Words: 683
Word Processing Competency Yolla Farhat Management Communications with Technology Tools Abbie Beller October 6, 2008 Abstract Explain your strengths and weaknesses with word-processing, as well as a plan of action to correct any problems and improve your abilities. Also, include an explanation of why these skills are important to effective communication skills. Word Processing Competency Word-processing software is a computer program from the office application set that is used to build, change, format, copy, print and file text documents.
Different types of word-processing are used for creating and filing documents. Some of these softwares are Microsoft Office Word 97, Microsoft Office Word 2003, Microsoft Office Word 2007, and Corel WordPerfect. Word processing program is used to create and open previously saved documents. It allows you to rename these documents as well as work on multiple documents at the same time. It also entitles you to select text or paragraph, delete it or move it, copy or even paste the selection. You can also drop caps, change the font of the letters.
Using word processing program at work helped create less grammatical and spelling error paragraphs, through the spelling and grammar check tool, and helped me also use different word for the same meaning through synonyms and thesaurus, which made my documents rich in meanings and vocabulary. Most of my writing during work hours is the lab reports. Jennie Skerl mentioned in Lap Report from http://www. rpi. edu/web/writingcenter/labs. html “different kinds of laboratory experiments are often reported in different ways. We don’t follow a certain format in reporting our researches, but still we have to start by the title that tells the name of the experiment performed. E. g. : Vitamin D3 Analysis by HPLC ,the starting date of the experiment on the top of the paper. In addition to the method number followed through the experiment, we also report the instrument number used and the materials numbers and codes through a list which is “complete, accurate, and precise. ” from http://www. rpi. edu/web/writingcenter/labs. html.
Then we write the experimental procedure, report results, appendices , discussion and conclusion at the end we put references some scientists use the references in the beginning of the report . I use Microsoft Word XP at work to create Standard operating procedures (SOPs), develop methods, write letters and e-mails with headers and footers and some times flowcharts. Moreover I use it to create tables with adjusted properties for the chemical inventory log, or the reference standards log. I also create nested, numbered lists for some chemical products that we have to be aware of.
Records become more organized well formatted with less errors through the word program. Being familiar with the word program didn’t help me to speed up with word typing. Recently I started using the MAVIS BEACON program that teaches how to type fast. In addition to typing these assignments using the word programs, I’ll start practicing on the speed typing games and work on focusing on the time factor, by setting a time frame to typing my text documents and count the word per minute typing.
My word-per-minute speed as been measured through different online testing and games such as: (http://www. calculatorcat. com/typing_test/) is 24-29 WPM. What is more satisfying than looking at the monitor seeing your thoughts stream on the screen rather than searching for the keyboard letters. Increasing typing speed will increase my personal productivity, through typing SOPs in shorter time, make my lists and do my flowcharts in a timed-framed manner. It will allow me focus more on my thoughts while writing any assignments.
It will also lead me to more professional writing by being able to see the formatting, the layout, and the spelling and grammar errors even though “it is easy to catch spelling errors by the spell-check programs in word processing programs, but technology will not correct all mistakes. ” (p. 62). Therefore fast typing is time saving, and ” Time is precious for most business people” (p. 63). Wetherington, J. (Eds. ). (2006). Management Communications with Technology Tools: Business Writing