Is it possible to write politely and clearly at the same time? Can you write a polite letter that is nevertheless direct and to-the-point? When writing letters asking for a particular action to be taken, people commonly write somewhat obscurely – using extra words and phrases so as not to appear demanding; giving lengthy explanations …
Category Archive: Plain English principles
Permanent link to this article: http://wordsmadeclear.com/2012/08/24/writing-requests-clearly-and-politely/
May 09
You’re never above being proofread
It’s very tempting to think that you’ve been doing your job for a very long time and that you’ve earned enough seniority not to have anyone else look at your work. It’s also tempting to think that short emails and one-page letters don’t matter that much, and that you can send them out without much …
Permanent link to this article: http://wordsmadeclear.com/2012/05/09/youre-never-above-being-proofread/
Feb 29
If your client doesn’t understand your advice, can you say you’ve given it to them?
The classic advice-giving conundrum: you’re giving advice to a client/patient/customer who just wants the headlines and isn’t interested in the detail. But you have an obligation to give them full advice – perhaps a legal requirement or a professional obligation means that you have to be able to prove that you gave full advice. This …
Permanent link to this article: http://wordsmadeclear.com/2012/02/29/if-your-client-doesnt-understand-your-advice/
Feb 15
Turning science into plain language
Last week I worked with three scientists preparing a grant application. Essentially, an organisation is making money available for research, and the scientists need to convince the funders that their project is worth a share of the pot. The challenge is that there are complicated concepts to convey, and the readers (the people reviewing the …
Permanent link to this article: http://wordsmadeclear.com/2012/02/15/turning-science-into-plain-language/
Jan 13
Structuring a contract
I’ve been a lawyer for more than ten years, and contracts have been the bread and butter of much of my working life. I’ve written many, but as a specialist litigator I’ve argued and fought over even more. Seeing contracts fall apart because the parties can’t understand them or use them effectively is one of …
Permanent link to this article: http://wordsmadeclear.com/2012/01/13/structuring-a-contract/
Jan 05
Making a plain language version of an existing document
Faced with a long and convoluted document which needs improvement (for example, a financial agreement, a letter of advice, or a set of instructions), how do you go about creating a plain English version? One option is to re-write it from scratch – this is worthwhile when the whole structure needs changing, as it sometimes …
Permanent link to this article: http://wordsmadeclear.com/2012/01/05/making-a-plain-language-version-of-an-existing-document/