Earlier this year, I delivered a 90-minute webinar for Web Manager University entitled Write Plainly: An Update on Plain Writing Principles and the New Law. During the webinar, I discussed plain writing principles, and Kathryn Catania, PLAIN co-chair, presented...
Plain Language Writing Courses
E-mails about the Epsilon security breach: Marriott got it wrong, but Target and Hilton got it right
A couple of days ago, hackers stole data (customers' names and e-mails) from Epsilon, a company that manages e-mail marketing campaigns for some of the nation's biggest retailers. (Read the WSJ article "Breach Brings Scrutiny.") I must be a downstream customer of...
Editor reports results of jargon survey: Staff is iffy on some agency terms
For this post, I am glad to welcome guest blogger Sarah Shepard, Senior Engineering Research Editor for the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC). You may remember Sarah; I blogged about her a few weeks ago. She's the plain language advocate...
Update: Federal Plain Language Guidelines – March 2011
Many thanks to the folks at PlainLanguage.gov who have just updated their Federal Plain Language Guidelines and published them at their site. I'm so excited about this wonderful resource that I'm presenting the entire Table of Contents here so you can easily...
Editor surveys staff to see whether they understand their own jargon
If you're a web writer, an editor, or a plain language advocate, you've probably encountered this frustrating situation frequently. You're editing a web page or document, and it's loaded with jargon. You flag the terms you know readers won't understand and ask the...
Join me for a Plain Language Webinar on January 21
On January 21 at 1 p.m. EST, I'll be presenting a webinar for Web Manager University: " Write Plainly: An Update on Plain Writing Principles and the New Law." Though targeted to the federal community, this 90-minute webinar will be useful for anyone who wants to learn...
A Plain Language Choral Performance by those Wags at the European Commission
Trying to take your plain language efforts to the next level? Looking for something special that will inspire your colleagues to write clearly and emphatically? You need a touch of gospel. You need to listen to "Good news: Clarity's a-coming!," the European...
Plain Language Writing Workshop – Six Strategies for Cleaning the Clutter From Your Writing: December 8, 2010
In honor of the Plain Writing Act of 2010, we are offering a practical, hands-on, half-day workshop on strategies for writing in plain language. Register now to join us for this workshop on December 8, 2010 in Silver Spring, Maryland. In this workshop, you'll learn...
Awesome Download: Toolkit for Making Written Material Clear and Effective
Government communicators have produced something wonderful, again. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has just published an 11-chapter downloadable Toolkit for Making Written Material Clear and Effective: "The Toolkit includes detailed guidelines for...
Plain Language Act: An Announcement or a Send-up?
It's good to know the folks at FedWeek have a sense of humor, even about plain language. Here's their tongue-in-cheek announcement about the Plain Writing Act of 2010, signed into law by President Obama on October 13, 2010: Plain Language Act Signed "President Obama...
