Carl Hose reports:
"The flap of a book is the part of the cover folded to appear on the inside front and back of a book. Book flaps contain information designed to help sell the book, as well as information about the book's author. A book flap also typically includes a photograph of the author. Book flaps, also called jacket copy, are either written in house by staff writers or by the author himself. According [to] a Codex Group study, jacket copy can have a definite impact on book sales, especially for fiction, and the importance of jacket copy can't be underestimated. Write a synopsis of the book. The synopsis should give an overview of the book without giving away any of the key elements. Write the synopsis using strong, clear language. One of the goals of writing effective flap copy is to sell the story to potential readers with a sample...[Y]ou want to make potential readers want to buy the package. The synopsis runs 100 to 200 words, so each word you write needs to count. Work in a blurb or two, set off in parentheticals, that you can integrate into the synopsis smoothly. If there are accolades from respected sources...include those. This material is often included on the back or front cover of a book, as well as inside the book, but one or two well-selected quotes or blurbs can strengthen the jacket copy. Include an author's biography at the end of the synopsis. This typically lands on the back flap and includes about 50 words. The biography should include a brief overview of who the author is, some of his better-known works, and a one- or two-sentence description of where he lives, relationship status and sometimes reference to an upcoming or current project." Craig Berman reports:
"Focus groups can be an ideal way for a business or institution to get information from members of their target market and generate ideas for more detailed research going forward. A moderator’s guide serves as the outline of what the groups will discuss, and is usually written as a collaborative process between the moderator and the stakeholders to ensure that the desired information is collected...Whether it is completed by the moderator herself or one of the stakeholders, it is critical to make sure every session is conducted in a similar fashion to create consistency and generate statistically valid results, as well as to clarify the topics and questions to be discussed. While moderators may be flexible in teasing out information depending on individual group composition, the structure presented by the guide is a road map to keep discussions on-topic and the event moving on schedule...The first part of the focus group moderator’s guide should provide the background information needed to conduct the interview. Start with the research objectives. Placing them in a prominent position reminds both the moderator and any other readers what the focus group is designed to answer. After that, write a description of the respondents’ profiles and the interview logistics, which is important because it provides background and context and may be useful for confirming details later...The introduction describes how you want the moderator to introduce herself and inform the focus group members of what they can expect over the course of the session. Have the moderator tell the audience the general purpose of the session, remind them of the incentive that they are receiving for participation, discuss any administrative details and detail the level of confidentiality. Also have the moderator establish the rules of the discussion...List the three to five topics that you expect the moderator to cover, and the amount of time devoted to each topic. For a typical 90-minute session, that is the amount of material that can be covered comfortably and comprehensively. It’s best to begin with a general topic to generate discussion before getting into more specific material...Write a list of questions to be answered for each topic. In general, ask behavior questions before attitude questions, positive before negative, unaided before aided. It is also helpful to include probes, short comments or questions that can be used to further explore desired topics or stimulate discussion. Wrap up sessions by asking if there was anything the moderator missed that they would like to talk about...Once the draft of the moderator guide is finished, it should be reviewed by stakeholders to assess whether any changes need to be made in the content or format. This interactive process ensures that there will be no miscommunication about what the groups intend to measure, and gives everyone an understanding of what will take place." Vance Holloman reports:
"The first step is to identify the parties involved, addresses and relation to each other...This portion needs to say that both parties enter into a contract and that the contractor agrees to perform the work listed in Schedule A of said contract for the agreed upon sum of money. Include the amount and also the date that the contract is signed. Part two outlines the payment schedule and the owner's responsibilities. Include things like opening and closing the job site daily, unless the contractor has a controlled means of entry and working hours. This part also contains any exclusions, or work that is not to be performed. Also include a paragraph here dealing with change orders and how they are priced and processed. Another important item to include is who has decision-making power. If either one of the homeowners can sign off on a decision, say it here. If a specific homeowner is needed, list the name. Likewise, if both are needed to make decisions, include it here. Part three describes the project in general and references Schedule A and B. Schedule A is the detailed scope of work and Schedule B shows the approved drawings. Part four ties up any loose ends and should include a clause stating that if any part of the agreement is