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Blog was last modified on July 2nd, 2016 by Proof Communications Team

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Why Van Halen refused brown M&Ms and you should too

October 20, 2020

As the music world mourns the death of rock god Eddie Van Halen this week, stories of his eponymous band’s famous ‘no brown M&Ms’ standard contractual clause have resurfaced. That’s right, you read correctly. Brown ones were strictly verboten. But was this stipulation simply a furphy? And what on earth has it got to do with proofreading? The clause was real enough. But it wasn’t just one of those typically outrageous demands so often associated with headline acts. (Iggy Pop…

Why Van Halen refused brown M&Ms and you should too was last modified on October 20th, 2020 by Proof Communications Team

How to not overcomplicate your sentences

September 22, 2020

Bios, Blogs, Business profiles, Grammar tips, Proofreading tips

Doing business is difficult enough without having to reach for the urban dictionary and thesaurus. In an effort to outdo competitors, it’s easy to become bogged down in over the top descriptions, adjectives and buzzwords. Stating your company will ‘provide innovative human resource solutions’ makes it harder for potential customers to connect with your message when ‘find the right person for the job’ says it all simply and clearly. Over-complicated sentences can confuse, mislead or simply bore the reader. The…

How to not overcomplicate your sentences was last modified on September 22nd, 2020 by Proof Communications Team

Re: Use this version instead

September 17, 2020

Editing, Grammar tips, Proofreading tips, Typos

The oft-used email subject line ‘Sorry, use this version instead’ can have a myriad of stories behind it, but most often it’s to email an updated version of a document that was emailed only a short time ago. The reason? Usually, because many people are involved in contributing to the document’s content, which results in a myriad of changes. Even with version control, it’s extremely easy for a document’s quality to diminish during the writing and editing process. Annual reports,…

Re: Use this version instead was last modified on September 17th, 2020 by Proof Communications Team

Research findings that will improve your tender and proposal writing

September 8, 2020

B2B documents, How to win business, Proposal writing, Writing tips

If you have responsibility for writing your company’s tenders and proposals, then you’ll know that the process includes having conversations with the prospective client well in advance of the Request for Tender (RFT) or Request or Proposal (RFP) being issued. While attending sales meetings may not be part of your role, the information your sales person or team uncovers at meetings with your prospective clients is fundamental for the value proposition and content in your tender or proposal response. You…

Research findings that will improve your tender and proposal writing was last modified on September 8th, 2020 by Proof Communications Team

What winning an Award could mean for you

September 1, 2020

Award Entries, Business Awards, How to win business

Every week, some lucky person becomes obscenely wealthy overnight after their numbers come up, and millions of Australians curse their own bad luck. If only they’d had the foresight to buy a ticket. Winning a business award, however, is nothing to do with luck and undoubtedly requires a shedload more effort than a quick trip to the newsagent. But here’s why entering really is worth it. Assess your business performance. Most business awards require you to provide evidence of growth,…

What winning an Award could mean for you was last modified on September 2nd, 2020 by Proof Communications Team

How to Proofread like a Professional

August 25, 2020

B2B documents, Editing, Proofreading tips, Typos

Some things in life are just plain wrong. Referring to a week at home as a ‘staycation’, and believing macramé will ever look good on your living room wall are both sure signs of going over to the dark side, for example. In a business scenario, publishing important documents without first conducting a thorough proofread is about as dark as it gets. Shame on anyone for thinking a ‘quick read over’ will do. It won’t. Use these seven top tips…

How to Proofread like a Professional was last modified on August 25th, 2020 by Proof Communications Team

How to secure your government tenders

August 20, 2020

Government Tenders, How to win business, Tender writing tips

Q: What’s the number one reason why, every year, more than 60% of tenders submitted to all levels of Australian government fail to make it through the first round? A: Non conformance with specific tender requirements. It seems so simple, doesn’t it? Just do what’s asked of you and your bid will get through. However, when you’re dealing with the government, it’s all about responding in exactly the right manner. Not reasonably close to, not somewhere in the near vicinity of, but exactly…

How to secure your government tenders was last modified on August 20th, 2020 by Proof Communications Team

Huru voodoo, or when words go wrong

August 18, 2020

Blogs, Editing, English language, Typos

Translation news, now. This week it’s the story of Canadian brewery Hell’s Basement who came an embarrassing cropper after christening their new pale ale Huruhuru – a Māori word they thought meant ‘feather’. In fact, it means ‘pubic hair’. Awkward. Still, Hell’s Basement wasn’t alone. Also getting caught up in the lost-in-translation net was a Wellington leather outlet who’d gone the whole hog, naming their entire store Huruhuru. Cold comfort, but at least they’d done their due diligence. Although in…

Huru voodoo, or when words go wrong was last modified on August 21st, 2020 by Proof Communications Team

Three Top Tips for winning your Award Entry

August 13, 2020

Award Entries, How to win business, Writing tips

Winning business awards has so many upsides: They raise your personal profile and the profile of your business; clients or customers like it as they are associated with you; it’s great for the morale of your staff; and it attracts new employees and potential investment. It’s great for your corporate CV. If you ask anyone who’s entered an award, even if they didn’t win, they will tell you how much they benefited from the process. Entering awards forces you to…

Three Top Tips for winning your Award Entry was last modified on August 13th, 2020 by Proof Communications Team

The typos that got away.

August 6, 2020

copywriting, Editing, Typos

Mention to just about anyone that you’re a proofreader and they’ll be on the edge of their sleep with excitement. That’s because many people regard an ability to ‘pick up missing commas and stuff’ as coma-inducingly dull or certifiable proof of OCD. And whilst it’s true that proofreading, like any occupation, can certainly have its less than thrilling moments, it also provides endless opportunities to spot pure comic gold. Missing letters, incorrect spelling, poor syntax, lack of punctuation and an…

The typos that got away. was last modified on August 6th, 2020 by Proof Communications Team