Branding expert and one of the leading authorities on business communication, Alan Siegel, talked at TED in February on the topic of plain English.
Like us, he wants to put plain English into legal documents for government and business.
Archive for the ‘Government’ Category
Writing Penalty for Transport Department
September 10th, 2009
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I challenge you to understand this letter in fewer than three attempts. Sorry; no joining the challenge if the procedure is already familiar.
When your information involves expiry dates dictating what individuals can and cannot do, careful planning is needed in order to answer the readers’ questions without straining their brains.
The least informed reader will be new, both to driving [...]
Regina Ip slates HK Government’s writing
August 10th, 2009
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Regina Ip Lau Suk-yee is legislator and chairwoman of think tank Savantas Policy Institute. Recently, she published an article that was less than complimentary of her ex-colleagues’ writing skills.
She starts off by saying:
If your job involves the regular review of English-language government
documentation as mine does, you will agree not a single day passes without
encountering some [...]
Education Bureau: preventing the spread of flu; giving parents a headache
June 15th, 2009
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The folks at the Education Bureau have proved once again that they are masters of complexity. (Which, by the way, is not a good thing!)
Here’s an extract of a template on their website which, they suggest, may be sent to parents explaining the closure of schools.
It’s 885 words that require a college degree, a good [...]