found to be illegal, that all the rest of the contract will still be enforceable. Include a paragraph on work stoppage for failure to meet payment schedule or other default by the owner. Include another section detailing dispute resolution and attorney's fees due the contractor in case of breach of contract by the owner. Include a signature page and have all parties involved sign and date it. In addition, all parties should initial each individual page of the contract. Bring two copies of the contract to the signing and have both copies signed. Leave one copy with the clients, and keep the other for your records...Use quality paper to print the contract. Place it in a folder bearing your company logo. Include several business cards with the contract...As with any legal document, consult your lawyer before presenting it to clients. Laws vary from state to state and jurisdiction to jurisdiction. What is legal or necessary in one place may not be in another." Scott Shpak reports:
"A dry cleaner drop-off business is a simple service where clothes are collected at your location for the convenience of your customer then taken to and returned from an off-site dry cleaner. As an add-on to an existing business, it offers low start-up and operations costs, and a business plan is a valuable tool with which you may approach and persuade dry cleaning service providers, as well as your banker[,] if you want to borrow money to get your drop-off business set up and marketed...If you are financing your own dry cleaner pick-up business, your plan may be more strategic to keep you organized and on track. When you borrow money to renovate a space to handle the business, for example, your banker will want to see your market research and plan for return on the investment. A dry cleaning provider may want to know how you will handle customers as an agent of their company. Your business plan can include all these aspects, but consider the plan's primary audience when deciding which to emphasize...State your mission for this business. Describe your company and your intentions for handling the drop-off business...Discuss how you will market and advertise your business. A convenience store may include flyers with all purchases to announce the drop-off business...Your business plan should include your advertising strategy and how you will distinguish your enterprise from competitors or other consumer options...Address your revenue potential and the costs of earning that revenue. Operating a drop-off business means that you will charge a premium on top of what your dry cleaning provider charges for wholesale work. How much you expect in sales and how you arrive at that number are crucial for your plan. Include costs for dry cleaning storage and fixtures needed to start the business and outline how you will staff the drop-off business...A general rule of thumb is that the length of a business plan increases with the amount of money needed to borrow. Graphics make it easy for others to visualize the potential of your ideas and research. Reasonable market research showing revenue, expenses and cash flow in graph form helps others make buy-in decisions. Introduce your plan to prepare the reader for your message, and conclude your plan to reinforce key points. Proofread and spell-check thoroughly, and format your business plan professionally." The It Still Works staff reports:
"A quantitative analysis can give people the necessary information to make decisions about policy and planning for a program or organization. A good quantitative analysis leaves no questions about the quality of data and the authority of the conclusions...A quantitative analysis uses hard data, such as survey results, and generally requires the use of computer spreadsheet applications and statistical know-how. Explain why the report is being written in the introduction. Point out the need that is being filled and describe any prior research that has been conducted in the same field. The introduction should also say what future research should be done to thoroughly answer the questions you set out to research. You should also state for whom the report is being prepared. Describe the methods used in collecting data for the report. Discuss how the data was collected. If a survey was used to collect data, tell the reader how it was designed. You should let the reader know if a survey pilot test was distributed first. Detail the target population, or the group of people being studied. Provide the sample size, or the number of people surveyed. Tell the reader if the sample was representative of the target population, and explain whether you collected enough surveys. Break down the data by gender, race, age and any other pertinent subcategory. Tell the reader about any problems with data collection, including any biases in the survey, missing results or odd responses from people surveyed. Create graphs showing visual representations of the results...Only write about the pertinent findings, or the ones you think matter most, in the body of the report. Any other results can be attached in the appendices at the end of the report. The raw data, along with copies of a blank survey should be in the appendices as well. The reader can refer to all the data to inform his own opinions about the findings. Write conclusions after evaluating all the data. The conclusion can include an action item for the reader to accomplish. It can also advise that more research needs to be done before any solid conclusions can be made. Only conclusions that can be made based on the findings should be included in the report. Write an executive summary to attach at the beginning of the report. Executive summaries are quick one[-] to two[-] page recaps of what is in the report. They include shorter versions of the introductions, methods, findings and conclusions. Executive summaries serve to allow readers to quickly understand what is said in the report." Kristen Hamlin reports:
