Category Archives: Plain English Blog
We plain English edited the Victorian Government policy on building houses on the coast. Here’s a before and after…
Not sure about you but I often struggle to follow instruction manuals. We recently plain English edited several for an alarm system importer who rightfully saw the importance of clarity in times of emergency. Here’s a before and after.
Truly good jazz is all about the notes that aren’t played. Same goes for good professional writing. Ask yourself ’does my audience really need this much detail? Am I confusing them or worse annoying my time-poor bosses or board members?’ So if it’s not crucial delete it. .
When we meet a stranger, we have one fundamental question — “are they friend or foe?” Everything follows from that decision. The same goes for what we read, writes Andrew Pegler. When language is obscure, it promotes doubt. Doubt leads to hesitation and fear of engagement. In other words, if you’re selling something or offering a…
A big part of plain English is writing in a conversational tone – kinda like how people talk. Here’s four steps to help you in to your next “conversation”… 1.Create a firm image of a typical member of your audience – a hairdresser, a lawyer, your boss. 2.Don’t overthink it. Let it flow naturally. 3.Avoid…
Gone are the days of annual reports produced as a simple statutory obligation and, generally, with the visual appeal of a telephone directory. Today, there’s an unmissable opportunity to present your brand, values and achievements through a well-designed, strategically-focused annual report. Think of it as the flagship of your organisation and an extraordinary marketing tool.
Annual reports are often considered the ‘thoroughbreds’ of corporate document production: they need a steady hand on the reins to get across the finish line. Over the past 17 or so years Andrew Pegler Media has been involved in the plain-English editing, writing, layout and design of over 100 annual reports. This includes three for…
We’ve all had to navigate them … the protracted strings of words (otherwise known as sentences) that seem to stretch to the horizon and veer out around Pluto, before finishing with a lap of the sun. The meaning of these arduous, dull assaults on our concentration is generally lost somewhere on the journey through the…
The concept of robots arrived along with the 20th century, as a logical progression in an increasingly industrialised and mechanised world. Pundits at the time, driven by imagination and a new landscape of endless possibilities, wove tales of how these mechanical marvels would help free us from drudgery and menial work. Since the mid-20th century…