Bulleted and Numbered Lists

1
Bulleted and Numbered Lists

• Lela Nelson
• Katherine Caines

2
Use Case

• As Technical Communication (tech-com) students,
  we are expected to produce certain documents as
  part of our
• curriculum. For most classes, at the end of the
  term, we produce portfolios showing, selling, and
  proving what we did
• and learned throughout our classes. One of the
  last classes tech-com students take is a class to
  develop a professional
• portfolio. Needless to say, the skill set
  involved in producing a portfolio is very
  important to learn. These skills not only
• help in terms of school and education, but a
  great portfolio is the gateway into a great job
  and career.
• One of the most vital skills in developing a
  useful portfolio is organization. For a user, a
  reader, a professor, or a
• potential boss to read your documents the way you
  intend them to read them relies completely on the
  organization and
• how you present your information. One of the best
  ways to begin to organize and present easy to
  read information is by
• dividing your information into easy to manage
  specific, subjects, chunks, headings, and lists.
  The information that you
• divide can then be further organized into vital
  information and supporting information. The
  vital, very important, key
• information needs to be separated out from the
  supporting information so your readers recognize
  it for what it is and for
• its importance. Headings work to itemize large
  chunks and lists work with the headings to
  highlight key points, show
• steps, or to show items in a series. If the
  points that you are trying to convey are steps in
  a series, than numbered lists
• work best for organizing and highlighting key
  information if your information is mainly
  textual support and key elements
• for your readers to remember, than a bulleted
  list is your best choice.
• For example, as a tech-com student, you are asked
  to prepare, within your professional portfolio, a
  table of contents to
• direct your users where to go to find important
  information. Traditionally, the Table of Contents
  is in list form. It is the

3
Common Uses of Bulleted and Numbered Lists

• Bulleted and numbered lists are used for a
  variety of different purposes by tech-com
  students beyond that of the Table of Contents for
  a portfolio. The skills you will learn for making
  a Table of Contents will take you well beyond
  that in the real world. Here is a listing of some
  of the other things you can do with bulleted and
  numbered lists
• Table of Contents
• Steps in a series
• Items in a series
• Key points, words, or information

4
The Numbered List

• The numbered list is vital to the tech-com
  student trying to compile a Table of Contents.
  Items that need to be presented or viewed in one
  specific order need to be numbered. Very much
  like the order of documents in a portfolio or the
  steps to follow to learn how to create a numbered
  list.
• The following set of steps is the fundamental
  protocol for developing a basic numbered list
• Under Format choose Bullets and Numbering
• Choose the Numbered tab
• Select your desired number style
• Click OK

5
The Bulleted List

• A bulleted list is equally important to a
  tech-com student because every other list that
  does not depend on order, like a numbered list,
  is done with bullets. When writing a Table of
  Contents, the sub-listings of headings and the
  key information and terms are all put into
  bulleted lists so that readers can find the
  information you want them to quickly and
  efficiently.
• The following se of steps is the fundamental
  protocol for developing a bulleted list
• Under Format choose Bullets and Numbering
• Choose the Bulleted tab
• Select your desired bullet style
• Click OK

6
Organizing the Documents

• A table of contents functions as a guide.
  Without this guide, a person may get lost in the
  information they are looking at. This also
  applies to Bulleted and Numbered Lists. Along
  with organization, these lists help in scanning,
  skimming, searching, and simply allowing the
  reader to easily see the big picture.
• The first, and most important thing that you do
  before you actually compose your Table of
  Contents is to organize the work and the
  documents that you want to put in it. There are a
  number of ways you may choose to lay out your
  portfolio, so decide on this first and secure
  your order and organization before you write.
• This is key because the order of your documents
  in the Table of Contents matters and the page
  numbers of your documents and sections must be
  accurate for your readers as well.

7
Listing the DocumentsSetting up the Master
Numbered List

• When setting up your table of contents, you must
  realize that order matters. Using numbers allows
  you to show the important things first and so on.
  The numbers also aid in the grouping and
  sequencing of your different headings or topics.
• The first step is to develop your master
  numbered list. This is the main listing of the
  titles of all the documents you plan to include
  in your portfolio.
• Open a new office document
• Type, Table of Contents, centrally aligned at the
  top of the page
• Press Enter and re-align left
• Under Format choose Bullets and Numbering
• Choose the Numbered tab
• Select the second number option
• Click OK

8
Listing the DocumentsEntering your text

• The next step is to enter in your actual
  document names in the order you choose. Again,
  keep in mind that the numbered option assists in
  showing that order matters.
• Beginning with document number 1
• Type in the name of your first document
• Press Enter
• Type in the name of your second document
• Press Enter
• Continue this pattern until every document is
  listed next to its own number in the list

9
Listing the Main Headings or ChaptersSetting up
the Master Bulleted List

• The next step in developing your Table of
  Contents is to list the main headings or chapters
  of each of your documents. If none of your
  documents are formatted with headings or
  chapters, please move on to page 11.
• A bulleted list is the best looking and most
  functional way to list your headings or chapters
  under each of your numbered titles.
• Place the cursor at the end of the title of your
  first document
• Press Enter and then press Backspace
• Under Format choose Bullets and Numbering
• Choose the Bulleted Tab
• Select the second bullet option
• Press OK

10
Listing the Main Headings or ChaptersEntering
your text under the first title

• The next step is to enter the main headings or
  chapters of your document next to the bullets.
  This helps your reader to find specific sections
  within your work quickly and efficiently.
• Enter the name of the first main heading or
  chapter
• Press Enter
• Enter the name of the second heading or chapter
• Press Enter
• Continue this pattern until every main heading or
  chapter is entered next to its own bullet

11
Listing Key Terms

• In some documents there is a need to highlight
  some key terms or vocabulary for readers to find
  quickly and easily. This can happen in documents
  that have headings and chapters and in document
  that dont. Either way, bullets are used to
  highlight these terms and they have their own
  specific formatting.
• Place the cursor at the end of the first bullet
  you wish to add a vocabulary term under
• Press Enter and Tab
• Using the default bullet shape, enter your first
  key term
• Press Enter to keep entering key terms and
  vocabulary
• Repeat this process under every bullet you wish
  to enter key terms and vocabulary for

12
Final Thoughts and Advice

• Very often the Table of Contents is the first
  thing that your readers see when they open your
  portfolio, therefore it needs to not only be well
  organized and well written but, it needs to look
  great too.
• There are many different things that you can do
  to make your table of contents stand out and get
  noticed play with the spacing, font and, text
  size add color, pictures, or other graphics or
  print on different paper with texture, patterns,
  or colors. Whatever you decide to do to
  personalize your Table of Contents make it yours,
  make it unique to you, make your readers notice
  it.
• Remember, if you can get your readers hooked at
  the Table of Contents and then lead them into
  your documents, you are not only showcasing your
  written work but, you are selling yourself as a
  success and worthy of a great grade, great job,
  or great sense of accomplishment.