Plain English is best for communicating risk, an Australian study finds

Scientists and academics have to be able to communicate clearly about risk — but too often, unclear language gets in the way. A new Australian study has found clear evidence that when students and academics are taught how to write in plain English, their readers notice the benefits. Not only are plain English documents easier to read, the study found, but readers take much less time to read them ... and understand them better too.

The study was carried out by the Australian Centre for Risk Analysis (ACERA) at Melbourne University. ACERA started with the assumption that ‘clear prose can improve science, decision-making and policy by presenting scientific ideas unambiguously, reducing internal review time and stakeholder misinterpretation.’ (We won’t be picky about that overly long sentence — their hearts are in the right place!)

The ACERA study taught workshops for students, academics, and scientists on plain English writing techniques, based on a book by Richard Lanham, Revising Prose (2006). Participants’ writing was scored before and after the workshops. Their reading and logical structure improved an average of 62%, the study found, and ‘lard’ (unnecessary language) reduced by an average of 30%.

At Write, we find that using people’s own writing is the most powerful way for them to learn. The ACERA study used the same method, with participants providing short examples of their writing before the workshops. The following example clearly shows the improvement:

Original: (28 words) Pelicans may also be vulnerable to direct oiling, but the lack of mortality data despite numerous spills in areas frequented by the species suggests that it practices avoidance.

Revision: (10 words) Pelicans seem to survive oil spills by avoiding the oil.

A bouquet to ACERA for adding to the evidence that plain English saves time, boosts communication, and improves decision making.

http://www.acera.unimelb.edu.au/materials/endorsed/0805.pdf

How to write with purpose

In last month's survey, we asked you to name the the problem you find most often in the documents produced by your organisation. Overwhelmingly, you told us the most common problem was lack of clear purpose.

Why is the purpose of the document so important? Why do you need to make sure the purpose is clear at the beginning of the document? Your reader could just as well ask, 'why should I read this document?' or 'what's in it for me?'

Stating the purpose clearly at the beginning of the document lets your reader know why they should take the time to read further. Without a purpose statement, you run the risk of losing your reader's attention and of not getting the result you're looking for.

Don't be shy. If your title or headline doesn't completely capture your purpose, blatantly include a section called 'Purpose of this document'. It feels a little odd at first, but it helps to clarify your thinking and to structure your writing. You don't always have to head up the purpose section in this way. Later you'll branch out and think of many more engaging headings. Just make sure you keep your reader in mind and keep the purpose upfront. This way you'll have happier readers and be more likely to get results from your writing -- and maybe compliments too!

See the results from February's survey here.

Have your say in this month's survey.

Jargon-buster free ebook

Check out our new free e-booklet - Unravelling legal jargon. It's on the homepage of our website.

I won't give you a link directly to it, because also on the homepage is a link to our 30 second survey. We'd love you to take a moment to tell us the biggest problem you see in business documents that come over your desk.

By the way, we change the homepage often, so please keep checking.

Waffle equals waste

Bill English doesn't seem too impressed with government writing. In a media conference today, his message was pretty clear: 'there's too much waffle in government departments and it has to stop'.

We know that hundreds of government employees do care about clear, purposeful writing (many of them vie for a place in the annual WriteMark Plain English Awards), but I don't think many members of the public will disagree with Mr English.

That 'waffle' --- evidence of woolly thinking, complex processes, lack of purpose, and poor language skills --- chews up taxpayer dollars. Waffle equals waste. And at a time when the economic news is still somewhat sobering, we expect better.

Read the TV3 article

End of Quality Web Content workshops

(A joint message from Write and Rachel McAlpine)

For seven years Write has offered Rachel McAlpine's training workshops for web writers in New Zealand. These workshops were licensed under the Quality Web Content (QWC) brand. The time has come to terminate the QWC agreement and this year Write will develop its own face-to-face workshops in web writing.

All Rachel McAlpine's new e-learning courses carry the Contented brand. They are all online and available worldwide for groups of up to 1000.

Both companies are building on obvious strengths: Write's expertise in live training workshops and Contented's success with international e-learning courses.

We will continue to work together in many other ways as we respond to the needs of a changing market.

Information about Write's workshops: http://www.write.co.nz/
Information about just-in-time online courses: http://www.contented.com/

Stormy forecast for plain language

How do you make specialised subjects accessible to a non-specialised audience? How do you convey technical information with clarity and precision, in a way that the layperson can understand?

We're often asked these sorts of questions. And it doesn't take long before someone brings up the perennial charge of 'plain language = dumbing down'.

But we think making your language clear is 'smartening up'!

A recent post by Skyler Goldman on the American Meteorological Society blog wonders if the messages about such topics as climate change are getting through. 'Making more scientific work available to the public in plain language would increase awareness.'

Read the full post here: http://blog.ametsoc.org/uncategorized/making-the-public-aware-of-the-science/

New Zealand law requires financial advisers to communicate clearly

Moving on from our previous post about US financial advisers and plain English, New Zealand advisers are already required to make themselves clear.

Code Standard 6 came into force on 1 December 2010, and says: ‘An Authorised Financial Adviser must behave professionally in all dealings with a client, and communicate clearly, concisely, and effectively.’

Read the full Code at http://financialadvisercode.govt.nz/

Catriona Grover, a partner at Kensington Swan law firm, presented on the new Code at the 11th Annual Super Funds Summit in March 2010. She said that the Capital Market Development Taskforce ‘recommends simplifying and standardising disclosure documentation’. This will help investors know exactly what they are investing in. So, expect disclosure documents to, in Catriona’s words:

• ‘feature prescribed wording in concise plain English
• be comprised of two parts, a very short prescribed overview and a longer "further information" document’.