Plain English refresher course

Here is what the course covers, session by session.

What do we mean by plain English?

This session explains what we mean by ‘plain English', and why it is so important. There is a short case study about a large electricity company that eliminated hundreds of complaints a week, simply by re-wording an information card.

Where do most writers go wrong?

Some thought-provoking, and funny, examples of real-life communications disasters from all walks of life. Through them, delegates will begin thinking about their own writing style, and the impact it may be having on readers. An important lesson to come from this session is that readers will judge us by the way we write.

Putting right the wrongs - plain English techniques

This is a short introduction to the practical sessions that follow. The trainer will link the techniques to the examples the delegates have seen so far, showing how the writers could have avoided the mistakes they have made.

Using everyday words

Delegates who would normally write ‘I have to acknowledge receipt of your letter ...' instead of ‘Thank you for your letter ...' will begin to appreciate the power of short, everyday words. The main point we make is that it is vital to match the language to the reader. This is especially important when writing to a large audience which may contain people having low literacy skills, or for whom English is not their first language.

Keeping sentences short

What do we mean by short? Sentences of the ‘cat sat on the mat' variety would quickly make readers feel patronised or bored. Yet long sentences can confuse and exhaust readers. There is a happy medium, and we explore how to write well-constructed sentences that readers can understand.

Make your writing personal

‘The bank is pleased to offer the borrower a fixed rate of interest ...' Unfortunately, unless you make your writing personal, the reader's interest is likely to wander elsewhere.

People tend to skip text that they think is not relevant to them. So the key is to make your writing personal and involve the reader from the start. This means using some short, very powerful words: ‘I', ‘we' and ‘you'.

Writing 'actively'

This session covers two grammatical points, but in a practical way that delegates will absorb quickly even if they have never had an English grammar lesson. The first part of the session looks at the difference between the ‘active voice' and the ‘passive voice'. Writing that uses the passive voice has a tendency to appear dry, dull and formal. Writing that uses the active voice is much more lively and informative.

The second part of the session looks at ‘nominalisation', or the practice of turning verbs into noun phrases. In other words, people will often write something like ‘As a consequence of your failure to return the form ...' when they could write ‘Because you did not return the form ...' Again, spotting and avoiding this habit can help writers make their writing much more straightforward and informative.

Using lists

Using lists can be a useful technique because:

• they help split up what otherwise might be a long, complicated sentence
• important information, such as eligibility conditions, is easy to follow and understand

and

• if you are advertising the benefits of something, the reader can easily home in on what is important to them.

This session shows writers how to construct effective, logical lists like the one above.

Putting it all together

This is where delegates get the chance to put everything they have learned into practice. There are exercises covering all the plain English techniques. Our tutor will help each delegate get the most from the exercises, giving help and advice where needed.

Action planning

Delegates will have learned a number of new techniques during the half-day. Here we look ahead at the next few weeks, and delegates decide which aspects of their writing they can improve in the short, medium and longer term.

© The Word Centre 2005

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