Testimonials

Some unsolicited comments I've received related to my editing work, and my work helping solve Microsoft Word problems:

• ...the master doc is working well. The EP [environmental plan] Template with Instructions is one of the best I've seen and worked with. Very easy. (consultant to a client whose EP template I modified, 2023)
• You have been instrumental in helping us this year. You have helped us work smarter. I know that what takes you 1.5 hours will always take me twice as long, and when you are as busy as we have been this year, you will gladly work smarter every time! Plus, you are just amazing to work with! (LS, client, 2023)
• You're a superstar and I can't believe you managed to turn it around so quickly. (client, 2023)
• A huge thank you!!!!!!! (client, 2023)
• I am actually surprised at your speed getting through this Environmental Plan. (work colleague, 2023)
• Thanks for the monumental effort this month, Rhonda. We are all very grateful, which includes the [client] crew as well! (client, 2023)
• OMG!!!!! You are a life saver!!!!! Thank you so much!! I feel as though I was rushed to the hospital and helped by the best surgeon. Thank you sooooo much! (helped a work colleague with a Word issue, 2023)
• Thanks for turning this around so quick, that's great. The new [Word] templates are much more stable and presentable. (client, 2023)
• Thank you so much for the amazing job you have done with the [PowerPoint] file. It looks great. ... Thanks also for giving us a couple of extra pre-formatted blank slides! You are amazing. ... and thank you for all your support in 2022 (work colleague, December 2022)
• Thank you very much for your help and advice this year. Our team has reflected that your [Microsoft Word] template training was the best training session we did all year, and we learnt so many valuable tips! (client, December 2021)
• Thanks Rhonda! You are a champion and save me so much time! (client, November 2021)
• Rhonda, you are an absolute wizard! Thank you so much! (work colleague, October 2021)
• One of my clients wrote a LinkedIn article that both praised me enthusiastically and promoted the use of editors (October 2021). The article is here: What to do when the write right words won't come out, and a PDF of it is saved here. Two other clients also added their praises for my work in their comments about the LinkedIn article:
  • We worked with Rhonda Bracey on a major project in the past year and had a fabulous experience - we all agreed that having a professional editor was worth the additional cost. (JL, Canada, minerals exploration company)
  • Rhonda is a godsend Jun! I'm so grateful you put me onto her! This article is great; shows everyone they CAN share their ideas and contribute to our science, even if they lack the confidence in writing to do so - they just need to source the right help! Love it (MH, Perth, structural geologist)
• I've had a quick scan through your edits and am exceptionally happy with your work! You picked up some really good detail and made good readability suggestions. Thank you very much! (client, September 2021)
• It's a very special feeling when you are preparing to submit a Research portfolio that has taken the last two years of your life, and with the deadline looming, your Headers decide they no longer wish to cooperate. They are now openly mocking you, knowing the clock is ticking. Googling "my headers hate me" isn't helping. This is the time to send the SOS to Western Australia. Thank you so much Rhonda for your knowledge and expert eye. Your speedy response and other fixes were life-savers! (M&K W, New Zealand, March 2021)
• Thank you very much for your services. It's always a pleasure for you to help me out, and I was thinking how lucky I am to have you available to help me. I just want you to know that. ... I don't have to strike up a lot courage to tell you how much I appreciate you, but I wanted to tell you nevertheless. I'd say having you work on my text has literally changed my life for the better, so I'd like you to know that. ... I truly feel lucky to have met you because I can, with your help, express clearly what I want to say, regardless of what others think of me. ... you have helped me to express myself clearly, honestly and simply and that's basically become my brand, which young people [in my industry] appreciate. I appreciate you for helping me, Rhonda, and I think there are a lot more fun times ahead! (client, December 2020)
• You are a magician, thank you so much for the work on the [...] Management Procedure. Very insightful. I accepted and actioned all of your queries and suggestions. (work colleague, December 2020)
• Thank you once again for your speedy turn around and excellent editing. It is very much appreciated ... you are fabulous in your editing and response time (client, October 2020)
• Well that was the fastest I've ever seen this done. Thank you very much for knocking it out! (work colleague, August 2019)
• Hi Rhonda, Spent much of the weekend incorporating your suggested changes. Felt I got a lot of value reading through (and thinking about) your many comments. You obviously put a lot of effort into your review so just wanted to thank you again both for the quality of your work and attention to detail. Along the way you picked up a number of errors or inconsistencies which likely would have been areas of concern for the regulator, so its extremely valuable for us to have the opportunity to fix these prior to submission. Very appreciative of your support. We now have a much improved document. (work colleague, April 2019)
• I would like to formally acknowledge the fantastic support I have received from Rhonda in reviewing and updating the [...] Basis of Design [document]. She was able to complete my request in a quick time frame whilst maintaining her exceedingly high level of expertise and performance. [Response from supervisor] Thanks for recognising Rhonda's expertise and helpfulness---we have been very lucky to benefit from it for many years and now you know our secret weapon! (work colleague and supervisor, February 2019)
• Rhonda, you are a star!!! Thanks again, always above and beyond. (work colleague, January 2019)
• You're still the benchmark I judge other editors by. (ex work colleague, several years after we worked together, July 2018)
• Awesome! Thanks Rhonda. You are amazing!! Thanks again for going through this so thoroughly. (work colleague, July 2018)
• Thanks Rhonda. You're a legend!!! (work colleague, July 2018)
• Thanks for all the effort in getting this done, Rhonda. Much appreciated. (work colleague, July 2018)
• A very big thank you for doing that so quickly. As always your attention to detail is second to none. (work colleague, May 2018)
• I think you are AMAZING!!!!!!!!!! Thank you so much for this -- it worked!!! (grateful work colleague after I solved a tricky Word problem, May 2018)
• I've spent $$$ on consultants for this project, and your service was by far one of the best -- in fact, it seems that the quality of the service I received was inversely proportional to the charged fee, which is crazy. I would not be surprised if mine was the only submission checked by a professional editor. Your skills are as rare as hens' teeth, yet so underappreciated. [If my submission wins] you'll definitely be getting a bonus as you're one of my favourite consultants -- I know I can always rely on you. Thanks a bunch for pulling this one off, Rhonda. (JC, Perth, December 2015)
• It is not always easy to get help with in-depth Word problems. I google, I read, I try things, and sometimes I can solve it myself. But sometimes I cannot solve the problem no matter what I do. Well, Rhonda Bracey has the most in-depth knowledge of any Word guru I have ever known. I say: When the going gets really tough, the tough can count on useful support from Rhonda. Thank you, Rhonda! (AJE, Netherlands, August 2013)
• ...a big thanks for your work - you're a great team member, despite us not being able to see you each day! (ES, Perth, March 2012 )
• You actually made my dry and boring manuscript sing! I just love it every time you do this and I never get tired of seeing your magic. I feel as though I'm driving around in a cheap rusted out VW, but to everyone else I look like I'm driving a Porsche! Perhaps not the best analogy, but it gives me absolutely no incentive to improve my English skills. ... I can just dump my thoughts and get it polished up by a real professional. It just simply amazes me how you do this in such short time. Thanks again. I REALLY appreciate it. (JC, Perth, March 2011)
• Rhonda is a powerhouse on many levels; technically she is exceptional. The job we asked her to do was not for the faint hearted; formatting a series of 55 MB+ technical documents written by multiple authors most of whom had introduced errant styles. She has enviable communication skills (leaving no doubt in my mind that she knew exactly what the job entailed and would cover all bases.) And she has a veteran tech editor's eye for detail with a talent for spotting trouble (and working out a solution) well before it hits; a true lateral thinker. No sooner had she outlined the risks and covered off contingencies, than the job was done and dusted. And an excellent job it was. (FA, Technical Editor, Perth, May 2010)
• THANK YOU VERY MUCH for your enormous contribution to the production of the [Environmental Management Plans], etc. Your commitment, flexibility, excellent technical skills and cool head are very much appreciated. (JM, Perth, September 2009)
• Rhonda recently solved a tricky Word-related problem for us. She worked quickly, thoroughly investigated and explained all the options and kept us updated throughout the whole process. She's an absolute professional and a delight to work with. (SC, Hobart, Tasmania, May 2009)
• I was very pleased with the thoroughness and quality of your editorial feedback. You've really helped to smooth out the multiple origins of the text and tame some of those sentences I just couldn't face again. (SB, Perth, July 2007)
• Thank you so much for what you did with the Tool Tote pattern. I thought what you did with the format was great! I can definitely see where my pattern can be confusing for people to follow, so thank you for making that clearer to me. I thought the suggestion for having a "terms" page was bloody brilliant. I have to wonder why I never came up with such a great idea myself! I also like the way you have listed the general advice section at the start of the pattern. The format in which you have set out the pattern is much more readable and easy to follow than the way I have been setting out my instructions so far. You have done me a HUGE favour and pointed out so much to me and made me realise how confusing I have been writing my patterns for people to follow. I really appreciate all the work, time and effort you put into reformatting my pattern! (MP, Perth, June 2007)

