Plain English business writing

1. Plain English business writing David Stephensen QDT Management Consultants +61 3 5443 9605 www.qdt.com.au

2. Business English —best practice Active voice Short sentences Bullets and numbers Simple words Verbs not nouns

3. What is the problem? • It takes time to read. Time is money. • If your message doesn’t arrive, you lose. • Everybody wants quick access to information

4. What is the solution? • Know your audience. • Use plain English. • Structure your information for easy reading.

5. Knowing your audience (overview) Understand their: • Context • Viewpoints • Skills Use tools: • Personas • Scenarios

6. Plain English (overview) • Everyday words • Short sentences • Active voice and writing personally • Same words each time • No synonyms • Same word pattern • Clear meaning

7. Structure (overview) • Chunking—the 7±2 rule • People only cope with about 7 things at a time. • People learn by grouping things into chunks. • Tables • Headings • Bullets and numbers

8. Knowing your audience—context • In what context will they read the information? • Motivation? • Pressure or distractions? • Other information available? • Access to experts for help?

9. Knowing your audience—viewpoints • What is the viewpoint of your audience? • Confident? • Caring about detail • Willing to use initiative? • Potentially hostile?

10. Knowing your audience—skills • What do they know already? • What detail do you need? • Is it OK to use jargon? • What is their reading age? • Do you have to use REALLY simple language?

11. Knowing your audience—tools • Personas • Create imaginary people who are your typical audience members. • Make them ‘real’ —create a past, present and future for them. • Scenarios • Create imaginary situations for your personas and make them ‘real’.

12. Knowing the audience—examples • Directions around your suburb • With residents you can say “Go to the hospital”. • Industry jargon—use it when needed. • neoplasm (to doctors) • tumour (to other people)

13. Knowing the audience—examples • Absolute location • ‘Melways’ Map 30, A7 • Third shop along Mitchell St from the High St corner (partly relative) • Relative location • Take the third turn left and then the second turn right.

14. Same words each time • Always use the same word for something—Don’t change names for variety. • Use the same word pattern—Don’t change for the sake of it. • Don’t worry about being boring. • Transfer information, don’t entertain. • Use pictures and colour to reduce boredom.

15. Everyday words

16. More verbs, fewer nouns • Avoid making verbs into nouns. • Don’t say “Make application”. • Say “Apply”. • Watch out for noun strings. • “tank restraint safety lock emergency release lever” Being brief is good, but you can go too far!

17. Foreign words i.e., e.g., etc., vs, et al, viz, via ergo, ad hoc, per annum, carte blanche, panache, raison d’etre, zeitgeist, chutzpeh • Some people don’t know foreign words.Use English! Do keep enjoying them outside your business writing! Quiz Point —What do these mean?

18. Old fashioned words • These (and many others) have no place in business English! hereto hereinafter hereby aforesaid bequeath asunder

19. Short sentences • Break sentences up. • Aim for 1–2 clauses per sentence. This uses simple language, but it is too long! An orange is a round reddish-yellow fruit, which comes from a medium-sized tree harvested in the winter, and contains Vitamin C, essential for the vitality of human blood.

20. Short sentences • Break sentences up. • Aim for 1–2 clauses per sentence. This is better! An orange is a round reddish-yellow fruit. It comes from a medium-sized tree harvested in the winter. Oranges contain Vitamin C, essential for the vitality of human blood.

21. Short paragraphs • Have one idea per paragraph. • When starting a second point make a new paragraph

22. Write personally—’we’ and ‘you’ • Address the reader directly. • Use we and you. This helps you to be clear about who does what.

23. Write personally—’we’ and ‘you’ Impersonal: ‘Refunds may be given to customers who consider that they have not received satisfactory service.’ Personal: ‘If you are not satisfied with our service, we may refund your money.’

24. Write personally—use commands • When writing instructions, use commands (imperative). Statement (not imperative): ‘Passengers are not permitted to open the doors. Doors may only be opened by crew members.’ Command: ‘Do not open the doors. Ask a crew member to open them for you.’

25. Use active voice • Who is the agent? • The person doing the action. • We usually want to know who the agent is.

26. Use active voice • Active voice: • Subject (agent) first—never missing • Object last • Quicker to read • Clear who does what‘Applicants must sign the form.’‘The manager posted the notice.’

