Chapter 2: Type mailable work

Type mailable work is an essential skill for office administration professionals, enabling the efficient preparation of documents that are ready for dispatch by post or internal circulation. In Kenya's dynamic office environments, from accounting offices to printing shops and courier companies, the ability to produce error-free, well-formatted correspondence reflects professionalism and supports effective communication. Mastery of keyboarding and typing varied materials ensures that office administrators meet deadlines, uphold quality standards, and maintain organizational reputation. This chapter focuses on developing these advanced skills to enhance workplace productivity.

2.1 Keyboarding

Keyboarding is the skill of entering text accurately and at speed through a computer keyboard. For a secretary it is the step that turns shorthand notes and manuscript drafts into documents that can be signed and sent. An estate agency's secretary, for example, may produce a dozen letters, offer forms and notices in a day, and every one passes through the keyboard. Speed matters, but correct technique matters first, because poor technique limits both speed and health. This topic covers the technique of keyboarding, how to develop speed, how to edit typed text, and how to display a document in the blocked and indented styles.

Touch typing

Touch typing is typing without looking at the keys. The fingers learn the position of every key through repetition, so that the eyes can stay on the source copy or the screen.

• Home row: the left fingers rest on A, S, D and F and the right fingers on J, K, L and the semicolon key, with the thumbs on the space bar. Many keyboards have a small raised mark on F and J so that the hands can find the home row without looking.
• All fingers used: each finger covers its own keys and returns to the home row after each stroke, which spreads the work and reduces strain.
• Muscle memory: repeated practice makes each stroke automatic, so that attention is free for the content.
• Eyes on the copy: looking at the source or the screen, not the keys, helps prevent errors from going unnoticed.
• Steady rhythm: keys are struck at an even pace, because an uneven rhythm produces errors.

Benefits follow directly from this technique: documents are produced faster, fewer errors need correcting, and the secretary can listen or read while typing.

Keyboard layouts

The keyboard layout is the arrangement of the letters on the keys. The standard office keyboard is the QWERTY layout, named after the first six letters of its top letter row. It is supported by common office software, so a typist trained on it can work at an office computer. The Dvorak layout rearranges the letters to reduce finger movement, and the AZERTY layout is used in some French-speaking countries. Modern software lets a user switch the keyboard language or layout in the system settings if a workplace needs another one.

Ergonomics and keyboarding health

Typing for long periods can cause strain if the workstation is badly arranged.

• Chair and desk height: sit with the feet flat on the floor and the forearms roughly level, with the keyboard at about elbow height.
• Wrist position: keep the wrists straight, not bent up or down, when typing.
• Screen position: place the screen directly in front, with its top at or slightly below eye level.
• Regular breaks: pause at regular intervals to relax the hands and look away from the screen.
• Wrist rests: use them to support the wrists between bursts of typing, not while striking the keys.
• Keyboard angle: a slight tilt can improve comfort, but it should not bend the wrists upward.

2.1.1 Speed development

Speed development is the planned increase of typing speed without a rise in errors. A fast typist who makes many errors can produce work that takes longer to correct than slower work would have taken to type, so the target is accurate speed.

Measuring speed

Typing speed is measured in words per minute. By common convention a word is counted as five keystrokes, including spaces. Gross speed counts all words typed, and net speed deducts the uncorrected errors per minute. Where an assessor uses a different rule, apply the assessor's rule.

Example: a typist types 1,250 keystrokes in 5 minutes and leaves 5 errors uncorrected.

Words typed = 1,250 ÷ 5 = 250 words.

Gross speed = 250 ÷ 5 = 50 wpm.

Errors per minute = 5 ÷ 5 = 1.

Net speed = 50 − 1 = 49 wpm.

Methods of building speed

• Accuracy first: practise at a speed at which errors are few, and only then raise the speed.
• Timed tests: take a timed test of five minutes regularly, record the gross and net speeds and the errors, and compare them week by week.
• Targeted drills: repeat the key combinations and words that appear repeatedly in your errors until they are smooth.
• Rhythm drills: type short words and common phrases at an even beat, because rhythm supports both speed and accuracy.
• Look ahead: read the next few words of the source while typing the present ones.
• Error analysis: list your mistakes after each test to find the weak keys, in the same way that shorthand errors are analysed under Analyzing errors in shorthand.
• Short, regular sessions: daily practice for a short time usually helps more than a long session once a week.

2.1.2 Editing typed documents

Editing typed documents is changing a document that has already been typed: correcting mistakes, inserting and deleting words, moving text and improving the layout. Knowing the editing keys and commands saves time, because the hands stay on the keyboard. The standards that the finished document must reach are taught under Typed documents edited; this section covers the methods and tools of editing.

