WRITING WITH POWER

1. WRITING WITH POWER Geoff Barton Headteacher, King Edward VI School www.geoffbarton.co.uk October 23, 2019

2. WRITING WITH POWER • Churchdown parish magazine: • ‘would the congregation please note that the bowl at the back of the church labelled ‘for the sick” is for monetary donations only’

3. WRITING WITH POWER  • Keep it brief. Aim for one side of A4. If you must write more, provide a summary box of key points

4. WRITING WITH POWER  • See everything from your readers’ viewpoint: what will help them to absorb your ideas as efficiently as possible? • Eg bold, boxes, bullet-points, spacing, sub-headings

5. WRITING WITH POWER  Don’t overload your sentences. Several short sentences will do the job better than an over-long one …

6. WRITING WITH POWER 2 sentences Seven of the 33 buildings in St James’s Square, in the heart of one of the most expensive parts of the West End, display For Sale or To Let signs. The sight of some of the capital’s most exclusive business addresses languishing empty – when not long ago they were snapped up as corporate headquarters – brings home the impact of the recession as financial controllers cut costs by letting out spare space vacated by staff who have been made redundant or exiled to less costly locations.

7. WRITING WITH POWER 3 sentences Seven of the 33 buildings in St James’s Square, in the heart of one of the most expensive parts of the West End, display For Sale or To Let signs. The sight of some of the capital’s most exclusive business addresses languishing empty – when not long ago they were snapped up as corporate headquarters – brings home the impact of the recession. Financial controllers cut costs by letting out spare space vacated by staff who have been made redundant or exiled to less costly locations.

8. WRITING WITH POWER 4 sentences Seven of the 33 buildings in St James’s Square, in the heart of one of the most expensive parts of the West End, display For Sale or To Let signs. Some of the capital’s most exclusive business addresses languish empty, when not long ago they were snapped up as corporate headquarters. This brings home the impact of the recession. Financial controllers have cut costs by letting out spare space vacated by staff who have been made redundant or exiled to less costly locations.

9. WRITING WITH POWER 5 sentences St James’s Square is in the heart of one of the most expensive parts of the West End. Seven of the 33 buildings in display For Sale or To Let signs. Some of the capital’s most exclusive business addresses languish empty, when not long ago they were snapped up as corporate headquarters. This brings home the impact of the recession. Financial controllers have cut costs by letting out spare space vacated by staff who have been made redundant or exiled to less costly locations.

10. WRITING WITH POWER  • Use short sentences at the start and end of paragraphs: they give the reader clarity …

11. WRITING WITH POWER • Another concern is cost. Whilst there are many external factors that can affect costs, we do have some control. We should be putting pressure on our suppliers to show greater market awareness, and to engage in a realistic dialogue with us about fair prices. At the moment there is often confusion about costs. It is important to change this.

12. WRITING WITH POWER  Use connectives to signal the direction of your ideas … Therefore In contrast In summary In addition For example Similarly On the other hand Despite this However Also Although

13. WRITING WITH POWER Firstly …. Ddghdghgdhghgdhghghdghghdgh ghg hgh ghgh ghghg hghg hghg hghg hghg hghgh ghgh ghgh ghghg hgh ghgh ghgh ghg hghgh g Another strong idea is … hghg hghg hghgh ghgh ghgh ghghg hgh ghgh ghgh ghg hghgh g It could also be argued …. hghg hghg hghgh ghgh ghgh ghghg hgh ghgh ghgh ghg hghgh g A different approach is … hghg hghg hghgh ghgh ghgh ghghg hgh ghgh ghgh ghg hghgh g Finally …. hghg hghg hghgh ghgh ghgh ghghg hgh ghgh ghgh ghg hghgh g

14. WRITING WITH POWER Firstly …. Ddghdghgdhghgdhghghdghghdgh ghg hgh ghgh ghghg hghg hghg hghg hghg hghgh ghgh ghgh ghghg hgh ghgh ghgh ghg hghgh g Another strong idea is … hghg hghg hghgh ghgh ghgh ghghg hgh ghgh ghgh ghg hghgh g It could also be argued …. hghg hghg hghgh ghgh ghgh ghghg hgh ghgh ghgh ghg hghgh g A different approach is … hghg hghg hghgh ghgh ghgh ghghg hgh ghgh ghgh ghg hghgh g Finally …. hghg hghg hghgh ghgh ghgh ghghg hgh ghgh ghgh ghg hghgh g

15. WRITING WITH POWER  • Be clear about punctuation: •  Full stops to signal the end of a sentence •  Commas to separate items in a list or create islands of words •  Dashes – in pairs – to create emphasis •  Colons: signal something to follow •  Semi-colons allow you to link related ideas; they add balance to a sentence

16. WRITING WITH POWER  • Avoid clichés (ready-made phrases) • Come on stream (get under way / start) • A hands-on approach (practical) • The jury is still out (is not yet decided) • Meet with (meet) • Put in place (prepare) • Take on board (accept) • User-friendly (easy to use)

17. WRITING WITH POWER  • Avoid unnecessary repetition (tautology): • Absolute certainty (certainty) • Added bonus (bonus) • Added extra (extra) • Quite distinct (distinct) • End result (result) • Past history (history) • Really excellent (excellent) • Revert back (return)

18. WRITING WITH POWER Dr Barton’s Surgery

19. WRITING WITH POWER Geoff Barton Headteacher, King Edward VI School www.geoffbarton.co.uk October 23, 2019