diff --git a/helloprint-presentation-creator/references/writing-style-guide.md b/helloprint-presentation-creator/references/writing-style-guide.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..e86eaf8 --- /dev/null +++ b/helloprint-presentation-creator/references/writing-style-guide.md @@ -0,0 +1,206 @@ +# Helloprint Writing Style Guide for Internal Presentations +Source: Helloprint Writing Style Guide (April 2026) — applies to ALL internal presentations. +Scope: Internal only. Not for external customer or partner communications. + +--- + +## 1. Brand Personality — Four Pillars (always active) + +| Pillar | What it means | +|--------|---------------| +| Friendly | Accessible and warm — but never casually informal. Write for busy professionals, not consumers. | +| Pragmatic | No-nonsense. No woolly language, no corporate jargon. If it isn't needed, leave it out. | +| Expert | Knowledge-driven and helpful. Plain language. Don't assume everyone knows everything — but treat the reader as intelligent. | +| Direct | Always lead with the main message. Conclusion at the top — not after three paragraphs of build-up. | + +--- + +## 2. Green List & Red List + +### ✅ Do this +- **Conclusion-first titles.** The slide title is the takeaway, not the topic. Good: "Q1 above target — but one risk needs attention" +- **Specific numbers.** A number makes a claim credible; an adjective does not. Good: "NPS rose from 42 to 57" +- **Honest about limitations and misses.** Internal trust is built through transparency, not spin. If something didn't work, say so directly. +- **Tables for comparisons.** Use tables when comparing 3 or more items across multiple dimensions. +- **One core idea per slide.** If you're unsure whether a slide says two things — split it. +- **Active and personal writing.** 'We decide', 'You do X', 'I propose'. +- **Document metadata at the top.** Always include For / Author / Date / Status. +- **Use → for direction or impact.** 'Days → hours', '42 → 57 NPS', 'Weeks → 1 run'. + +### ❌ Avoid this +- **Topic titles with no point.** Titles like 'Strategic Update' or 'Q1 Review' say nothing. +- **Vague claims.** Words like 'enormous', 'great', 'a lot' without evidence. No number = no argument. +- **Glossing over or omitting bad news.** Internal readers see through it. +- **Nested bullet points deeper than 2 levels.** Restructure instead of nesting. +- **Multiple messages on one slide.** The reader remembers the first or the last — rarely both. +- **Passive and impersonal writing.** 'It has been decided', 'It is being considered', 'One aims to'. +- **Documents without a metadata header.** +- **Adjectives as proof.** 'Significant', 'large', 'many'. Always quantify. + +--- + +## 3. Tone by Context + +| Context | Tone | Real Helloprint Example | +|---------|------|------------------------| +| Strategy / Leadership Deck | Clear, data-first, ambitious but realistic | "Helloprint is at a decisive inflection point. The ambition: €1B in revenue, minimal headcount growth." | +| Kickoff / All-Hands | Energetic and confident — but concrete, never hype | "We are rolling out Claude. Not as a buzzword — as a real competitive advantage." | +| OKR Update / Retrospective | Honest, constructive, data-driven. Own your misses explicitly. | "Goal not reached (❌). Cause: supplier delay. Fix: new ETA 22 Apr, owner: Tim." | +| Operational Update | Concise, status-driven, action-oriented | "Status: 🟢. Blocker: Cube data validation. Owner: Joao. ETA: week 16." | +| Team Email | Warm, direct, goal stated upfront | "Hi everyone — we're taking a major step in our AI-first transformation. Here's what it means for you." | + +--- + +## 4. Standard Presentation Structure + +Use this sequence. Not every deck needs all blocks — but the order is always the same. + +| # | Block | What goes here | +|---|-------|---------------| +| 1 | Metadata | For / Author / Date / Status (Draft / Final) at the top of every document. | +| 2 | Title / Conclusion | The takeaway goes in the title — not the topic. Write the title as if you already know the conclusion. Good: "Q1 above target — structural risk in NL requires a decision" Bad: "Q1 Review" | +| 3 | Executive Summary | Max 3–5 sentences. What's happening, what you're proposing, what you need from the reader. | +| 4 | Data / Core | Tables for comparisons. Bullets for lists of 3+ items. Always concrete numbers. Use → to show direction. | +| 5 | Implication | What does this mean? One sentence, active and assertive. Good: "This requires a decision on X before 30 April." | +| 6 | Next Step | Format: Owner · Action · Deadline. Always specific. No action item without a name on it. | + +--- + +## 5. Language & Style Rules + +**English or Dutch?