2021: ACES: Virtual conference: One command to rule them all: Introduction to Word macros.

NOTE: 555 people signed up for this prerecorded presentation. The comments below are from Twitter, LinkedIn, and the chat window for attendees during the presentation. Because the conference ran in US time, it was 1am to 2am for me, so I wasn't able to answer any questions 'live'.

• I just finished watching your presentation on macros and it was excellent! It was meaty and substantial. I love presentations that have enough substance to keep my attention and yours did. It's hard to get distracted when a presentation provides so much to learn and is smartly prepared (slides and spoken). It was very well done. Thank you for walking through the steps for making and dealing with macros (including the VBA edit mode) and for all the great resources at the end. I will visit several of those resources as I brainstorm how I might use macros for my work.
• I always learn something from your presentations. I have to revisit my template organization now. My macros are scattered, some of them--gulp!--in my normal template. I feel as if I have a whole bunch of $$ stashed everywhere but don't have a will.
• Your presentation was enormously helpful! I went straight into a status meeting afterward and gushed about what I had just learned to my coworkers. Can't wait to try my hand with my first macro recording!
• @cybertext has a goldmine of information if you're attending #ACES2021Online. Ways to try your first macro, and how to borrow others' already-prepared ones. You can follow at your own pace on the prerecorded preso!
• Just attended your ACES macro session. It was fantastic. Very clear and well organized. I've just started teaching macro classes for EFA (focused on Paul Beverley's macros) and found this inspirational for how to conduct a good session. Thanks!
• I just attended your ACES conference seminar and really appreciated your introduction to macros. Thank you for all the effort you put into your presentation. I'll definitely use the resources you recommended.
• I'm looking forward to trying macros. Thanks for the info!
• It was an amazing session! I will likely need to watch it multiple times though... much to learn!
• Was a great presentation. Excited to give macros a go.
• My mind is completely blown after attending this session. So much to learn!
• Just attended 'Introduction to Word Macros' at #ACES2021Online. The presenter was extremely knowledgeable, and the session she designed was incredibly thorough. I'm bowled over by the awesome power of macros. Also, my biggest takeaway is that I'll probably never create a macro.
• Rhonda's preso on macros was great! (LOTS of info, wow)
• Rhonda Bracey's session was just chock-full of information!
• ohmigosh, I need to do that for chemical names! on a project I'm doing now.
• Oh I can really use RunAll--I have a punch list of routine find/replace tasks I do on most new documents
• Brilliant!
• I've been wanting to learn about macros forever. I'm so glad I'm finally learning! But, I am so anti-techy that this is kinda terrifying. Who's with me?
• I'm terrified of macros, but they sound like they would be great
• I'm SO glad the files and transcript are available. Will be going back through this s l o w l y
• I had no idea the depth of the tasks you could do with macros. This is so helpful.
• I've used Paul Beverley's macros for years but always been leery about recording or writing my own.
• Excellent. I need to spend some cozy time with this presentation ;-) Macros: we need to get to know each other.
• Very helpful.
• I'm glad I ended up here. I don't use Word much, but when I do, there are a lot of functions I could use.
• I've tried recording macros myself but they never seem to work when I run them. I'm hoping these tips will help!
• Never thought of using a macro to set up how I want my view to look!
• Whew! A lot of info here. I think I'll need to watch this twice...
• This is FASCINATING!
• I wish we could make macros for other types of tasks: Mincing garlic! Sorting socks!
• Incredible.
• A lot of info. A little overwhelming
• I've found going slowly through adding macros, checking and redoing, makes it possible!
• It can feel overwhelming, but trust me, if you try this with a simple recorded macro, you'll feel successful and be willing to keep playing around.
• Again for beginners: watch this again, and try a simple macro. then everything else Rhonda is talking about becomes clearer
• This is making me realize I also need to clean up my templates!
• Great hint to "comment out" a line you want to delete!
• Maybe we could ask Rhonda if she'd be willing to offer a webinar on templates specifically sometime in the future. :)
• There is so much great info in this presentation - really grateful for all the work put into this!
• This hint about comments is very useful
• I love that she just says "I don't know what that means" in the middle of this amazing technical presentation.
• For all the work that's involved, I'm wondering how much time these really save? Response: It's like the time spent learning to drive. You don't want to walk everywhere, because learning to drive takes time. :)
• The more repetitive the task, the more time macros save you
• It seems complicated in comprehension but will probably only take a few minutes in execution. Like she said, it saves her hours of time.
• She has a handout under the files tab and that simplifies it well, I think. I'm not sure how often I'll use macros, but I can think of a couple things I might do. Her handout will help.
• I think I might take a week being cognizant of Word tasks, especially in sequence, that I do frequently. Those would be good candidates for recording (or finding) a macro. I'm freelance, so this might be dependent on particular clients or types of projects. Responses: (1) Yes, that's the thing - you have to really sit down and pay attention to tasks that have probably become muscle memory. (2) Also helps to look for the thing that is making you cringe the most. :0)
• Love this brief review of some basic VB
• This is going to take a lot of practice! Looking forward to eventually mastering it!
• My head is exploding!
• The tip to include the KB shortcut as a comment is excellent.
• I recommend subscribing to WordTips and CyberText. A painless way to get a small dose of tips every now and then. Learning by osmosis.
• Thank you, Ms. Bracey. You are a rock star!
• Thank you! Great presentation!
• Thank you! [many responses like this]
• Excellent presentation -- thanks!
• Always a font of fantastic info! Thanks, Rhonda!
• That was fantastic!
• Great presentation! Really, really helpful. Thank you!
• Great preso. Always learn something from Rhonda!
• Great resources!
• Thank you for the resources list.
• WOW, thank you!
• So informative! Thanks!
• Great presentation!
• Thank you! This was helpful!
• Thank you! Such a wealth of information!!!
• Thank you, Rhonda! What an excellent intro to the world of macros.
• A wonderful intro to macros for someone who knew nothing about them. Thank you!
• WOW! So much info. packed into this!
• Time to go clean up my macros.
• Awesome. Superlative intended!
• This step-by-step was fantastic!!! Thank you for the amount of work you put into it. I truly appreciate it!
• Thank you! Especially for the resources and the downloadable files. I am not ready for the final exam w/o further study.
• Terrific presentation!
• Wonderful presentation--thank you so much!
• Thank you for the presentation!
• Thanks, Rhonda! Great info and introduction to what you can do with macros (things I'd never thought of!) - interested to learn more and explore macros.
• Great presentation! Thank you so much!
• What an amazing presentation! Thank you, Rhonda!
• Wild idea: ACES club where we meet online every few weeks to talk macros and swap tips/tricks. I think a lot of us are going to be re-watching Rhonda's presentation and teaching ourselves macros in the next few months. :)
• Incredibly helpful presentation. Thank you!
• Thank you so much for this session! It was extremely helpful and informative!
• Omigosh, incredibly helpful presentation! Thank you!
• Excellent, useful presentation!
• Rhonda, thank you for this helpful session! I've been looking for a better system to back up my macros. So I appreciate your guidance on saving and modifying a dotm file in the Word STARTUP folder. I'll have to try that!