"Although it might seem reasonable to expect that adults could manage to keep the company toilets and bathrooms clean, there may be times when you feel that certain problems must be addressed. Sending a memo can help avoid the embarrassment of discussing the issue in person, and help improve the bathroom cleanliness, but it must be written sensitively and in a solution-focused manner...Before you start composing a missive railing about keeping the toilets in the office clean, take a deep breath. If the problem is a one-time thing – perhaps an employee was ill, or the janitorial staff was shorthanded for a day or two – it’s better to just let it go and avoid creating an issue. If the problem is ongoing, a memo might be in order. Remember that you are addressing adults who most likely do not need specific instructions about how to use the bathroom. Instead, focus the memo on specific cleanliness issues and reminding employees to do their part to keep the shared space clean and sanitary...When writing your memo, be sensitive, and avoid calling out specific employees for their bathroom habits...Keep in mind that you could have employees with chronic illnesses or other conditions that affect their bathroom habits, and naming names in a memo could not only cause embarrassment, but [also] potentially lead to discrimination charges. Describe the problem in the most general terms only...Another way to address the issue of toilet cleanliness is a memo reiterating the need for everyone to do their part in keeping the entire office clean...Draft a memo that addresses overall issues in the office related to cleanliness, including the restrooms, and ask employees to pitch in and help keep everything clean. Reiterate that you aren’t expecting your team to be janitors, but to make sure they properly dispose of their own trash, clean up spills and avoid creating unpleasant odors...Instead of sending a memo, consider using signage in the bathroom to remind employees to keep the space clean. Use positive language that encourages employees to consider their colleagues and maintain a spirit of teamwork when it comes to keeping the space clean. Also, provide tools that employees can use to keep the space clean, including adequate paper towels and air freshener spray." Naomi Bolton reports:
"Sticky notes are small pieces of stationary on which you write important messages, then attach them to surfaces to serve as a reminder. To give your Blogger header a bit of extra style, create your own digital sticky note to display important information to visitors...Because Blogger allows you to use an image as your header, you can create the digital sticky note using the Paint application in Windows...Click 'Start | All Programs | Accessories | Paint' to launch the program...Click the 'Paint' button on the top of the program window, then click 'Properties' from the list of options displayed...Enter a width of 750 pixels and a height of 150 pixels for the document, then click the 'OK' button. If you create a new document larger than this, Blogger will resize it automatically when you upload the file, which could lead to distortion...Click the 'Rectangle' shape from the 'Shapes' selection area at the top of the screen, then click on the 'Black' color on the 'Colors' section...Click and drag the rectangle tool over your canvas to create the shadow of your sticky note. It should be slightly larger than the sticky note you want to create. You can position it anywhere on the canvas, but for the best results[,] place it on the left or right edge...Click the 'Fill with color' button on the 'Tools' section, then click anywhere inside the rectangle shape to fill it with the black color...Click the 'Rectangle' shape from the 'Shapes' selection area again, then click the 'Edit Colors' button...Click on an empty color box in the 'Custom colors' section of the Edit Colors window. Enter a value of '253' next to 'Red,' '231' next to 'Green' and '0' next to 'Blue' to create a canary yellow color...Click the 'Add to Custom Colors' button, then click 'OK' to return to the canvas...Click and drag the rectangle tool over the previous rectangle you created, starting from the top left corner. Make it slightly smaller on the bottom and right corners in order for the shadow to be visible below it for a more three-dimensional look...Click the 'Fill with color' button and fill the second triangle with the canary yellow color...Click the 'Text' tool on the 'Tools' selection area and click on the canary yellow rectangle. Type the text that you want to appear on the sticky note. Keep the text within the confines of the yellow section to make it look realistic. A free 'handwriting' style font will yield the best results (link in Resources)...Click the 'Fill with color' tool and select a color that matches that of your Blogger page. Click on a blank area of your canvas to fill it with the chosen color. Use the Text tool to enter heading text for the header if you plan to use the entire image as the header. If not, leave the area around the sticky note a blank color and add the text from within Blogger...Click the 'Paint' button, then click 'Save as' from the list of options. Enter 'StickyNote' (without the quotation marks) as the name of the file and select 'JPEG' as the file format...Log in to your Blogger account and click the 'Layout' link. Click the 'Edit' link next to the 'Header' section...Click 'Choose File' next to the 'Image' section and select the sticky note image file you created in Paint...Click 'Instead of title and description' if you added this information on the image file with your sticky note or 'Behind title and description' if you entered this information on Blogger...Click the 'Save' button to save the changes and add the sticky note to your Blogger header. Click the 'Preview' button to view the results on your Blogger page." Tony Ehrike reports:
"An operations report must be concise and well-organized. There are specific points that must be made throughout the report in order for the report to be complete and accurate. In order to make sure the report is in the correct format, specific steps must be taken to write the report...You must be able: 1) to identify the problem; 2) to explain why the problem is important; 3) to identify a way to solve the problem without your help; 4) to focus on...what you are currently doing to solve the issue; and 5) [to] answer how the reader will know when you have succeeded in fixing the problem...As with all writing, it is imperative that you first write an outline. The outline should identify the five basic points mentioned above. If the outline does not clearly [lay out] these key points, you need to go back and revise it. Once you have included the five basic points throughout your outline, check to make sure they are in an order that flows and makes sense. An operations report should clearly define the key points and the reasoning behind those points to the reader. Regardless of whether or not someone is extremely familiar with the information in the report or if it is new to the individual, the writer must be able to speak to both types of readers. Check to make sure there is nothing awkward about the outline or the information you intend to present before continuing to write...[T]he title must speak to a wide audience. It should be specific enough that the reader understands what it is about and that his or her interest is peaked, but it must also appeal to a large readership. It is important that the title makes sense to an operations researcher in training as well as a seasoned operations researcher or even the general public. If any of these individuals were to read the title, would each individual understand what the publication was about?...You must be able to put yourself in the shoes of every reader in order to determine if the title will work...The abstract will be an important part of the operations report. It should be limited in length, approximately 150 words. The word count for the abstract may also vary according to which publication the piece will be published in. It is important that the abstract conveys the problem, its importance, a brief description of how the problem can be solved, your contribution as the writer to solving the problem and how you made that contribution. Technical language should be limited in the abstract and only used if it is relevant to the publication[;] otherwise write in plain clear English. You must include an executive summary, again, written in plain clear English. The abstract and the executive summary are transmitted to third parties with no additional supporting material, so it is important that they both clearly convey the contents of the report...[U]sing illustrations in an operations report can help draw the audience’s attention to the story you are telling. You can pull these graphics and pictures off the Internet, but each one must include a title and information about what you are trying to convey by using the illustration. You also must give proper credit to where the illustration comes from. This information must be included with all photos, tables and graphs." Terry White reports:
"A list of key company principals is ordinarily presented in descending order according to title, starting with the Chief Executive Officer. Depending on company size and practice, you’ll want to list presidents and vice presidents, including the Chief Operating Officer and the leaders of Finance, Legal, Communications, Marketing and Human Resources. All titles won’t be available in all companies, especially those that are true small businesses. But you can bet someone at the company is handling those jobs. Make sure your list includes them...A list of key principals should be accompanied by short biographies of each executive. It should be personal and reflect the choices, culture and style of the company and its leadership. The executive will most likely want certain facts included and others excluded, but a few things like education and professional accomplishments are standard. If you’re writing a list of key company principals, spend some time with each one. Talk to their colleagues. Learn what makes them tick. Identify accomplishments. Emphasize community service. Ask questions about family, hobbies and most embarrassing moments. Paint the principals as 'ordinary' people. This can help counter the remoteness of ivory tower stereotypes...Use the culture of your small business to set the tone of your list. An accounting firm's list of key principals would read much differently than one for a family-owned furniture manufacturer. Use sophisticated, yet casual language that generates good vibes with your target audiences -- your customers and investors. Avoid hyperbole and worn out expressions such as best, groundbreaking, cutting-edge and world class. Investors see those words every day and they’ve become generic filler. Formal corporate bios should be polished, but never boring. A trendsetting company should present its leaders as hip. Less formal lists can include kids, hobbies and special interests to humanize the subject...[S]horter is always better. Otherwise, fluff gets in the way and could turn readers off. Worse, the person could come across as pretentious. Remember your goals: [P]ut a human face on the company and sell the product. It should be a glimpse of the principals and the company, not a thesis. Ask yourself what's unique and exciting about the company. Don’t regurgitate an executive’s resume. The important thing is to keep in mind the points that matter to the people who are interested in your list of key principals." |
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April 2024
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