HR/OMK05

Service Writing

ContentA. What is Service Writing?

B. Aim of this course

C. Types of writing in HKACC

D. Understanding ‘House Style”

E. Style

F. Basic conventions

G. Summary

A: What is Service Writing?

• Service writing in the context of HKACC: documents and correspondences between HQ and Units

• Documents for record keeping and filing

A: What is Service Writing?...cont.

• It is important for a big organization to have a system keeping well-documented information in a consistence format.

• To facilitate efficient and effective communication between HQ and units

AimTo introduce to students different types of

service writing in HKACC

To familiarize students with the essential details to be included in the relevant types of writing

To get students practise service writing

WHEN do we need to write?

• Group work

Effective Writing-before writing:

You should consider what you want to achieve.

DO NOT writing if a phone call, an email or a verbal briefing can do the task. i.e. writing ONLY when it is necessary

You need to write if:

• A record has to be kept to account for expenditure or to record financial or other important decisions.

• Information or a decision has to be conveyed to a wide audience.

• Your message is too detailed or complex to deliver verbally or may need to be studied carefully.

Considerations:

• Purpose of the document & the most appropriate style to be used

• Accountability aligns with responsibility; you should sign a document on behalf of someone else only if specifically asked to

The writing ABCWhen writing, you should aim to be:

• A –

• Accurate

• B –

• Brief

• C –

• Clear

Structure of writingStructure your documents / letters logically

and strive for effective, relevant and persuasive content.

Types of Writing in HKACC

• Form groups of 3 or 4 students and brainstorm the types of correspondences and writing they have seen in HKACC

• 10 mins

D: Understanding “house style”

• Every organization may have their specific layout and format of documents – House style

• E.g. preset headings, footers, logo etc.

• Refer to the templates on the website:

“www.aircadets.org.hk/news/content_e.html”

What should be included……

…..may vary depending on the types of documents or correspondences

E: Style

Unambiguous and concise writing saves time and effort. The writing should be:

a) Aim to be direct and courteous. Stick to the subject in hand.

b) Use Short Words and Phrases.

c) Avoid Jargon. Words or phrases commonly used by you and your colleagues may be incomprehensible to others.

E: Style…..cont.

d) Avoid Padding. Do not use several words where one will do.

e) Use Short Sentences.

f) Break up your prose.

g) Avoid Sexist Language: avoid using traditional or conventional single-sex terms in documents.

h) IT Tools-for checking spelling and usage of words.

F: Basic Conventions

a) Punctuation

b) Capital Letters

c) Page Set-up

d) Abbreviations

e) Subject Headings

f) Dates, Days and Times

g) Signature Block

a) Punctuation

Punctuation is not used within or after abbreviation of dates, except when it is part of normal sentence punctuation.

Full stops are not used either between a person’s initials or between decorations.

b) Capital Letters

Used for-

The names of exercises, projects and operations

The names of Royal Navy ships (i.e. starting with “HMS”)

Protective markings and descriptors

The signatory’s name in a signature block.

C) Page set-up

Margins-use left and right margins of 2.0cm for all documents.

Default Tabs-set default tabs every 1.0cm.

Font-use Arial 12 font. Italics may be used for quotations, foreign words and names of publications.

Justification – text should be justified left.

Paragraph Numbering – start at the left margin.

d) Abbreviations

There should be no full stops or forward slashes used in ranks – e.g. A.W.O. and Flt/Lt are incorrect

The abbreviations AWO and Flt Lt are correct

e) Subject Headings

Letter subject headings should be written in bold, underlined capitals (not followed by a full stop), starting at the left margin

f) Dates, Days and Times

Dates: e.g. 1 Sep 09

Days: use only the first 3 letters of the day for abbreviation e.g. Mon, Sat

Time: reference to the 24-hr clock; the entry ‘hrs’ need not be entered unless the time could be confused with other figures eg grid references.

g) Signature Block

Contains:-The initials and name of the person signing, written in

capitals. Post-nominal letters are not included in signature blocks.

-For military staff, show the rank of the person signing. The military rank is written with initial capitals only.

-The appointment of the person signing is included, i.e. Trg Off.

-Loose Minutes- contain originator’s contact details such as telephone number (including a dialing code when appropriate).

SummaryA. What is Service Writing?

B. Aim of this course

C. Types of writing in HKACC

D. Understanding ‘House Style”

E. Style

F. Basic conventions

The end