2020: ASTC: Virtual conference: One command to rule them all: Introduction to Word macros.

• Summary of a letter from the conference organiser: 'What a tour de force this presentation was! ... I'm sure every Word user would benefit from seeing it, even those of us who use macros frequently.'
• Some feedback from attendees included: '...am I glad I watched her presetnation! She did indeed add to my knowledge, and the way she organised everything was valuable to see.'
• The overall ratings were 5 (5 = excellent) on all aspects: How relevant was the session to you? Did it add value to yur professional development? Was the content sufficiet to gain an understanding of thetopic to be used in a practical sense?

Full letter from the conference organiser (PDF, 140 kb)

2020: TechCommNZ: Online webinar on an introduction to macros in Microsoft Word. NOTE: Approximately 40 people attended this webinar, 14 of whom provided feedback. As with any webinar/presentation, some comments are contradictory because you can't satisfy everyone's needs in every aspect. In the rankings, 92 to 100% ranked the presentation and its organisation between 'Good' and 'Excellent', with 'Excellent' being the category that most chose (62 to 100%) for each question. Unedited comments from the feedback survey:

• Very clear and excellent notes, thank you.
• Really appreciated the in-depth yet efficient explanations.
• It was at a level that was entirely appropriate for my level of Word - I know how to code but hadn't really thought about how I could use macros to my advantage.
• There wasn't a whole lot of new material for me, but it was a great refresher and got me thinking (again) about how I could use macros more effectively in my work.
• Her presentation was excellent. However she packed a lot of information into a short space of time, and I struggled to keep up at times.
• Verbally, I would say excellent. I think I would have preferred a live video of recording a macro, though, instead of screenshots.
• I liked that she used PowerPoint slides (rather than trying to do everything 'live' and risk bungling it). It made it much more professional.
• Well thought out and structured.
• Each topic was covered in just the right amount for me to gain understanding without losing interest.
• Usually I have webinars going in the background while I work but this one engaged me all the way through.
• Very, very clear.
• Excellent reference material.
• I haven't had a chance to look at the slides independently yet, but I expect the instructions given for setting up and editing various macros will be clear and easy-to-follow.
• Well worth the money and time.
• I would have liked some more examples of macros; maybe more step throughs in real time of a couple.
• Possibly a screen recording instead of screenshots when creating/recording the macro.
• I don't think it could have [been improved].
• Spot on for my level of prior knowledge.
• Perfect for me!
• I've created macros before but this elevated things to a much higher level and I will have more confidence using them.
• I wanted to work on macros immediately after this webinar. But I needed the recording, which I won't have for another few days. I think that's the biggest criticism I have.
• I haven't used macros regularly for some time. This presentation refreshed my memory.
• The content was so comprehensive and Rhonda delivered it so well.
• Difficult to get very in depth in an hour-long presentation.
• I have used macros in templates, but hadn't really thought about day-to-day functionality.
• I was in your macros webinar ... and just wanted to let you know how useful I found it. I've been doing a few webinars on different topics while things are slower due to COVID-19, and yours was by far the most informative. I thought the level of the material was perfectly pitched for the audience (at least for me). I've been using PerfectIt for ages but I haven't delved much into the world of custom macros before. That's now my next task. (Peter R, Melbourne, June 2020)

2020: Australasian Medical Writers Association: Online webinar on working efficiently with Microsoft Word.

• Just wanted to say thank you for your webinar today. You managed to pack a lot of useful info into the hour. I'm excited to go and try out some of your tips, especially customising my QAT a bit more and making more use of AutoCorrect/AutoText. Then it will be onto macros so hopefully you get to run that course somewhere soon.

2019: ACES: Society of Editors Annual Conference (Providence, Rhode Island): NOTE: About 80 people attended this session, but less than half gave a feedback rating, and only about 20 made a comment about it. Of those who supplied feedback, 18 rated this session as Excellent, 15 as Good, and 4 as So-so.

