No One Follows a Style Guide...
Does this sound familiar? I'm the only one in my company/department/universe who follows the style guide. Actually, I may be the only one who knows what one is. Nothing has a uniform look. Our stuff looks like six different people slapped it together. The variety of fonts makes our document look more like a ransom note than a proposal.
In a small group or department, it's often hard to enforce a style guide or even the use of styles in Word. I was a lone technical writer. I could control what came across my desk, but not the rest of the universe.
1. That's okay. Have a style guide and follow it. Update it annually. If your company already has one, make sure that you follow it.
2. Create a standard template for each type of document and use them. Share these with others when they ask for assistance.
3. Have a document library that others can use for guides, templates, or content.
4. Familiarize yourself with the professional style guides that are out there. Use the one that your industry uses or the one for your type of medium.
5. There is hope. You can affect change. And you can make it better - one document at a time!
Our company grew. We also instituted a Project Management Office. Templates became the standard. And we're working now to help other groups with their business writing.
In a small group or department, it's often hard to enforce a style guide or even the use of styles in Word. I was a lone technical writer. I could control what came across my desk, but not the rest of the universe.
1. That's okay. Have a style guide and follow it. Update it annually. If your company already has one, make sure that you follow it.
2. Create a standard template for each type of document and use them. Share these with others when they ask for assistance.
3. Have a document library that others can use for guides, templates, or content.
4. Familiarize yourself with the professional style guides that are out there. Use the one that your industry uses or the one for your type of medium.
5. There is hope. You can affect change. And you can make it better - one document at a time!
Our company grew. We also instituted a Project Management Office. Templates became the standard. And we're working now to help other groups with their business writing.
Posted by Crazy for Words at 1/21/2009 7:17 PM 
Categories: Technical Writing and Editing, Writers and Writing
Categories: Technical Writing and Editing, Writers and Writing
The only problem here, as I see it, is buy-in. Unless one is granted godlike powers, who are you to able to have everyone follow your style guide? Or any one style guide? You'd have to settle on a style guide, get your higher-ups to agree to it, then get the department heads to agree to follow it AND to have their people follow it. It all must flow from the top.
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