Best practice

Best practice can be distilled in to the 5 'Rs'. It gives you a basic formula to fulfill judge's expectations. It's an easy way to remember the things you should do in order to resist those classic pitfalls.

• Realistic – if you say you’ve had 100% staff retention over 20 years then your judge is going to smell a rat. Either qualify bold statements or don’t make them.
• Reliable – don't talk about what you might have wanted, or would have planned, stick to information that can be backed up by fact.
• Relevant – don't tell the judge what you think they should know and don’t pad to fill word quotas. Just answer the question and stick to the criteria.
• Readable – tone, punctuation and language, all help shape the entry you create. If you don't know your hyphen from your bracket then buy a book that will help you. Use your computer spell check and ask more than one person to proof read. If it makes you feel more confident then outsource it entirely. Also use the design and layout to improve readability and not detract from it.
• Respect It – respect the time, money and effort you have put in. Submit your entry on time but also see where else you can use it in your business. For example use the copy and images in induction manuals and on websites. Really think carefully about how else you can make that investment work for you.

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