• A lot of it was things I don't use (I don't have to worry much about formatting), but I still came away with some helpful tips.
• She provided great tools and had a good personality, but I wish she would have shown us how to do more of her examples step-by-step.
• I learned some great things! I understand that the length of this session has been cut down significantly, but I was hoping to get a bit more in-depth instruction on how to implement/use some of the tips that were covered. Part of the problem may have been that I had encountered most of the material before, but I think Rhonda Bracey could do a really great intermediate-advanced version of this session!
• Didn't realize it was not aimed at Mac users, but there were Mac asides in the handout.
• One of the sessions that brought me to the conference.
• Not as in-depth as it seemed like it was going to be, speaker was rushed and brisk
• The information presented was excellent, and this long-time Word user learned a few great tips. I felt this session was hindered by the shorter timeframe (compared to previous ACES conferences), but that was no fault of the presenter.
• Rhonda Bracey is an MS Word expert and a very engaging presenter. But I could have watched this session online and gotten as much out of it. I decided not to attend the PerfectIt training; I decided that an hour's presentation without participants having been instructed to bring their laptops and practice what we're learning was not going to be as useful for me as a more interactive, conversational session.
• I am SO EXCITED to put Bracey's tips to use!!! I would have delightedly attended a whole day on this topic. Her slides and handout are also first-class.
• I was inspired to learn more about MS Word from this session. The presentation made me realize how much I don't know about the program. The pace was a little quick, but the handout helped so I didn't have to take notes.
• Didn't attend but sorry I missed it. I use a Mac though. How transferrable is the information? Ever think about doing a co-presentation: Windows and Mac? What OS version was featured?
• Speaker was excellent. This was a really advanced session so it was above my current skill set
• Great info and ideas to look into more. I plan to learn how to use wildcards and custom auto-correct after attending this session. This needed to be at least a half hour longer though. The presenter had to rush to get it all in and didn't get to demo enough.
• I'm pretty MS Word savvy and I left armed with even more!
• I didn't attend this because an hour isn't enough time to make such a session worthwhile. Please offer tech sessions that are longer!
• I did not attend, but a colleague brought me the handout, which looks useful.
• I wanted to attend, but it was at the same time as another session I wanted to attend.
• Great presenter and great, practical information. Also it was the only session I attended where there was enough room for people to sit and be comfortable
• I know this session was good, though I didn't attend it, because I attended it two years ago. And it was on the schedule last year as well. And prior to 2017? I think so. Talk to Rhonda. Attendance in her session has dropped every year. It's time to ask her to present on another topic, or give that time slot to someone/something else.
• It was good but way too much information to cover in that time allotment.
• Rhonda is fantastic she really knows her stuff! She said that she used to have 90 minutes, then 75 minutes, and now 60 minutes to present the same amount of material. She needs a longer session in order to get it all in and take questions.
• I found all the information in this session incredibly valuable! I wish it were an entire class - I would sign up!
• This wasn't what I expected it would be--it seemed to be geared more to production. But I did take the information sheet and I think it will be useful.
• Fun presenter but information was too basic. In all fairness, I left early.
• My comments about this session and the feedback:
  • This was a 60-minute cut-down version of a 90-minute (and then 75-minute) session I've done in previous years. I cut out demos in preference to cutting content.
  • All the conference information said that Mac information would be covered, but that my examples would use Word for Windows as that is what I'm familiar with. Mac instructions were on the slides and the handout, both of which were made avaialable to ALL conference attendees on the ACES website a few days after the conference.
  • As evidenced by the comments, finding the right balance of basic, intermediate, and advanced knowledge is difficult. Without knowing an individual's knowledge and experience, any general session has to be targeted to a middle ground, and certain knowledge assumed.

2019: Editors Canada Webinar (online): Feedback from participant survey after the webinar (5 is the best); only items directly related to the presentation are listed here:

• Presentation content: 4.6
• Handouts: 5.0
• Discussions: 5.0
• Pace: 4.0 (a few noted it was a bit fast in parts)
• Instructor's knowledge/approach: 4.9
• Instructor's delivery: 4.5 (again, only negative comments were that the pace was a bit fast for the advanced items)
• Benefits of this webinar to my work: 4.4
• Ability to communicate with instructor: 4.6
• How well did the webinar meet your expectations: 4.5. Further to this were comments about how well it met expectations: 'very well, but will need to take time to try out and implement the many efficiency tips'; 'I knew about things I could do but not necessarily how to do them'; 'Actually better than my expectations'; 'More than expected and some content beyond my current editing needs.'
• Feedback from the coordinator: 'Overall these scores are excellent: among the highest averages we [Editors Canada] have had. ...It was a great success! I really enjoyed working with you. Perhaps we can do it again next season.'

2018: Editors WA Winter Seminar (Perth, Western Australia): From Ilsa Sharp (Acting President) and published in Bookworm, September 2018 (monthly newsletter for members of Editors WA, the Western Australia branch of the Insititute of Professional Editors [IPEd]): Rhonda Bracey is a legend for her business efficiency and she certainly demonstrated why in her presentation. She knows about things that most of us never even dreamed Microsoft Word could do! For instance, did you realise that Word's AutoCorrect function can be customised to automatically insert phrases or paragraphs up to 256 characters long? So instead of laboriously making the same comment repeatedly in the margins of the document you are editing, you can just code a single word, '.sense' for example (note the full stop before 'sense' to bring a frequently used correction to the top of the AutoCorrect list), to automatically insert the whole sentence 'This doesn't make sense', or '.cap' to expand into 'Does this need to be capitalised?' Rhonda is also a strong advocate of minimising use of the computer mouse, to protect your hands, wrists and arms. She advises us all to get more familiar with keyboard shortcuts—you can get a list of all the shortcuts available in Word if you click through the path View > Macros > Macros in > Word Commands > List Commands > Run—and you can even create your own shortcuts if you go File > Options > Customize Ribbon. Automation of tasks is the name of Rhonda's game. One of her standard tools is the checklist—hers is seven pages long—which itemises all the things you should do [for a particular] job. Checklists are vital to ensure you do not forget basics like 'Never work on the original document, always make a copy!' or 'Check Styles'. Rhonda checks all formatting in a document first, and then makes sure that everything is shown onscreen, from formatting marks (but never in Track Changes) to field shading [...] and table gridlines. She recommends you move your Quick Access Toolbar below the ribbon at the top, for easier access. Rhonda also introduced us to her favourite software programs for editors, namely:

• PerfectIt (www.intelligentediting.com): Hilary Cadman of Cadman Editing is one of the best-known exponents of PerfectIt; her online workshops can be found on YouTube. Rhonda pointed out that PerfectIt—essentially a consistency checker—can be customised, potentially rendering the traditional style sheet virtually redundant.
• EditTools (http://wordsnsync.com): EditTools has some sophisticated tools suitable to specialised editing, for example in the sciences, with useful functions such as 'Never Spell Word' for words that are peculiar to a discipline and do not need checking, and a Commonly Misspelled Words option. An extra fee can buy special aids such as a complete list of the correct titles for most academic journals.
• PhraseExpress (https://www.phraseexpress.com): PhraseExpress specialises in automated templates and autocorrects to speed up editing.

Finally, Rhonda advised us to subscribe to online dictionaries and style guides, and to join both formal and informal organisations such as ACES, the Society for Editing (US) https://aceseditors.org/ and SfEP, the Society for Editors and Proofreaders (UK) https://www.sfep.org.uk/ on the formal side. On the less formal side are the Facebook sites for the 'Editors' Association of Earth' and Australia's 'Secret Editors' Business', both of which include private subgroups, where many IPEd and non-IPEd editors chat about a wide range of subjects.

2018: American Copy Editors Society Annual Conference (Chicago, Illinois): Some of the live Tweets sent out while I was presenting a session on being more efficient with Microsoft Word, from follow-up emails, and from formal feedback from attendees. NOTE: About 150 people attended this session, but less than one-third gave a feedback rating, and fewer than 40 made a comment about it. Of those who supplied feedback, 27 rated this session as Excellent, 16 as Good, and 4 as So-so.