27. Is your meaning clear? • Simple language can be ambiguous— • Check your work. • Get someone else to read it. Hotel Signs Norway Ladies are requested not to have children in the bar. Budapest Please do not feed the animals. If you have any suitable food, give it to the guard on duty.

28. When to use plain English: • When you want to give: • Information • Instructions • Warnings • Business communication

29. When to use creative English: • Creative writing • Poetry • Fiction • Personal letters • Essays • Journalism

30. Structure for easy reading

31. Chunking and 7±2 • Only have 7 items at a time. • If you have more than 7, create groups. • Give groups names (subheadings). • If you have more than 7 groups, group the groups and give them names. • This is the natural way that everyone learns.

32. Chunking and 7±2 —example Party pies Pizza Potato chips Cup cakes Lamingtons Birthday cake Sauce Ice Cordial Drink jugs Cups Serviettes Plates Candles Sparklers Matches Balloons Streamers Game prizes Tablecloths ‘Twister’ game Donkey poster ‘Blu-tack’ Donkey tails Treasure hunt prizes Send invitations Warm pies Mix cordial Set out food Set up donkey game Set up treasure hunt

33. Chunking and 7±2 —example Food Party pies Pizza Potato chips Cup cakes Lamingtons Birthday cake Sauce Ice Cordial Equipment (food) Drink jugs Cups Serviettes Plates Candles Sparklers Matches Equipment (other) Balloons Streamers Game prizes Tablecloths Games ‘Twister’ game Donkey poster ‘Blu-tack’ Donkey tails Treasure hunt prizes Tasks Send invitations Warm pies Mix cordial Set out food Set up donkey game Set up treasure hunt

34. Chunking and 7±2 In what way is information the opposite of food?

35. Chunking and 7±2 In what way is information the opposite of food? To digest food, we break it down into components. To digest information, we build it up into chunks.

36. Tables • If you have more than two pairs of items, use a table. The Blue team has 5 members, the Red team has 7 members and the Green team has 4 members.

37. Tables • If you have more than two pairs of items, use a table. The Blue team has 5 members, the Red team has 7 members and the Green team has 4 members.

38. Headings • Put headings and subheadings in your text: • Readers can quickly see what it is about. • Readers may only need to read some parts. • The headings ‘chunk’ the information for easy digestion.

39. Headings • Make a hierarchy: • Normally uses level 1, 2 and 3. • Shows the structure of your document. • Makes it easy to generate a table of contents.

40. Lists • If you list 3 or more items, show them on separate lines. • If there are 9 or more items, split the list into two levels (‘chunking’). • Know when to use bullets and numbers.

41. Bullets and numbers • Numbers: • Use when there is order or rank: • Steps • Ranking • Bullets: • Use for other lists. • Neither: • OK for single line lists.

42. Bullets and numbers—example Heat the pan. 2 Fry onions. 3 Brown the meat. 4 Add the curry paste. 5 Fry for two minutes. 6 Add stock or water. 7 Simmer for 20 minutes.

43. Bullets and numbers—example 1 Heat the pan. 2 Fry onions. 3 Brown the meat. 4 Add the curry paste. 5 Fry for two minutes. 6 Add stock or water. 7 Simmer for 20 minutes.

44. Bullets and numbers—example Favourite pastimes: • Going to the movies, but only to see shows that cheer people up • Watching football on TV • Walking in the bush • Having coffee with friends

45. Bullets and numbers—example Favourite pastimes: • Going to the movies, but only to see shows that cheer people up • Watching football on TV • Walking in the bush • Having coffee with friends

46. Bullets and numbers—example Shopping list: bread lettuce pasta milk bananas

47. ! ; . , : ? Misplaced! Dangling! Squinting! Agreement! Punctuation and grammar revision

48. Commas 1 • Use when the phrase is not essential: • Tim, who smokes, may get cancer. • Not when the phrase is essential for the sentence: • People who smoke may get cancer.

49. Not here Here Commas • Separating items in a list, but • Not separating subject and verb: • The large, grey object fell from the ceiling.

50. ‘Which’ and ‘that’ • Which clauses add information and have a comma. Go to the main menu, which shows all options. • That clauses help to identify or distinguish. List all orders that have status Approved.