Yes, it’s time for another Word Constructions newsletter – actually its past time and I apologise for that! As I mentioned last month, I attended the Business Mums Conference in Melbourne as both presenters and attendee (see the review below). In the end, I actually presented twice and joined a forum panel so it was a busy weekend for me. By being a presenter, I not only got to share some of my knowledge with conference attendees but also gained new clients and had my notes in the conference handbook – giving me further exposure to people who didn’t attend my sessions. Of course, presenting is not something everyone wants to do or is able to do well, but it is a great exercise in promoting your business and building your credibility if you can mange it. Use your words wisely, Tash   P.S. I am working towards some articles on taking leave from your business so it isn’t too late to send me your thoughts and experiences with leave. And next month I will formally announce what maternity leave I am taking, or at least planning to take as you never know with a baby! Tash Hughes 0428 376 110 fax 03 9445 9154 blog - www.wordconstructions.com.au/blog www.wordconstructions.com.au For all your business writing needs Clarity of mind means clarity of passion, too; this is why a great and clear mind loves ardently and sees distinctly what it loves. - Blaise Pascal Conference review By Tash Hughes of Word Constructions The second Business Mums Conference was held in July 2008 and attended by a positive group of self-employed people, mostly women. As much as I valued the first conference, I felt that this one was more interactive and certain aspects were more business-like. For instance, the accompanying expo this year had a stronger business focus than last year and the forums focused on business information and tips rather than personal stories. One of the great values of a conference such as this is the opportunity to mix with other people who understand some of the issues you face as a small business owner. That doesn’t mean we stood there comparing our battle wounds, but rather had a common understanding to work from and share ideas and tips to make things simpler. Some of the quick tips I gained from the weekend are: Don’t finish today until you have planned tomorrow Focus on relaxing rather than reducing stress (a play of words, but it can have a huge impact) Create a default diary – and stick to it (that is, have set times for tasks such as marketing, accounts, planning, reading and reviewing processes) Don’t reference spam or privacy acts in your emails as it can count against you with spam filters! Keep track of your finances – not just your bank balance “I know” stops learning  and listening so ban it from your vocabulary   By having a number of sessions in a day, each lasting 75 minutes or so, the conference was able to cover many topics to help business owners – and given that sole traders in particular have to be a jill-of-all-trades, that variety is a wonderful bonus to any business event I attend. Online study can be a good way to fit it in amongst other commitments, like a business! Adding Headings By Tash Hughes of Word Constructions Most of us take headings on articles and blog posts for granted, but they are an important part of the writing process. Let’s face it, busy people will use a heading or title to decide whether or not to read the article so the lack of heading would be a real problem. A heading also makes the article look complete – a book, article, news story or whatever without a heading just wouldn’t have the same impact, or be as easily discussed with others.  So we’ve established that a heading is crucial, but how do we get a suitable heading for our writing?  Choosing headings  Marketing people will tell you the heading needs to grab attention, and it does. However, be careful to use headings that are meaningful as well as attention grabbing.  Here are some tips for creating a heading for your next written work:  Make it relevant to the article itself – a misleading heading may grab attention but will annoy people Keep it as short as possible – headings introduce rather than tell the story and there often isn’t enough space for a long heading Follow general writing rules – that is, use good spelling and appropriate grammar. Note a heading does not have to be a complete sentence so some grammar rules don’t apply to headings Be specific so people know you are covering what they want to read about. For example, I could call this article ‘writing tips’ or ‘labelling’ but those terms are quite broad and don’t fully describe the specific aspect of writing I am writing about Check for double or hidden meanings as they are easy to create in short text. For instance, ‘women super low’ could easily be interpreted as saying women are feeling bad when it was actually about women have low superannuation balances. Try for originality and interest – these are more attention grabbing than using certain words that hundreds of other people are using For more information about dealing with headings as a useful tool and how to use them, the rest of the article can be found here.  Pay for business services with your products/services instead of cash - could be very useful as a small business... Poor examples Sometimes, the easiest way to learn the correct way to do something is to see it done poorly. In this section of my newsletter, I show you some real-life examples of writing that needs a little, and sometimes a lot, help. I found the following example in a blog post dated some time ago. example: Start a % SYSTEM example if your a single parent of two children with your pension + ftb + rent assistance… Issues with this example: Where do I start with this one? It doesn’t make sense, it isn’t clear if it should be one sentence or many, and has grammatical errors throughout. So, the text needs to be on one line in a normal fashion or use some punctuation to show that they are different sentences and paragraphs. If we consider it as a heading and an example (which is being generous frankly), the second line should start with “For example, …” or formatted so that the example stands out as separate from the sentence (like example:) What is a “% System” anyway? I read the entire piece and I still don’t know! If you are introducing a concept or system, explain first and then give examples, and make sure the name is clear – I seriously thought the % sign was a typo rather than part of the name. {As a side note, a friend just suggested that perhaps it should be a $ system – that makes much more sense!} Although they sound the same, the words your and you’re have very different meanings. Your means you own something; you’re means you are. So the above sentence implies you own a single parent of two instead of being one! Within a sentence, it is better to use words rather than symbols like +; in a formula or calculation, a + may be appropriate. And there is an assumption that readers know what ftb stands for – FTB could mean fringe benefits tax or family tax benefit for many Australians. And then there is the huge assumption that a single parent lives on a pension and rent assistance rather than working and/or paying a mortgage. A better version would be: (without changing the meaning) Start a Dollar System By understanding where your money goes, it is easier to manage it. For example, if you are a single parent living on a pension, family tax benefit and rent assistance, … You are welcome to pass this newsletter on to anyone you think will be interested, but please send it as is without changes. If you were passed this email by a friend, you can subscribe here. This newsletter is only ever sent to my clients and people who request the monthly newsletter & writing tips found at www.wordconstructions.com.au. Your email details will never be given, lent or sold to any party whatsoever and you are free to leave this service at any time by unsubscribing here. Important: This email (including any attachments) is intended only for the use of the addressee and may contain confidential information. If you have received this email in error, please notify the sender. Whilst Word Constructions has taken reasonable steps to ensure this email is virus free, it accepts no responsibility and makes no warranty. The recipient should take its own steps to ensure there is no virus. Word Constructions accepts no liability for any damage caused by any virus transmitted by this email.
| Services | Links | Contact Us |Word Constructions Home | Packages |Articles www.wordconstructions.com.au © 2008, Tash Hughes