• Thank you for your presentation on making MS Word more customizable at the ACES conference in Chicago! I have brought your blog links back to my team at work (we publish engineering specifications) and my colleagues are all very excited to make Word obey them instead of the other way around.
• #ACESMSWordTips @Cybertext taught me to use Ctrl+Alt+m & AutoCorrect; #ACESEmotionalLabor to automate frequent editorial queries. Today, with 6 keystrokes, I inserted a "Will your audience know this acronym?" comment & I was like [GIF=tearful woman puts hand over mouth]
• Seriously @cybertext, I gasped with JOY. My hands, wrists, and productivity thank you. Y'all are the best.
• You may think you know Microsoft Word, but Rhonda Bracey can teach you even more tricks. The Tracking Changes feature is an editor's best friend. Bracey, an Australian, didn't pass up an opportunity to advocate for the metric system while discussing formatting: "There are only three countries in the world that don't use the metric system. The U.S. is one. The other two are dictatorships."
• I'm setting up the AutoCorrect codes you talked about in your panel, and am downright giddy at having this stuff automated. Thanks for the tip!
• Thank you for your session. I learned a lot!
• This session is uh-mazing. I've been using Word for 25 (?) years, and I know very little of this.
• Looking forward to setting up the Quick Access Toolbar in Word this week! This is one of my first five #ACES2018 goals. Thanks, @cybertext! I really enjoyed your session.
• You can turn off formatting track changes?! Life-changing!
• "That will save so much time!" -- Me, for the 5th time already in this session. Peeps not in this session, be sure to grab the slides and handouts from the conf page!
• "R&D means rip-off and duplicate" when dealing with Macros in Word. Great advice on creating Macros in Microsoft Word from @cybertext at #ACES2018. Very funny but also very true!
• I definitely need to create my own keyboard shortcuts! Format Paragraph, I'm coming for you!
• @cybertext just showed us how to use autocorrect to insert commonly used editorial queries in a few keystrokes. A collective "ooh!" just went through the room.
• Great tip: use AutoCorrect for commonly used editorial comments.
• Automate routine tasks!
• Create your own ribbon in MS Word for quick access to your most used tools...you can even name them whatever you want!
• Put your most-used tools close to where you work. (Customize the Quick access toolbar and put it below the ribbon!)
• You can't fix what you can't see. Get used to working with formatting marks on.
• Standing room only at #acesmswordtips! @cybertext
• I HIGHLY recommend [this session]! I attended @cybertext's session last year, and keep her tips handout tacked to the bulletin board above my desk.
• Very good, and I know it would be difficult to accommodate all systems, but I wish there were a Mac-specific panel.
• This session was VERY crowded—need larger rooms for topics on tools that cross so many editorial roles (i.e. likely to have more people than more specialized topics).
• I'm already implementing autocorrect codes for editorial feedback!
• I tried to attend this, but the room was too packed!!! I wish there would have been more room for seating in some of the salons.
• So very helpful.
• Very well-done presentation, and lively and enjoyable even though I don't use some of the Word functions she covered.
• Picked up a tip regarding quick editing notes that could be very helpful.
• Great information, engaging presentation, excellent handout.
• I wanted to attend this but the session was so packed (standing room only) that I didn't stay.
• For the beginner with Microsoft Word, I gained some new techniques but was very overwhelmed toward the end because I did not understand much of the language used. I would've appreciated a bit more clarity when new terms were brought up. The discussion on "Macros" for example would've been easier for me to understand if it was defined during the presentation.
• Very worthwhile. Things like this can help me prove to my company that attendance has a real ROI.
• Content and presenter excellent. Looking forward to receiving the slide presentation on website. If this session happens again, please use a larger room. I stood in the very back, had trouble seeing the screen, and felt hot and mentally and physically tired by the end.
• I attended this session last year and thought about going again as a refresher because it was SO useful, but there was something else I wanted to attend at the same time. But I DID recommend it to several other people.
• Mind. Blown. Can't wait to see the slides on this one.
• Really helpful tips and strategies with bonus Aussie accent.
• This presenter was excellent. She was organized, clear, helpful, and a good speaker. I also appreciated the paper handouts.
• The presentation was well done. However, much of the information was rudimentary for me personally. I was hoping to get a bit more in depth, which we did toward the end of the session.
• Just attending this workshop alone would have justified my heading out to Chicago.
• I didn't stay for the whole thing because it was a lot about formatting and I was looking only for editing tools.
• Was pleased to learn new tips and to hear that some of what I already knew is what others are doing too. Didn't retain a lot of it since it wasn't hands-on, but that's the nature of the medium and now at least I know what to look for.
• Very useful! Lots of good tips from a veteran on how to work smarter.
• Rhonda is an engaging (and funny) presenter. This session was informative and valuable.
• This session was the most valuable in terms of quantifiable content. Rhonda Bracey's understanding of MS Word blows me away. I loved her presentation style, and just wish a recording of it was available so I could watch it again and again as I try to put her tips into practice.
• Excellent information by an excellent presenter.
• Rhonda's sessions are universally well attended; may want to consider a larger space for hers in future.
• Excellent presenter. I just hope that I can access the PPT and download the handout because it was not possible to write much down during the presentation.
• Would have liked to attend this one, but again, poor planning on room size. Could not get in.
• Such an engaging and funny speaker! I REALLY appreciated that she had handouts so I could look at my paper rather than strain to look at the screen.
• The slides were very dense and hard to read from the back of the room.
• Another that I had wanted to attend but could not because the room was overflowing.
• Rhonda was great! I know Word pretty well and I learned new things from her. She's hysterical. I hope she returns every year.
• Why does ACES put super important and interesting sessions at the same time? This happened several times, while there was one time frame that I skipped altogether because the topics did not appeal to me. Wish I could have attended this one! At least my coworker will share her notes. :)
• Worth the price of ACES alone. Fantastic!
• Great tips
• Attendees needed to have a basic grasp of word to understand the tips
• Sometimes difficult to follow
• I'm looking forward to getting her PPT and handout online! Even though she's done this session a couple times already, I hope she'll consider doing it again - it's such important information for pros who are in front of their computers all day long!
• My comments about my experience as the presenter of this sessionr. I had a long narrow room (thankfully without pillars in the middle of it, as some other rooms did), and 102 chairs. All chairs were full and there were about 20 people seated on the floor at the front (with limited or no view of the screen), with another 20 to 30 seated on the floor or standing at the back. The first year I was did this session I was in half a ballroom and had about 200 attendees, but they all had chairs. Last year in St Petersburg, I had a smaller room, but it was packed, with about 30 or so standing or sitting on the floor for the 90-min session, and the same again this year. If I do this session again, could I PLEASE have a much bigger room so the attendees don't have to sit on the floor or stand the entire time. And being a long narrow room, the view of the slides would have been compromised for those at the back. Finally, I did have a microphone (NOT a lapel mic as I'd requested on my submission), which I tested 40 mins before the session -- it worked. By the time I was ready to start my session, the microphone had died. I had to race out to the AV tech and get him to replace the batteries while I started without the mic. He returned the mic to me a few minutes later, and it worked until about halfway through the session, when it cut out again. I didn't have time to get new batteries—again—so continued on without a mic. I speak fairly quickly AND I have an accent, and without a mic, I had to shout/project my voice, so I felt very sorry for those who couldn't hear me properly for half the session.

