Communicating in Style
posted in Writing |
If you are a researcher, an academic, a journalist, or a manager—long on technical expertise but short on time—you will find style manuals daunting and tedious. Yet, you may want to give your message that well-groomed look ‘Communicating in style’ shows you how you can do that yourself. This is the claim by TERI, the publisher’s of the book. And once you have finished the book, you will agree with their claim.
The book contains 12 chapters, an annexe, a preface and a foreword. Chapters 1–8 deal with various aspects of style, usage, and grammar including how to create user-friendly, efficient, effective, and distinct communication, working with heading and level heads, formatting and punctuating bulleted and numbered lists, dealing with abbreviations, acronyms, contractions, and symbols, how to use notations for units of measurement, how to create and incorporate charts, diagrams, maps, and photographs into your text, how to present information in rows and columns, citing and formatting information sources, and so on.
Chapter 9 titled Remote control explains how to write effective letters, faxes, and e-mails. Chapter 10 covers OHP and PowerPoint presentations and how to lay out the display for maximum effectiveness. Chapter 11 (Research on Display) is about the designing of effective posters. Chapter 12 explains the publishing process and discusses the various methods of getting published including submitting manuscripts to journals. Chapter 13 is about punctuation and its importance in making your writing clear and concise.
The Annexe contains specimen reference formats, authority for spellings, advice on observing, choosing, and using fonts, and formats of postal addresses, e-mail addresses and telephone numbers. The comprehensive index increases the readability of the book.
One of the most useful features of the book and its USP is its layout. The book uses quotations from other well-known style guides to illustrate the main points of his arguments. These are placed on almost every left-hand page, along with a picture of the jacket cover and bibliographic details of the book itself. This is a definite help for a person who want to learn more about a particular topic.
According to the author, this book is written mainly for those who must revise and polish their work on their own. The author assures that the contents of the book have been shaped by recommendations from the most recent editions of established style guides, comprehensive searches of the World Wide Web, extensive field-testing of earlier drafts, and more than a decade’s experience in technical publishing. The result of the combined wisdom and experience shows through every page of this book, making it an excellent companion for every writer.
Book Details:
- Author: Yateendra Joshi
- Publisher: The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) Press
- Year: 2003
- ISBN: 8179930165
- Cover & Page Count: Hardcover, 250 Pages
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