STYLE GUIDE

Managerial Communications (CIS A280), Summer 2015

FORMATTING
Documents
Body: All documents should be easy to read so that your audience focuses on the content, not the format.
Pages should have one-inch margins, although smaller top margins are acceptable for one-page
documents with titles. Multi-page documents should have page numbers at the bottom of the page, and
the document title and date at either the top or bottom of all but the first page.
Body text should be in a serif font corresponding in size to 12-point Times New Roman (i.e., 11-pt
Cambria, 11-pt Garamond). Use the same font for all of your documents.
Paragraphs should be left-aligned (long documents may use justified paragraphs), unindented, and singlespaced, with a 12-point space after each body paragraph. Use widow/orphan control across page breaks.
Use either one or two spaces after periods, but be consistent.
Lists should use either bullets or numbers consistently. When the list follows a body paragraph, indent it.
Title and Headings: Titles and headings may be in either a serif or sans-serif font (Arial, Calibri, etc.), but
use no more than two fonts throughout the document.
Except for emails, documents should begin with a centered title block that gives the document title on one
line, followed by the author/s and date on a second line. You may include the assignment name in the title
block. For company-based assignments, include a small company logo in the title block, either above or
beside the title. The title should be centered, bold, and capitalized (ALL CAPS or SMALL CAPS). The title may
be in a larger font than the body. The rest of the title block should be in the same font as your section
headings. Long documents should include a title page.
Use headings to clarify section contents. Headings should stay with the following paragraph across page
breaks. Capitalize each word of major headings (except conjunctions and prepositions, unless found at the
start of the heading). Capitalize the first word or each word of sub-headings. Major headings should be on
a separate line, while sub-headings may be part of the body paragraph. Headings should be bold,
underlined, and/or italicized to show relative importance. Keep heading styles clean and apply them
consistently throughout the document.
Charts and Figures: Charts and figures should use at least 10-point fonts. They must be numbered and
titled. Include source lines for figures if appropriate.
Emails: Emails do not need titles, but printed emails should include full header information (recipient/s,
sender, date and time, subject). Begin with a greeting (Dear X,) and close with a salutation {Best wishes,
Y Regards, Y Sincerely, Y Thanks, Y). Emails should end with a signature block giving your name,
title, department, and phone number. Follow the guidelines in Cardon, Business Communication,
Appendix B.
Citations: Use the American Psychological Association (APA) citation and formatting style:
https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/section/2/10/.

Presentations
Body: Slides should be clean, well-balanced, and easy to read. Keep slide style consistent throughout the
presentation. Do not use animations. Body text should be in a simple font of 28-point or larger. Usually,
slides should have no more than five lines of text. Images should be large enough to see clearly from the
back of the room and should include a source line.
Footer: All slides except the title slide should include a footer with the presentation title, date, and slide
number. Footers, captions, and source lines should be in a 14 to 20-point font.
Citations: Include a Works Consulted slide that is hidden during the presentation. Use APA for citations.

LANGUAGE AND TONE

Maintain a concise, professional tone. Avoid slang, unnecessary jargon, and emotive language (so cool,
very sad) except in personal correspondence. Use gender-neutral, culturally respectful vocabulary.
Passive voice is acceptable, but use mostly active voice.
Paragraphs should contain complete sentences no run-ons or sentence fragments. Lists and outlines
may contain sentence fragments, such as Expand into underserved markets. Use parallel structures for
lists and section headings.
Follow the grammar directions from the Connect assignments for issues like numbers, hyphens, and
abbreviations. CIS A280 instructors will accept Connect evidence for fatal error appeals. When in doubt,
consult the Gregg Reference Manual (PE1479.B87 S23 2011, in the library reference section and on
reserve at the Writing Center).
Most documents need a clear introduction and conclusion. See Cardon, Creating Effective Business
Messages (Chapter 5) for more information on structuring your documents.
Use talking titles and headings to advance your message. The assignment name (FAQ, Executive
Briefing) is not an appropriate title. Instead of using Summary, for example, try Platform
Recommendations or Areas for Improvement.
Lead with your main points. Academic writing frequently builds to the main point instead of starting with
it. Business writing is designed for an audience with limited time, so foreground your argument.

CIS A280 Managerial Communications Style Guide

Summer 2015