Some months later, these snippets were published in the Summer 2018 edition of the ACES newsletter, Tracking Changes (p24 and 25):

2017: American Copy Editors Society Annual Conference (St Petersburg, Florida): Some of the live Tweets sent out while I was presenting a session on being more efficient with Microsoft Word, from follow-up emails, and from formal feedback from attendees:

• @cybertext's Word efficiency session will save me SO much editing time! Can't wait to get it all set up!
• Increase Your Efficiency with MS Word with Rhonda Bracey (she's Aussie and kind of delightful!)
• Thanks @cybertext for all the #Word tips and tricks! Glad you made the trip out from Perth, Australia
• Brushing up on some Microsoft Word everyday magic with @cybertext at #ACES2017
• @cybertext is blowing minds over here in the Word session with her AutoCorrrect magic!
• Rhonda Bracey's presentation is by far the most useful #ACES2017 (reply Tweet to this one from another person: "By far the most useful presentation I went to last year")
• "Life's too short to do something manually if you can automate it" -- @cybertext on making Word more efficient
• "You can't fix what you can't see" @cybertext recommends turning on formatting marks in Word (follow-up Tweet a few days later: Am editing in Word with formatting marks showing, as @cybertext suggested, and it's SO much easier to fix weird spacing issues!)
• @cybertext It was fantastic. And TextExpander just saved me so much time! Can't wait to try the rest of your tricks...
• I went to your MS Word session at the ACES conference this past week. My colleague and I are so excited to program all the neat goodies you taught us!
• @cybertext Thank you for a great session, Rhonda. I was taking snaps for a friend who was furiously jotting down URLs.
• Great presentation, Rhonda. I will used what I learned every day.
• BTW, never realised you could stop track changes for formatting while still tracking text changes. Holy hell...pful!
• Good, helpful and engaging information.
• Lots of helpful hints.
• She was so knowledgeable!
• Would have rated this "excellent" if material hadn't been PC-centric, as I'm on a Mac, but definitely learned useful info. [NOTE: The session summary available months beforehand on the conference website (and in the conference printed material), the intro slide, and the handout ALL clearly stated that Word for Mac wouldn't covered]
• Again, an excellent speaker. A true authority on what Microsoft Word can offer to us editors. Loved her presentation style: no waste, no time lost, pure information transfer ...
• Beyond excellent. There wasn't enough time for her to cover all that she could have. This was great, plus I love her accent.
• Bracey knows her stuff. I didn't think I'd learn too much but I came away with good tips. I mainly went to learn how I can better teach new staff to fully utilize Word and her session and handout will fulfill that goal.
• Bracey really knows her stuff.
• Excellent presenter. Looking forward to implementing the tips and reading Rhonda's blog.
• Extremely helpful and fun.
• Great tips that will make a difference in my daily work.
• Hands down, this was the best session of the conference! I consider myself a power user of Word, and yet I learned a bunch of shortcuts and time savers I did not know. The structure of the session allowed for a fast pace, which was effective in allowing us to cover a lot. I loved having the handout for reference during and after the session.
• Hands down, this was THE session that beat all the other sessions I attended for the best. Bracey is awesome. She should have had more time than she did. Too much valuable insight and material to cover in the time we had. If she presents again, give her a bigger room with more chairs. People were standing in the back and sitting on the floor, that's how large a crowd she drew.
• I didn't realize how much I didn't know about Microsoft Word!
• I made myself go to this session - grudgingly - because I'm the accidental Word expert at my company. I wasn't even sure how much I'd take away, and I certainly don't want to spend extra time with Word. Wow, was I surprised! Rhonda is a genius! She was funny, smart and helpful. The last thing I expected was to come away so excited about Word, and yet it's the first thing I can't wait to play with Monday morning. This session was awesome!
• LIFE-CHANGING. I can't wait to set up some of these shortcuts for me and for my technical writers!
• Loved Rhonda! No-nonsense, helpful, and hilarious.
• Mind-blowing list of new techniques I can't wait to try. And I think one of them could be a fabulous solution to a long-term problem I've had.
• Picked up a few tips that will simplify my life and make me more efficient, and the handout has some great links. Rhonda's environment is familiar to me from jobs I've held in the past, so I understood where she was coming from. She may have been talking past some in the audience who work in very different environments, but my guess is there was something for everyone.
• Probably my favorite. Rhonda is no-nonsense and clearly intelligent, came prepared with lots of helpful take-away information, and I learned so much to make my life easier.
• Really enjoyed the speaker and learned some unexpectedly excellent shortcuts!
• Rhonda sure knows her stuff. Amazing. And super practical. Her handout was crammed with good info.
• Rhonda was great. Very informative. I look forward to implementing all the advice, shortcuts, and tools she passed down to us.
• Rhonda's knowledge of Word is so impressive, and she is a fantastic speaker. I'd like to see her present a session in which advanced Word users can really dig into some of Word's quirks and she can help us troubleshoot common problems.
• She deserves more time. This was one of the best sessions in the entire conference.
• So helpful, entertaining, and eye-opening!
• Such a great talk!
• This was a repeat session but a good one. Recommend that you bring Rhonda back next year for those who have not attended her previous sessions.
• This presenter was also very knowledgeable, and she cared a great deal about her work. She also offered help beyond just handouts -- she shared her email address.
• This session alone was worth the cost of conference! Fantastic tips, resources, and the coolest Australian accent.
• This session blew my mind. We're going to incorporate this into our processes and workflows.
• This session was very informative and the speaker well prepared.
• This was even better and more helpful than I'd hoped it would be. I can't wait to try out some of the tricks and shortcuts Rhonda showed us. This was a real game-changer.
• This was fantastic. I learned so many neat little tricks and functions that I think will make my work a lot easier. I really liked Rhonda's no-nonsense speaking style.
• This was probably the most useful session of the conference in terms of my daily workflow. I was hesitant to attend because I consider myself a fairly adept user of Word, but Ms. Bracey offered numerous practical, time-saving tips and suggestions for working with the software. She was easy to follow and her visuals and handouts seemed very well-prepared. I plan on sharing suggestions I learned here with colleagues.
• This was such useful information! I will be more efficient thanks to this session. And the presenter was excellent.
• Wealth of information. Excellent!
• What I was looking forward to since last year! Awesome!!
• The content was a bit confusing. The speaker presented too quickly.
• This should be divided into 2 sessions. The amount of great information is overwhelming for one.

