Despite the global trend towards plain English workplace communications, there is a common misconception that plain English is a process of ‘dumbing down’ that is violating the English language. Word choice is a critical component of plain English. But it’s not simply a case of replacing of long word with a short one – it’s so much more than that.
Plain English is not a new concept in the workplace. The NRMA recognised its value over 30 years ago when they produced plain English policies to help their customers make informed choices. Yet, the uptake of clear, concise writing has been slow in some industries putting organisations at risk. Why is the quest for clear written communication so challenging and how can a plain English writer help?
The Digital Age has not only revolutionised the way we work, it is also transforming the way we read. We are evolving from being deep readers invested in comprehending complex information to skim readers who ‘browse’ text. What impact does this have on the way we write at work?
When we speak, most of us use plain English. Yet, many people believe they need to switch to a complicated, formal and bureaucratic style when they write at work. Several decades ago, your employer may have expected such a style in written communications. It is certainly not appropriate today. We need to take the effort to make our message crystal clear. To achieve this clarity in writing, watch out for these three common traps.
Putting a capital letter at the beginning of a term that has been defined within a document is a technique sometimes used to identify these terms throughout the document. Does this technique help or hinder the reader?
It's over 30 years since the global plain English movement began in earnest. Yet many legal documents in Australia are still incomprehensible to most of us. In some cases, even judges and experienced lawyers have difficulty understanding them. If we are to follow and practise the law, most people agree these very laws need to be clear, not obscure. If organisations are to comply with regulations, staff must clearly understand what their compliance obligations are.
Plain English, or as some would call it, the Queen's English, sends a clear message that you are not hiding behind unnecessarily complex language. Yet how often have you picked up a report, or received a letter that’s crammed with complex sentences and buzz words? It may be written in English, but it makes no sense whatsoever. Find out how a plain English editor gets to the point and transforms your written communications.
Translating communications into plain English for public consumption has been an accepted practice in the government and private sectors for decades. But what about internal communications? When it comes to getting the job done right, plain language is critical. Yet many of these documents are still written in complex and bureaucratic language leading to errors and reputational damage.
English grammar can work in mysterious ways, but in the case of 'a' versus 'an' it's actually very logical. Get it right every time with this simple solution.
With almost 400 million people speaking English as their first language, and a billion more knowing it as a secondary language, English has emerged in the past few decades as the international language with many businesses mandating English as their common corporate language. Although buzz phrases are best avoided in all business communications, they can be particularly problematic when writing for a global audience.
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