Structuring writing to convey key information

No one wants to open a new email and see a huge wall of text, so instead, it’s good to make use of appropriate structures that make key information stand out. Here are some examples:

Bold

One way to grab attention in a sea of words is to set some text in bold fonts. It is heavier and darker than regular type. Bold fonts are used for emphasis to make certain words and phrases stand out from surrounding text. Whole paragraphs of text set in bold type are hard to read. The reason bold type creates emphasis is that it slows down the reader and forces their eye to really take in the words more carefully.

Italics

Use Italics when you want to emphasize a certain word or phrase. A common use for italics is to draw attention to a particular part of a text in order to provide emphasis. If something is important or shocking, you might want to italicize that word or phrase so that your readers don’t miss it. void long passages in italics. It is harder to read.

Underline

The rules of underlining words and phrases are very few. Similar to italicization and bolding, underscoring text is used primarily to set proper titles apart from regular text, bring importance to names of vehicles, clarify an unfamiliar word, draw emphasis, reference letters and numerals out of context.

• Bullet points

Bullet points are used to draw attention to important information within a document so that a reader can identify the key issues and facts quickly. If the text that follows the bullet point is not a proper sentence, it doesn’t need to begin with a capital letter, nor end with a period. Bullet points are visually attractive and make it easy for a reader to locate important information. Nevertheless, you should try to use them sparingly: too many bullet-pointed sections in the same document will mean that their impact is lost.

1. Numbered List

Similar to bulletted lists except that they should be used when highlighting important information where the information has priorities.