** Choose one language per document. Dutch for Dutch-only teams. English when the audience is international or at leadership level. Mixing languages within a single sentence is always wrong. + +**Capitalisation & Punctuation:** +- NO ALL CAPS, except abbreviations (OKR, B2B, NPS, FTE) +- NO exclamation marks in titles or conclusions +- Title Case only for section headers, not in running text + +**Emojis — Functional, not Decorative:** +- Use ✅ ❌ 🟢 🟡 🔴 for status in tables or OKR updates +- Maximum 1–2 emojis per document for tone or atmosphere +- Never in a formal conclusion or Executive Summary + +**Bold & Formatting:** +- Bold only for key terms or KPIs +- Italics for quotes or examples +- Never underline (it looks like a hyperlink) +- Never bold and italics at the same time + +--- + +## 6. Before vs After — Concrete Examples + +| Type | ❌ Don't | ✅ Do | +|------|---------|------| +| Slide title | Q1 Strategic Update | Q1 above target — NL margin requires a decision before 30 April | +| Conclusion | The results are positive and we've learned a lot this quarter. | NPS +15pt. Revenue +8% vs target. One critical risk: NL churn up 3%. | +| Action item | We will endeavour to address this in the coming period. | Owner: Derk. Action: complete NL margin analysis. Deadline: 22 April. | +| Limitation | The data is not yet fully available at this point in time. | Cube pricing data is partial. Cross-check with Looker before deciding. | +| Impact | This will save the team a lot of time. | This reduces manual content creation: weeks → hours per market. | + +--- + +## 7. Slide Templates by Type + +### Template 1 — Opening Slide +- **Purpose:** Introduce the presentation and orient the audience immediately. +- **When:** First slide of every presentation. +- **Layout:** Visually dominant, minimal text. Dark background (Thamar Black #191919). +- **Required:** Title (central question or assertion — not the topic) · Subtitle or occasion (max 1 sentence) · Presenter(s) + role · Date and audience (e.g. "MT — 15 April 2026") +- **Optional:** Helloprint logo · Short agenda overview (max 3 items) +- **Example:** TITLE: "Road to Independence — Where do we stand, and what decisions need to be made?" SUBTITLE: MT update Q1 2026 BY: Derk Disselhoff, AI & Growth DATE: 15 April 2026 | Management Team +- **Writing rules:** Title is a question or assertion — never just a topic. No welcome sentence. Get straight to it. + +### Template 2 — Video or Full-Screen Visual Slide +- **Purpose:** Capture attention, set the scene, or demonstrate something without distraction. +- **When:** Opener, interlude, or product/tool demonstration. +- **Layout:** Full screen. Video or image fills the entire canvas. +- **Required:** Nothing — the visual or video is the content. +- **Optional:** Maximum one line of text as context, at the top or bottom (small font, high contrast). Video duration goes in speaker notes — not on the slide. +- **Writing rules:** No title on the slide if the image speaks for itself. If text is needed: maximum 6 words. Put all explanation in the speaker notes. + +### Template 3 — Agenda Slide +- **Purpose:** Show the structure of the presentation so the audience knows what's coming. +- **When:** Directly after the opening slide for presentations of 20+ minutes. +- **Required:** Numbered list of topics (max 6) · Time indication per block (recommended) +- **Example:** 1. Situation & context (5 min) 2. Q1 performance (10 min) 3. Three strategic choices (15 min) 4. Decision & next steps (5 min) +- **Writing rules:** Agenda items are topics — this is the exception to the conclusion-first rule. Short noun or verb phrases. No full sentences. + +### Template 4 — Company Update +- **Purpose:** Deliver a broad organisational update on strategy, direction, or major developments. +- **When:** All-hands, MT update, quarterly update. +- **Required:** Title = the central message (conclusion-first) · What changed or was decided? · What does it mean for the organisation? · What do you need from the audience? +- **Structure:** TITLE: [Central message / decision] CONTEXT: Why is this relevant now? (max 2 sentences) UPDATE: What has concretely changed or been achieved? IMPACT: What does this mean for teams / individuals? NEXT STEP: Owner · Action · Deadline +- **Writing rules:** Warm but to the point. No management-speak ('synergies', 'alignment', 'strategic pillars'). If there's bad news: put it in the title, not buried at the end. + +### Template 5 — Performance Update +- **Purpose:** Report results against targets. +- **When:** Weekly/monthly/quarterly reports, OKR reviews. +- **Required:** Title = the conclusion of the numbers, not 'Performance Update' · Status per KPI: 🟢 on track / 🟡 attention needed / 🔴 action required · Actual vs Target (always both) · Commentary on deviations +- **Structure per KPI:** METRIC: [KPI name] STATUS: 🟢/🟡/🔴 ACTUAL: [Number] TARGET: [Number] TREND: [Comparison with prior period] COMMENTARY: [One sentence on cause or expectation — only for 🟡 and 🔴] +- **Writing rules:** Use → for trends. Never 'the results are positive'. State the number, the target, the gap. For a 🔴: always include the cause and the corrective action. + +### Template 6 — OKR / Goals Update +- **Purpose:** Transparently report progress on objectives and key results. +- **When:** End of a month, quarter, or season. +- **Required per Objective:** Objective (ambition in one sentence) · Key Results with status (✅ / ❌ / 🔄) · Percentage or number achieved · For ❌: cause + corrective action +- **Structure:** OBJECTIVE: [Ambition in one active sentence] KR 1: [Description] | Target: X | Actual: Y | Status: ✅ KR 2: [Description] | Target: X | Actual: Y | Status: 🔄 KR 3: [Description] | Target: X | Actual: Y | Status: ❌ Cause: [one sentence] Fix: [action + owner + date] OVERALL: [X]% achieved +- **Writing rules:** Be honest about misses. ❌ is not a shame — a ❌ without explanation is. Write the Objective actively. No long narratives per KR. Commentary only on deviations. + +### Template 7 — Team Update +- **Purpose:** Share team results and developments with a broader audience. +- **When:** All-hands, MT presentation, season review. +- **Required:** Team name + mission statement (one sentence) · What did we do? (max 5 bullets, facts + numbers) · What did we learn? · Focus for the next period +- **Structure:** TEAM: [Name] MISSION: [One sentence — what is this team's reason for existing?] WHAT WE DID: - [Result 1 + number] WHAT WE LEARNED: - [Insight 1] NEXT PERIOD: - [Focus 1] BLOCKER: [What's blocking us? Who needs to do what to resolve it?] +- **Writing rules:** Mission statement in one sentence, active and specific. Not 'we aim to...'. Results always with a number or comparison. Be honest about blockers. + +### Template 8 — Decision Slide +- **Purpose:** Request or present a decision to the audience. +- **When:** MT updates, stakeholder presentations, go/no-go moments. +- **Required:** Title = the decision being requested (as a question or assertion) · Context (why now?) · Max 3 options with pros/cons · A recommendation · An explicit ask to the audience +- **Structure:** TITLE: [Decision question — e.g. 'Do we proceed with market X?'] CONTEXT: [Why now? Max 2 sentences.] OPTIONS: Option A: [Description] | Pro: ... | Con: ... Option B: [Description] | Pro: ... | Con: ... Option C: Do nothing | Pro: ... | Con: ... RECOMMENDATION: Option [X], because [one-sentence rationale]. ASK: [What do you need? Approval / input / decision?] DEADLINE: [When does the decision need to be made?] +- **Writing rules:** Always give a recommendation. Options without a position is not a decision slide. Always include the 'do nothing' option. State the ask to the audience explicitly. + +### Template 9 — Closing Slide / Next Steps +- **Purpose:** Close the presentation with a clear landing. +- **When:** Last slide of every presentation. +- **Required:** Core message of the presentation (1 sentence — the takeaway) · Next steps: Owner · Action · Deadline +- **Optional:** Open questions for discussion · Contact / follow-up meeting +- **Example:** CORE MESSAGE: 'Q1 is above target, but the NL margin requires a decision before 30 April.' NEXT STEPS: - Derk → Complete NL margin analysis → 22 April - Tim → Escalate with supplier → 18 April +- **Writing rules:** Repeat the core message in one sentence — not the full summary. Every next step has a name on it. No 'thank you for your attention'. Close with the actions. + +--- + +## 8. Brand Visual Identity + +**Colours:** +- Primary: Charmed Green #008539 · Link Green #049E46 · Thamar Black #191919 · Snowflake #F0F0F0 · Orochimaru #D9D9D9 · White #FFFFFF · Dark Green #005c26 +- Secondary: Heroic Red #D64545 · Honey Teriyaki #F36D13 · Ripe Mango #FDC325 · Hampton Beach #9D6639 · Seaside #67A5B1 + +**Font:** Inter (weights 300, 400, 500, 600, 700, 900) + +**Slide layouts:** +- Title slide: Thamar Black (#191919) background, white text, green accent line +- Content slide: White background, green section label, footer with logo and page number +- Impact / Statement slide: Dark Green (#005c26) background — use sparingly, max 1 per 5 slides +- Data / KPI slide: White background, KPI cards with green accent bar on left + +**Google Slides canvas:** 1920×1080 (16:9) + +--- + +## 9. Pre-Flight Checklist — Before You Share + +Run through this before finalising any presentation: + +1. Does the document include For / Author / Date / Status at the top? +2. Is the title of every slide the conclusion, not the topic? (exception: agenda slide) +3. Is the main message in the first sentence? +4. Are all claims backed by specific numbers? +5. Have misses or limitations been reported honestly? +6. Is the language active and personal (no passive constructions)? +7. Are emojis used functionally (not decoratively)? +8. Are ALL CAPS, exclamation marks, and jargon avoided? +9. Is every next step clear: owner · action · deadline? +10. Is the language consistent throughout (English or Dutch — not mixed)? +11. Does each slide type match the correct template from section 7?