Other Tips
- Keep it active. Whenever possible, use action verbs to engage the reader.
- Keep it positive. Share positive results of following policy, as much as possible.
- Use Arabic numbers. Studies show Roman numerals can be confusing.
- Be polite. However, avoid the overuse of the word "please." A policy does not ask for action, so "please" is unnecessary. A procedure gives instructions that must be followed, so, once again, "please" is superfluous.
- Avoid "etc." Introduce a list of examples with the words phrases "for example," or "such as," and then leave it at that.
- Leave out the Latin. As much as you may like them, Latin abbreviations "i.e." (that is) and "e.g." (for example) can confuse your readers. Use the English phrases.
- Watch out for lefties. Did you know that left-handed people comprise 13 percent of the population? Keep that in mind when you give directions.
- Use gender-neutral language. If you find using "he or she" and "him or her" awkward, you can try re-writing some of your sentence to avoid pronouns. You can also use plural pronouns "they," or "them," which are not gender specific.
- Use bulleted lists. Lists help break up information into easily digestible chunks. Lists can help your reader see and understand your main points.
- Use the words "note," "caution," and "warning" in a consistent way. A note is a suggestion for how to carry out a task. Notes do not include steps or safety information.
A caution indicates potential for damage to equipment or an injury to an individual. A warning indicates the potential for serious injury or possibly death to individuals.
Training sessions. Another way to hook your reader is by tying in the content of your manual with your employee training sessions.
Find ways to integrate the content of the manual with your employee induction program. Ask staff members who run the training sessions to identify specifics from the manual and to focus on that material during the session.
Seek hands-on training methods that communicate and reinforce important messages from the manual through active learning. Research backs up the idea that students retain information better when it is taught through a combination of activities and reading, rather than just reading, or just listening.
A study conducted by North Carolina State University, for example, concluded that students remembered more content when brief activities were part of the lecture presentations.
Depending on your organization and your industry, your employees may need training sessions in order to fully understand and follow certain policies and procedures. These training sessions are especially important when employee and/or customer safety is involved. You may be able to combine your new manual with a PowerPoint presentation in these cases.
Here is an example of a poorly-worded policy to help you review points on hooking the reader. How many problems can you find with it?
"Excessive tardiness will not be tolerated, and anyone who comes in late three times will be written up and a disciplinary notice will be placed in his HR file."
This policy contains negativity, the passive voice and a gender bias. It also is one long sentence. Let's try a re-write, using some of what we have learned in this lesson.
Since frequent tardiness affects the productivity of our entire team, we ask that you come to work on time and ready to work. You are tardy when you are more than six minutes late for a shift.
Supervisors will issue a disciplinary notice to employees who are tardy more than three times in a three-week period. This notice will go into the HR file."
In Lesson 9, we will examine how the format of your policy and procedure manual can increase readership and understanding.
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