back and correct any spelling or typing mistakes. Read your recommendation aloud and assess the tone."

Adam Simpson reports:

"Factual reports analyze and describe a situation and include a large amount of accurate data. Successful report writers know that writing the report is only the end of the process. They plan their report, they consider its purpose and who is going to read it and they decide what to put in it and how to effectively organize it. An effectively written and well-presented factual report is the result of a carefully planned process...Consider what the reader already knows. Common problems in factual reports are overestimating and underestimating a reader's knowledge. It is easy to overwhelm people with jargon or bore them with simplistic information. Try to find out how much your reader already knows and communicate at the appropriate level of knowledge. Think about the reader's stance. The reader may have special interests, likes or dislikes. Understand what your reader really wants. Deliver a report that will appeal to their attitudes or it may not get read. Reflect on whether the person reading the report will be doing so based on preconceived ideas about the contents. Decide what factual knowledge the reader needs. Consider the extent to which you need to give background information or define technical terms. Look at what facts the reader wants to learn. Think about how the factual data you are presenting will deliver this. Sometimes the process may show that a report is not necessary at all or that the objective can best be met in another way...Select your material carefully. Keep it simple and justify your conclusions. Simplify as much as possible. Discard extraneous material and focus on the essential. Justify your conclusions with facts and state where you found them. Build the facts into a logical and consistent case, so that your reader can arrive at the same conclusions. Plan the structure of the report. The facts should be a set of directions that take the reader to your conclusion. Start by dividing your report into major sections. Every subject can be subdivided in this way. These subdivisions might become the headings in your report. Make a list under each heading of all the points you want to bring up and note the information you'll need to support them. Arrange the points in a logical sequence that meets your objectives. Apply an appropriate style. Although reports follow strict conventions, there is room for personal style. Effective reports utilize a drafting and redrafting process. Choose terminology familiar to your reader. Technical terms are useful for fellow specialists but will be confusing for others. Utilize appropriate presentation techniques. Reports contain tables, graphs, bar charts or other diagrams to present data...Prepare a title page. This normally contains the title, subtitles, date, author's name and position in the company. It will also indicate who is receiving the factual report. It may also carry a reference number or other form of classification. Write a summary. This is especially necessary if the report is long. It gives busy people the gist of the report without their having to read it all. An attractive summary can motivate people to read the whole report. Include a contents page. This is a separate page that lists the major sections or chapters, subsections and appendices. It also gives page numbers and should indicate the relationship between sections. Use an introduction to explain the purpose of the factual report. This gives background information and explains why it is necessary. The introduction states the objective of the report, the people it has been written for and its scope. Organize the body of the report. This contains your detailed facts and findings, shows how they were arrived at and indicates the inferences you have made. Deliver your conclusions. Summarize the major factual points of your report and offer a considered verdict on them...Try to obtain copies of other reports written for the intended audience. This will give you a clear idea of what is expected of you."