In the world of business communication, consistency is king. So, enter the house style: a set of guidelines that standardises the formatting and presentation of documents across an organisation. We may think that ‘house styles’ were forced upon us, corporately, in the late 2000s. But believe it or not, it had its origins at the end of the 19th century. If you need to blame anyone all hail Oxford University Press.
But why do businesses place such importance on these seemingly rigid rules? Especially, when for most, they cause more problems than they solve. Hence the photo on this page. I am sure we have all been there when Microsoft Word does not do what we want it to do!
Well, let us delve into the significance of house styles and the challenges posed by different versions of Microsoft Word and Office products which can cause issues for those, who have rather complex style guides for their organisations. We also look at our top tips to ensure your house style is fit for purpose and how keeping it simple and taking it back to basics, is the best way to save time and money.
What is a House Style?
A house style is a comprehensive guide that dictates the format and presentation of documents within a business. This includes everything from font choices and sizes to margins, spacing, heading hierarchies, and the use of company colours and logos. Essentially, it ensures that all documents produced by an organisation appear uniform. This can enhance the company’s professionalism and brand identity.
Why Businesses Use House Styles
Consistency and Professionalism
Firstly, house styles ensure consistency across all documents. This uniformity reflects a cohesive and professional image which enables both internal and external communications to appear polished. Moreover, a consistent format reduces employees going off and doing their own thing. It also helps maintain a high standard of professionalism, so that businesses can present themselves reliably and credibly.
Brand Identity
House styles also help reinforce brand identity. By using consistent logos and colours, the idea is that the company’s identity is strengthened visually. This uniformity makes a brand more easily recognisable. It also helps build trust and loyalty among customers. As a result, house styles often play a role in the recognition of a brand.
Efficiency
Again, in theory, the idea here is that employees should be able to produce documents quickly and easily using house styles. However, what often happens is that the house style is often so complex that those producing documents struggle to implement the house style. It is often an area where a house style fails in its objectives.
Ease of Reading
Finally, house styles should cater to their clients’/customers’ needs. A brand catering to elderly people may need to use a larger, clearer font, for example. The idea behind a house style is that all documents produced should be easy to read.
The Challenges of Different Microsoft Office Versions
Microsoft Office products, including Word, have evolved over the years with various updates and new features. However, not all versions are created equally. Differences between versions, and even operating systems, can lead to significant changes in document formatting. For instance, a document created in Word 2016 might look different when opened in Word 365. The same document might vary further when viewed on a Mac versus a PC.
These discrepancies occur because each version might interpret formatting elements differently, leading to issues such as:
- Altered text alignment or spacing.
- Changes in font rendering.
- Differences in the appearance of tables and images.
Key to Success: Keeping House Styles Simple
A crucial aspect of an effective house style is simplicity. Overly complex guidelines can lead to formatting issues, especially when documents are handled by individuals with varying levels of expertise in Microsoft Word or Office. For example, passing a Microsoft Word document between colleagues or organisations can often lead to broken formatting. This is particularly true when different versions of Word, Office or operating systems are involved. This can result in text misalignment, altered fonts, or displaced images, turning a once-polished document into a chaotic mess.
The process of identifying and fixing these issues can be painstakingly time-consuming. Addressing one problem often uncovers new ones.
Such inefficiencies highlight the importance of maintaining simple house styles. This ensures that documents remain consistent and manageable for all users, regardless of their expertise with Microsoft Word or Office. Simplified formatting standards minimise the risk of errors, saving valuable time and maintaining the professional integrity of the document. This makes life easier for all.
OutSec’s Tips
- Use Built-in Styles: Stick to the default styles provided by Word as much as possible. These built-in styles are designed to be compatible across different versions and platforms.
- Avoid Complex Formatting: Simplify your formatting by avoiding intricate styles that might not translate well across different systems. Use standard fonts and basic formatting options.
- Consistent Version Usage: If feasible, ensure that all collaborators use the same version of Microsoft Word and Office to minimise compatibility issues.
- Standard Templates: Create and distribute standard templates with pre-set formatting to ensure consistency across all documents.
- Training and Documentation: Provide training sessions to improve familiarity with house styles and document formatting. Provide instructions on how to format to team members or when sending documents outside of the organisation on how to format it correctly.
- Check Compatibility: Use Word’s compatibility check feature to identify potential issues when documents are opened in different versions.
- Simple Numbering and Bullet Points: Use straightforward numbering as pre-defined by Microsoft. The same goes for bullet points. Try and avoid complex lists that might not render correctly on all devices.
- When Distributing a Final Document Consider Using PDF: Convert documents to PDF for final distribution where possible.
Conclusion
By adhering to these guidelines and maintaining a straightforward approach to document formatting, businesses can ensure their communications are both professional and consistent. Keeping house styles simple is key to ensuring that documents remain consistent. This ensures that whoever handles the document, no matter what level of expertise they have in terms of document production will be able to format it consistently for whatever version of Word or Office they happen to use.
Complex house styles often lead to issues. Especially when documents are edited by other members of staff or when documents are being worked on by others outside of your organisation. This often means that time is wasted by reformatting documents when they are returned. Often finding out the cause of any issues can be a complex and time-consuming process! Because you might fix one element to find it has a knock-on effect elsewhere. In reality, it is often quicker, and easier, to retype a document than to spend an insubordinate amount of time trying to work out where all the problems lie.
About OutSec
OutSec is the UK’s leading online transcription company whose business has grown substantially since 2002. We are one of the most successful transcription companies in the United Kingdom.
OutSec provides secure outsourced transcription services to the medical, legal, property and surveying, universities, media and interviews, advisory boards, conferences & seminars, inventories, financial, corporate, HR, recruitment and Executive Search sectors.
Why is Dictation More Efficient than Typing?
Well, the simple fact is that we can all speak considerably faster than we can physically type:
“The average person types between 38 and 40 words per minute”.
A “good rate of speech ranges between 140 -160 words per minute.”
In other words, dictation is up to four times faster than we can type. Therefore, simply dictating a document is more cost-efficient, giving you more time to dedicate your efforts elsewhere in your business.
Therefore why not add OutSec as a business continuity option for your business? Accounts are free, you pay on a per-minute basis (rounded to the nearest minute) on a pay-as-you-go basis, with no contracts or minimum spend. What do you have to lose? Why not open an account today?
Picture Attribution:
Image by freepik
