Writing plain English

Overview

This workshop helps participants to write in a reader friendly way so their readers will actually read their documents. Participants learn field tested methods that will help them write complicated ideas in a clear and easy style. They will also have a process to use so they can get that document off their desks quickly.

Course Content

The course looks at how to take the clutter out of language and off the page. Participants work through practical examples where they see the difference writing plainly makes. They are given lots of opportunities to practise their new skills and compare them with model versions.

Course Outcomes

By the end of this course attendees should be able to:

• know the characteristics of plain English
• have a variety of options for making their sentences shorter
• have lots of ordinary words to use in the place of those technical words that people just do not understand
• have two ways to avoid using acronyms
• use simple modern formatting techniques to make the page look clear and easy to read
• know how to avoid passive voice, if they need to
• know how to get their key message across quickly.

Benefits to your organisation

• documents produced will be more equitable because more people will be able to understand them
• greater efficiency as clients will be less likely to ring to have documents explained to them

Benefits to you

• greater confidence about how to make any document easier to read without sacrificing rigour and accuracy
• sense of satisfaction in writing in a way that is likely to be read and understood