How many times have you seen bad PowerPoints? (well, let me qualify, because there are so many ways to be bad...) I mean PPTs that are inconsistent with the rules of grammar and punctuation, say nothing for inconsistent in style formatting and fonts on a slide-to-slide basis. (I know, my grammar is not the best, but let's focus on the issue here)

A recent conversation with a colleauge prompted me to turn to The Gregg Reference Manual, the official manual of style, grammar usage and formatting for anyone writing in business today. In short, everything you need to know about formatting PowerPoint headings, outlines and displayed lists can be found on pages 8 and 9 of The Gregg Reference Manual.

There are a few simple rules to remember about formatting text in PowerPoint.

1. In general, you slide headings should NOT have periods. They are considered freestanding headings. They can have exclamation points and questions marks, however, if the wording warrants these marks
2. Use "Title Case", where the first letter of each word (save for a few like a, an, the, to...) is capitalized, when writing out slide headings & titles
3. Items in a powerpoint list do not have periods, unless they are essential to the grammatical completeness of the statement introducing the list. This example shows what I mean

Today we're going to show you how to:
a) Water your garden.
b) Weed your garden.
c) Install a soaker hose.

Tony Kinard of SpunLogic has just completed his website on "How to Write and RFP." You can find everything Tony knows about RFPs at www.HowToWriteAnRFP.com.

Some of you will recall my posting to the listserv (few months ago) giving guidance on how to write a request for proposal (RFP), which was very well received. As a follow up, I just wanted to announce a little side project I’ve been working on: www.HowToWriteAnRFP.com. Over the years, I’ve garnered a bit of knowledge with regard to developing RFPs and proposals, especially for interactive and technology projects. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been asked my advice on how to write a good RFP. After searching the web for a good source to point people to, I realized there was nothing available that was to my satisfaction. Not long ago I wrote a short article on it in response to requests for help about it on the AMA Internet/e-commerce listserv and the response was really positive. I promised I would develop a more detailed guide and let everyone know when it was available (sorry it’s taken a little while – I’m a busy guy).

Seeing a need, I created www.HowToWriteAnRFP.com, where I’ve expanded and made available my complete document on how to write an RFP – free for anyone to download upon registration (if I’m giving away my intellectual capital, I at least like to have an idea of who is getting it).

I’m in the process of writing part two: “How to Manage the Vendor Selection Process”, which will soon be posted as well. If all goes well, then I might make a series out of it with articles on how to manage certain interactive projects and so forth.

What do I get out of it? Exposure, I guess. Perhaps a lead or two.

The site was literally just launched today (so if you have trouble getting to it, you may have to try again in a day or two when the new site is fully propagated across all DNS servers, etc.). Please feel free to pass along the link anyone you feel this might help. Any feedback is greatly appreciated.

I'm in the middle of writing all of the user manuals and tutorial documentation, as well as sell sheet & PDFs for our new software, INSPIRE. So far, I have found some really valuable resources for getting refreshed on the joys of technical writing.

1. Mountain Dew
   
2. The Handbook of Technical Writing, Seventh Edition
   
3. Technical Writing 101: A Real-World Guide to Planning and Writing Technical Documentation, Second Edition
   

Since I know it's only a matter of time before I write my first book, I've been passively collecting tips and ideas on how/what/when to write. An issue of the MarketingVOX Copywriting newsletter has some great ideas from a couple of contributors this week that I'd like to paraphrase here.

How to Write a Book - Martha Retallick via MarketingVOX Copywriting

1. Make an appointment with yourself. Say, from 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. every day, you are going to write. That means no surfing the Web, no checking e-mail, and no answering the phone.
2. Write a certain amount each day, even if you're sure that what you're writing is pure garbage. Just get those words down on paper, or into your computer.
3. If your home or office just won't cut it as a place to write, then go out. Get an hour's time on a computer at your public library. Visit a cyber cafe. Just be sure to bring a floppy disk so you can take your work with you when you're done.
4. Get a writer's posse together. Their job is to keep you writing. And your job is to do the same for them. Motivate each other.
5. Become a hunter-gatherer for tips on how to write faster and better. Ask your writing friends. Read books and magazines.
6. Don't pace yourself. Write as much as you can when you are feeling creative and when you're not, proofread what you have written.
7. When it gets to be too much, take a couple of days off and do something that is totally unrelated to your writing to give yourself time to recharge.