Editing keys and commands

The table gives the common commands in Microsoft Word on a Windows computer. On a Mac the Command key replaces Ctrl, and Google Docs uses many of the same shortcuts.

Editing methods

• Insert and overtype: in insert mode new text pushes the existing text along, while in overtype mode it replaces the text, so check which mode is active before editing.
• Find and replace: use it to correct a name or figure that appears many times, and check each replacement, because a replacement can change a word inside another word.
• Track changes: use it when another person will approve the edits, because each change is shown and can be accepted or rejected. Google Docs has a similar suggesting mode.
• Spelling and grammar tools: use the underlined suggestions as prompts, never as final decisions.
• Marking a paper draft: offices often mark corrections on paper with simple signs. A caret shows where text is to be inserted, a line through a word deletes it, and the word "stet" in the margin with dots under the text means "let it stand".
• Saving versions: save an edited document under a new name or version number so that the earlier version is kept.

Steps for editing a document

1. Read the whole document first and mark the changes needed.
2. Make the content changes: insert, delete and move text.
3. Correct the spelling, grammar and punctuation.
4. Check the layout: margins, spacing, alignment and page breaks.
5. Read the document again for any error created by the editing.
6. Save the document under a clear name and version.

2.1.3 Display the document

Display is the way a document is arranged on the page: its margins, spacing, alignment and the position of each part. A document that is well displayed is easy to read and shows that the office is careful. Display decisions include the following.

• Paper and margins: A4 paper is standard for business letters, with margins of about 2.54 cm unless the house style says otherwise.
• Font: use one plain font, such as Arial or Times New Roman, at 11 or 12 points.
• Alignment: text is aligned to the left edge, which gives an even left margin and is easy to read.
• Spacing: use single line spacing within paragraphs and one clear blank line between paragraphs.
• Consistency: the same arrangement is used for the same part of every document in the office.

Two common styles of display are the blocked style and the indented style. Each office chooses one in its house style and uses it consistently. The table compares them for a letter.

2.1.3.1 Blocked style

In the blocked style every line begins at the left margin. No tabs or indents are needed, so it is quick to type and the layout is easy to keep consistent. Paragraphs are separated by one blank line, and many offices use open punctuation, which leaves out the commas and full stops at the ends of the address lines, salutation and complimentary close.

Our ref: MD/PR/014
Your ref: LPW/ORD/22

12 March 2026

The Managing Director
Lakeview Printing Works
P.O. Box 1234
Kisumu

Dear Sir or Madam

ORDER FOR LETTERHEAD PAPER

We refer to your quotation of 5 March and confirm our order for 20 reams of A4 letterhead paper.

Please deliver the paper to our office before the end of the month and send the invoice with the delivery note.

Yours faithfully

Jane Atieno
Secretary to the Managing Director

When the salutation is "Dear Sir or Madam" the close is "Yours faithfully", and when the writer is addressing a named person, as in "Dear Mr Kiprop", the close is "Yours sincerely".

2.1.3.2 Indented style

In the indented style the first line of each paragraph is set in from the left margin, usually by one tab stop, and some other parts of the letter are moved from the left margin as house style requires. The date is often placed at the right, the subject heading is centred, and the close and the name begin from the centre of the page. Indented paragraphs help the reader see where each paragraph starts, particularly in long letters.

Our ref: MD/PR/014                                    12 March 2026

The Managing Director
Lakeview Printing Works
P.O. Box 1234
Kisumu

Dear Sir or Madam

                    ORDER FOR LETTERHEAD PAPER

    We refer to your quotation of 5 March and confirm our order for
20 reams of A4 letterhead paper.

    Please deliver the paper to our office before the end of the month
and send the invoice with the delivery note.

                                        Yours faithfully

                                        Jane Atieno
                                        Secretary to the Managing Director

In a word processor, use the paragraph setting for a first-line indent or the tab key, not a series of spaces, so that the layout stays correct when the text is edited. The default tab stop in Word is 1.27 cm.

Chapter Summary

This chapter focused on the essential skills required for producing mailable work through advanced shorthand and typing techniques. It began with keyboarding, emphasizing speed development and the importance of editing typed documents to ensure accuracy and professionalism. The chapter also covered how to display documents correctly, distinguishing between blocked and indented styles to enhance readability. Typing varied materials at speeds ranging from 40 to 100 words per minute was explored, highlighting the need for adaptability depending on the complexity and urgency of the task. Attention was given to editing typed documents rigorously, with particular emphasis on grammar, spelling, and punctuation to maintain high-quality communication. Finally, the production of mailable transcriptions was addressed, underlining the necessity for polished and error-free output suitable for official correspondence. Mastery of these components enables efficient and professional document preparation in office and administrative settings.