Synopses & Reviews
Much more than a grammar and punctuation handbook, the renowned FranklinCovey Style GuideTM helps you:
• Produce documents that reflect quality writing standards.
• Access more than 110 topics from A to Z, covering everything from document design, graphics, and parts of speech to punctuation, sentence style, and word choice.
• Create documents from start to finish and avoid writer’s block.
• Write effective letters, memos, and resumés with the help of more than 30 model documents.
• Design effective, understandable graphics that enhance and convey your message.
• Discover and prioritize information.
FranklinCovey is a leading provider of leadership, personal productivity, and effective communication workshops. Two programs—Writing Advantage™ and Technical Writing Advantage™—help you learn how to write documents that achieve the results you expect. Both workshops feature the FranklinCovey Style Guide.
NEW IN THE FIFTH EDITION
The most current guidelines on email, information management, and online documentation. Learn how to manage the flood of email coming at you and get results from the email you send. Find out how to add distinctiveness and power to your online presence.
Updated best practices for graphics. Here’s the best current thinking on visuals for documents and presentation, charts, color, illustrations, maps, photos, and tables, including all-new examples.
Guidance on global English.There is a new section on English as a second language for business professionals, as well as updated guidance on international business English.
Valuable new insights for knowledge workers.Learn new ways to think and process information better in updated sections on thinking strategies and the writing process, as well as practical guidance for managing projects and meetings.
Model documents for today. As email has overtaken traditional business letters and memos, you need new models to follow. See the Model Documents section for updated samples of sensitive emails, reports, proposals, procedures, and resumés.
Everything in this fifth edition has been updated to help you meet the communication challenges of the high-tech, high-demand business world of today.
www.franklincovey.com
Synopsis
FranklinCovey Style Guide: For Business and Technical Communication can help any writer produce documents that achieve outstanding results. Created by FranklinCovey, the world-renowned leader in helping organizations enhance individual effectiveness, this edition fully reflects today’s online media and global business challenges. The only style guide used in FranklinCovey’s own renowned Writing AdvantageTM and Technical Writing AdvantageTM programs, it covers everything from document design and graphics to sentence style and word choice. This edition’s many improvements include extensive new coverage of graphics, writing for online media, and international business English. Through dozens of examples and model documents, writers learn how to overcome “writer’s block” and efficiently create documents from start to finish. FranklinCovey’s experts show how to get powerful results from every email; add distinctiveness and power to any online presence; write far more effective proposals, letters, memos, reports, and resumes; and improve all forms of documentation, from business procedures to highly technical content. You’ll learn how to quickly discover and prioritize the information you need, whether you’re planning a presentation, leading a meeting, or managing a project. The authors reveal how to design visuals that communicate messages instantly and intuitively, and use charts, color, illustrations, maps, photos, and tables to supercharge any presentation. Packed with up-to-the-minute examples, this A-Z guidebook can help you write more effectively no matter who you are — whether you’re a business or sales professional who must motivate and persuade, a technical professional who must explain challenging content more clearly and accurately, or a student who needs stronger writing skills to succeed in school and in your career.
About the Author
In 1996, Stephen R. Covey was recognized as one of Time magazine's 25 most influential Americans and one of Sales and Marketing Management magazine's top 25 power brokers.
Dr. Covey wasthe author of acclaimed books, including the international bestseller The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, which has sold more than 20 million copies in 38 languages throughout the world. Other bestsellers authored by Dr. Covey include First Things First, Principle-Centered Leadership, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Families, and The 8th Habit: From Effectiveness to Greatness.
Dr. Covey’s most recently released books include Everyday Greatness: Inspiration for a Meaningful Life (2006), The Leader in Me: How Schools and Parents Around the World Are Inspiring Greatness, One Child at a Time (2008), Predictable Results in Unpredictable Times (2009), Great Work, Great Career (2009), and The 3rd Alternative.
Dr. Covey was co-founder and vice chairman of FranklinCovey, the leading global professional services firm with offices in 123 countries. FranklinCovey shares Dr. Covey’s vision, discipline and passion to inspire, lift and provide tools for change and growth of individuals and organizations throughout the world.
