Emphasis in Writing Sometimes you have to persuade through the written word alone which, if this is makes up only

7% of communication, makes it very difficult to persuade. There a re, however, several ways to emphasis in written language. Strong words One way of enlivening and emphasizing in written text is to use strong words tha t trigger emotional reactions. Just as strong words in spoken language grab atte ntion, so they also work in written work. "If you really love me then you will..." Using space When a word or phrase is embedded within a sentence, it does not stand out as we ll. Text devices Written words can also be made to stand out by using the standard text devices, as below: Method Usage Italics Gives light emphasis. Use for subtle stressing of words. Underline More insistent. Works well for emphasis of a complete phrase. Some people only u se italic and bold, in which case the difference will cause attention. Bold Is clearly visible when you first look at the whole page. Can create tension as they read towards it. This can be useful if done deliberately. size Bigger fonts stand out more and small fonts recede. But beware of reducing reada bility by mixing font sizes too much. punctuation! In particular the exclamation mark, gives a strong emphasis. Use sparingly. Be v ery careful when using multiple marks!!! It can be interpreted as either enthusi asm or attempted manipulation. UPPERCASE Is the written equivalent of shouting. Avoid where possible, including use in he adings. Color There are many colors you can use. Brighter colors and those towards the red end of the spectrum stand out more. Blues and dark colors are more subtle. A neat u sage is in headings (which often include the key message). COMBINATIONS And you can combine any of the above, shouting in a deafening way. On a computer, you may also find other ways of emphasizing, such as using shado w, double underline, etc. Do consider the computer on which it will be read. If you are using graphics on a website, for example, it could make the reader with a slow modem give up waiting before they've even set eyes on it.