2016: American Copy Editors Society Annual Conference (Portland, Oregon): Some of the live Tweets sent out while I was presenting my session on being more efficient with Microsoft Word, from follow-up emails, and from conference feedback:

• Strengthening my (rather flabby) Microsoft Word chops with Rhonda Bracey
• Rhonda Bracey is a hoot! Australian jokes and jabs in between expertise. Doing chin-ups on every syllable.
• Rhonda Bracey: Awesome deep dive into Word in a lovely Aussie accent
• In her Word efficiency session, @cybertext is doing straight-up MAGIC TRICKS. Whole room keeps oohing and aahing.
• Over here in the Tips and Tricks in Word room we are all amazed by what you can do with autocorrect!
• Use Word AutoCorrect to save lots of time and to be consistent with author coments in Track Changes. Collective gasp.
• Why haven't I tweeted during the last hour? Because session from @cybertext is fantastic. Don't want to miss a microsecond. Great info!
• Rhonda Bracey's kung fu is the best. Efficiency with Microsoft Word session
• I thought I knew all the Word shortcuts. This is life-changing!
• It's Friday, it's 70 degrees and sunny, and I'm learning tips for Microsoft Word... and I'm loving it! Thanks @cybertext!
• Highlight of the day was either the glorious Microsoft Word hacks from @cybertext or eating lunch in the sunshine.
• This was such a good session. Great resources.
• I just learned tons from @cybertext's #ACES2016 session.
• Thank you again for such an interesting and informative session about Word shortcuts at the ACES conference in Portland. I've customized my quick access toolbar per your excellent recommendation, and I'm getting a new computer and it was so empowering to know that I could save those customizations to transfer to my new machine. Hooray! [...] I'm downloading your slides from your ACES presentation now and will continue to reference your amazing tips. They have already saved me a lot of time, so I wanted you to know how grateful I am to you!
• Along with the Google session, one of the best sessions I attended, for pretty much the same reasons. Also, presenter helped reinforce using shortcuts and not to continue "working stupid" (as I sometimes do). She was also fun.
• As with Mike Pope's session Thursday, I was stunned by how little I know about all the bells and whistles Word offers.
• Excellent speaker/presenter with a lot of novel information.
• Extremely informative. I will use many of these tips in the future.
• Gleaned some great tips I hope to incorporate into my work.
• Good presentation; good tips
• Got kind of technical toward the end, but overall good tips.
• Great skill-set builder!
• Great tips! Loved this nuts-and-bolts session.
• I realized partway into this session that this was too in the weeds for what I use Microsoft Word for, plus the presentation only covered Word for PCs, not Macs, which is what I use. I left early.
• I wish more would have been provided about using Word with Mac and not just Windows, but I still gained some valuable insight into time-saving techniques
• Learned some good tips at this one, followed up by visiting her website.
• My favorite session of the conference! Rhonda is super smart and had a ton of tips to share that I will use in my editing work.
• Packed with information. Like a 3-hour class compressed into 1 hour.
• Picked up some good tips, but the detailed info was for Word for PC, not Mac. Should have a Word for Mac session, too.
• Rhonda Bracey was remarkable. I didn't realize one person could master Word so completely. Not everything applied to how I work, but the components that did have already made a difference for me since I came back to work. This is an essential session for someone working like I do. Thankful she made the trip from Australia.
• Rhonda did a great job of keeping the session on track and being frank about what she couldn't cover (e.g., Macs)
• Rhonda is extremely knowledgeable and efficient. Info was a little too much to digest in one session though.
• So many great tips here, presented clearly and with humor.
• Speaker was hard to understand
• The information was excellent, and the speaker really knew her stuff. My only complaint is that between her accent and her quick speaking, I struggled to take in everything she was saying.
• There was a lot of detailed information, especially for a session without handouts. Yes, the handouts were to be made available later.
• This session was fabulous. I was expecting to know a decent bit of it, but it really filled in the gaps and introduced whole new tools that I didn't know existed. One of my favorites!
• This was good. I already knew a lot of what was presented, but Rhonda did a great job answering questions, and I picked up a few new tricks to employ.
• This was interesting but perhaps would have been better suited to a hands-on or more tailored class rather than a conference session, since not everyone has the same needs from Word AND it is easier to learn when you're actually applying what you're learning. Also, as a Mac user I found it a bit off-putting than Rhonda had no knowledge of how specific commands might differ between PC and Mac.
• This was more in-depth than I thought it would be. It was probably a great session for those who format documents in Word, but I was looking for general tips and tricks. Guess I should have gone to the other Word session instead!
• This was one of the best sessions. I wish she could come speak at Vanguard, but I doubt we could get her all the way from Australia.
• This was probably the most valuable session I attended. If there's another expert who can present a similar session on Word for Mac next year, I'd be delighted.
• This was truly outstanding. So much useful information.
• Tons of great info, and she has so many outside resources for later. Very valuable session.
• Very clear and straightforward presentation. Lots of great tips and tricks. Looking forward to reviewing posted presentation.
• Would have been a terrific session if only I knew how the tricks applied for Macs! In general though, Rhonda sped through the material in a very useful way and presented solutions that attendees clearly appreciated.
• Would have loved more time for this session.
• Wow. This was incredible. Too much info for a short period of time but very useful.

Testimonials for conference sessions I presented between 2002 and 2015 (PDF).

NOTE: As at January 2022, I no longer offer technical writing services. Some unsolicited comments I've received related to my technical writing work:

• I just wanted to shout out a huge thank you for sharing all your super helpful knowledge about Word so generously. I have only recently discovered the goldmine of information you've made available, and to an editor like me, who is not very techy, it is valuable beyond words. I am now working my way through, bit by bit, learning from you. Much appreciated! (KW, via email, December 2019)
• I've only just discovered your lovely, informative Wordpress blog, courtesy of an extremely boring temp job where I thankfully and gleefully had internet access. I might not have made it through those days without you. I love the techy stuff anyway, but I was like a dog with two tails when I discovered the 'freewheeling through the ribbon with the mouse scroll', and the 'shakey shakey' technique to drop the other windows. Strangers who passed me in the street on the way home now know of these two joys. (TS, Essex, UK, August 2018)
• Rhonda, you have been an invaluable asset to our team and will be sorely missed. Your instant responses to my endless, and sometimes very random, requests have been priceless to me and consequently the rest of our team. You are a walking, talking encyclopedia of technical information and there have been many times when I have wondered what I would do without knowing you were the other end of an email, ready and willing to give me 'top notch' advice. Thanks so much Rhonda. I have no doubt I will continue to consult your expertise well into the future. (AH, Brisbane, March 2009)
• Rhonda, I have thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to work with such a true professional. Your attention to detail, ability to jump in and solve numerous challenges and your provision of support at really tough times is exceptional and I thank you. In working with you I have learned many things and appreciated most your focus and commitment to making us look good internally as well as externally. You have truly been a key member of our team. We will definitely continue to work with you. (LY, Brisbane, March 2009)
• A "superwoman" in the world of communication. Rhonda, your knowledge and experience extended beyond that of just a technical writer which meant we were able call on your expertise in many areas of our business. Your willingness to share your knowledge was noticeable in everything you did, and even after your contract ended you still continue to provide support and information about things you think might be useful. You continually produced high quality professional outputs and, with very short notice (sometimes none!), would work overtime to help achieve tight deadlines. And your knowledge of Author-it ensured we got maximum benefit from the product and set the high standard that our clients have come to expect. Rhonda, it was an absolute pleasure to have worked with you. (MK, Brisbane, March 2009)
• Your impact on our professionalism was unmistakable—you helped us move from an idea to a professional outfit. I really appreciate your efforts and the quality of your work. ... Your talent and discipline assures your success. (GM, Brisbane, August 2008)
• Wow, I can see why you're the writer and I'm not. I can't believe how fast you were able to turn my words around, how well you edited it to get to the essence of the message, and how you made my clumsy and bloated document into a slick Quick Reference Card. (SD, Brisbane, July 2008)
• (In response to receipt of a draft reference manual): Rhonda, this is indeed excellent work. Yet another example of the incredibly high standard of work you produce. Well done and thanks. (GM, Brisbane)
• I'm following your excellent instructions for customising HTML output for Author-it. ...Thanks to your instructions, I now have a fully operational HTML site, and my boss is very impressed! (NH, UK, November 2007)
• Rhonda, I like your work! I've looked at your document and can really appreciate the effort you've gone to. I can only imagine your frustration. As you point out, there is a lot of inconsistency and poor UI design - and your document only covers "Text and Labels"!! I think your matter-of-fact, no-holds-barred, warts-and-all style of constructive criticism is new to the [company] team. I find some of the [development team] are very wary of criticising each others' work. Have you been asked to do further in-depth reviews of their applications? In the coming months I'm hoping to change the way they build their applications - it would be good to have your recommendations/guidelines adhered to from the outset. (DP, Perth, October 2007)
• During her 5+ years with BMS Solutions, Rhonda has provided us with efficient and comprehensive technical writing services. Some of her work for BMS included: developed the online help, user manuals, and training manuals for all BMS software applications; developed software animations based on client requirements that were effectively used to demonstrate key functionality within the software; assisted in identifying product improvements that have been incorporated into the software; implemented Author-it as a key tech writing tool; developed and maintained the BMS intranet. I can thoroughly recommend Rhonda's technical writing skills and services to any future client, and would like to thank her for her efforts over the years and wish her all the best in her future endeavours. (DI, Software Development Manager, BMS Solutions, June 2007)
• I've really enjoyed working with you for the last 4 years—I'm going to miss not having you around. As far as your work goes, I have nothing but good things to say. Your approach is thorough; you have an ordered and logical approach to a task; and your feedback is well-researched, relevant, and valuable. Most valuable, I think, is your attention to usability issues. You were solely responsible for keeping track of the myriad of changes that needed documenting, and you made up for poor process by keeping your eagle eye out all the time for inconsistencies, bugs, and poor implementation. Lots of well-received upwards management went on, ensuring that tasks that you could see were falling by the wayside, didn't get forgotten. Your working style is friendly, efficient, and thorough, thorough, thorough! I hope that you have fun and success in your future endeavours. (TM, Software Project Manager, BMS Solutions, June 2007)
• I think you're one of the best in your field. It's been really great working with you. (CT [Programmer], Perth, June 2007)
• I've worked with Rhonda for some 5 and a half years, and have always been impressed with her professionalism, work ethic, attention to detail, and her ability to 'get things done' on time and on budget. I'd be more than happy to engage her services for any future employer I may work for and would highly recommend her. (MO [Manager], Perth, May 2007)
• Thanks for your [Author-it] help! I had the entire document suite [working] correctly in fifteen minutes ... after you gave me the clue... I have spent the last three weeks trying to fix the problem in the Word template... I owe you big time! (DF, Perth, March 2007)
• ... I think [this section] is very well done. It is quite a complex area and the manual guides you through the process very easily. I was having a bit of trouble understanding the process but after going through the section in the manual, I have a better understanding of the process. (MR, Perth, March 2007)
• I just wanted to let you know that I have been going through the (user) manual for the latest (software) version and have found them extremely helpful... So manuals do get used!!!!! It has really saved me asking 101 questions as I have been able to find the answers through them. (PY, Perth, July 2006)
• ... I want to thank for sharing the your handout from the conference. I've been working through the first two sections. ... I've also been using the first part of the presentation to troubleshoot customized book templates and related files that were causing me problems in the past. I was able to clean up some things. This first section was a godsend! I've talked to our vendor on several occasions asking him if he had or knew of anyone who had a roadmap to customizing HTML templates/pages. And nothing until your link popped into my inbox. Thanks you so much for sharing your information!! (MM, July 2006)
• ...it has to be one of the best help files I have worked with. It is clear and concise, the prolific links mean I never have to search. The layout is neat and uncluttered—I am very impressed. (RW, January 2005)
• I absolutely love your work! You've done such a sensational job. To be honest, it [the user guide] nearly brought me to tears—that's how happy I was. (HB, Perth, September 2004)
• I've just started looking at the new manual for [product]—am MUCH impressed! There's heaps more stuff in there for me to use as a configurer—best practice, recommendations, better examples! Love it. Thanks! (EF, Adelaide, March 2004)
• I just thought I'd pass on some compliments the developers here at ChevronTexaco made about the improvements in the documentation and context sensitive help since the 4.5 version we were previously using. It's not often any of us get positive feedback so I thought you might appreciate hearing about your work being appreciated. (Professional Services team member, BMS, Perth, December 2003)
• Follow-up comments from the owners of BMS: "Thanks Rhonda, well done, it's nice to see that people appreciate the effort."; and "Thanks Rhonda. We do appreciate the thought. Of course we also appreciate the efforts in getting the documentation to where it is now and it sounds like the results are starting to hit home. Well done!"
• I'm sure you'll all join me in applauding Rhonda's work to date on the website creation; she's been a great asset to the project in this respect and also with the computer manual. (CW, Perth, August 2003)
• Thank you for your quick turn-around on the Manual and the quick start guide... Your work looks excellent and I am very happy with the outcome. (CC, Perth)
• Reader Postcard from Rhonda Bracey, complete with photos, about her job on a mining site.... An absolute joy to read. ... I really, really enjoyed this piece. Your descriptive writing was so strong that even without your photos I could almost visualize what you see each day. This is an eloquently written diary entry that neatly summarizes your apprehensions before the assignment, your reflective gratitude as you approach the end of the contract, the unexpected side benefits of the work itself as well as what many would consider unacceptably long commutes. (WP, Editor, Solitary Scrivener)
• I don't know how much feedback you get from people, we/they're all busy in our own worlds, and I often think of you as being very deliberate and professional. Working to an ever-changing brief... I just want to let you know you're doing a great job... It looks really professional...and I have every confidence that you'll leave behind a really useful piece of reference material.... Anyway again thanks for your contribution... If the environment here supported the need for a full-time documentation person, I (and several others here) would pick you! (NB, Perth, 2000)
• ...you certainly have the [editing] job with us for all of our major publications ... I did not know that anyone was as pedantic as me! (KMcP, Perth, 2000)
• ...I wanted to thank you for all your help in making sense of my documents and dictation. It was a pleasure working with you... (GA, Perth, 2000)
• You've been amazing." (RS, Perth, 2000)
• Thank you so much for the work you did on the EnjoySAP project. Your speed and excellent work standard was greatly appreciated. (SA, Perth, 2000)