Dr. Covey held a BS in Business Administration from the University of Utah in Salt Lake City, an MBA in Business Administration from Harvard University, and a doctorate from Brigham Young University. He also received 10 honorary Doctorates. He made teaching principle-centered living and principle-centered leadership his life’s work.
Dr. Covey lived with his wife Sandra in Provo, Utah. He was the father of nine, a grandfather of 52, and great-grandfather of four.
Table of Contents
Preface ii
Improving Communication Quality iii
Contents iv
Foreword viii
Author Acknowledgements ix
Reference Glossary
Using the Reference Glossary (Introduction) 2
Abbreviations 3
Acronyms 8
Active/Passive 9
Adjectives 12
Adverbs 15
Agreement 16
Apostrophes 19
Appendices 21
Articles 23
Bias-Free Language 25
Bibliographies 29
Boldface 32
Brackets 33
British English 34
Capitals 36
Captions 40
Charts 43
Citations 50
Cliches 51
Colons 54
Color 55
Commas 60
Compound Words 63
Conjunctions 65
Contractions 68
Dashes 69
Decimals 70
Editing and Proofreading 71
Electronic Mail 74
Ellipses 78
Emphasis 79
English as a Second Language 82
Ethics 86
Exclamation Marks 88
False Subjects 89
Faxes 90
Footnotes 92
Fractions 94
Gobbledygook 95
Graphics for Documents 97
Graphics for Presentations 103
Graphs 111
Headings 121
Hyphens 124
Illustrations 126
Indexes 132
Intellectual Property 134
International Business English 137
Introductions 139
Italics 141
Jargon 143
Key Words 144
Letters 145
Lists 164
Managing Information 167
Maps 170
Mathematical Notations 177
Meetings Management 179
Memos 182
Metrics 185
Modifiers 191
Nouns 193
Numbering Systems 194
Numbers 195
Online Documentation 197
Organization 202
Outlines 208
Page Layout 210
Paragraphs 217
Parallelism 222
Parentheses 223
Periods 225
Persuasion 226
Photographs 230
Plurals 238
Possessives 240
Prepositions 242
Presentations 243
Project Management 246
Pronouns 251
Punctuation 256
Question Marks 258
Quotation Marks 259
Quotations 261
Redundant Words 262
References 264
Repetition 267
Reports 269
Resumes 274
Scientific/Technical Style 278
Semicolons 281
Sentences 282
Signs and Symbols 286
Slashes 288
Spacing 289
Spelling 291
Strong Verbs 296
Style 297
Summaries 301
Tables 303
Tables of Contents 311
Thinking Strategies 314
Titles 317
Tone 319
Transitions 322
Underlining 323
Units of Measurement 324
Verbs 325
Word Problems 328
Word Processing 340
Wordy Phrases 345
Writing and Revising 347
Model Documents
Using Model Documents (Introduction) 358
Letters
Response: With Information and Directions 359
Response: To a Concerned Customer 360
Response: To a Complaint 362
Complaint: With a Request for Action 363
Complaint: With a Tactful Request for Aid 364
Employment Reference 366
Employment Verification 368
Bid Solicitation 369
Sales: With a Soft Sell 370
Sales: Template/Mail Merge 373
Customer Service 374
Memos
Procedure 376
Request: For Clarification of a Problem 378
Summary: For an Executive Audience 380
Proposal: To an Antagonistic Audience 382
Request: With Informal Instructions 384
Technical: With a Recommendation 387
Recommendation 388
Status Report: With an Outcome Orientation 389
Safety: With a Mild Reprimand 390
Personnel: With Suggested Procedures 391
Response: With Instructions 392
Transmittal: For Attachments 394
Others
Resume: Problem-Solution Format 395
Resume: Performance Format 396
Resume Cover Letter 397
Minutes 398
Job Description 400
Executive Summary: For a Proposal (Financial Services) 401
Executive Summary: For a Proposal (Training) 402
Executive Summary: For an Audit 404
Marketing Fact Sheet 405
Mission Statement 406
Procedure: For a Business Process 408
Procedure: For a Technical Process 411
Technical Report 415
Web Page: With Informative Content 419
Index 421