This is a well-named book. It’s clear, concise, and compelling: three themes that underpin Simon Hertnon’s advice on writing at work. 

This is the first writing guide I’ve read that starts with the purpose of communication, then narrows down to communication at work, then again to writing at work. It seems obvious now that I’ve read it, but this is unique in the world of writing guides.

The first chapters focus on communication, then writing skills, and the later chapters offer reference materials you can return to as needed.

The head of HR messaged me. She had just been in a meeting where a newly formed board told her that papers weren’t up to scratch.

It was an urgent problem, so everything you’re about to read happened within a month of that first contact.

Who says government agencies don’t move quickly?

The perfect time for training

The board wasn’t the only new piece of the puzzle. The organisation had recently gone through significant change. They were 9 weeks into a new governance-team structure with a new head of assurance and governance. Even the governance manager was new to the agency. She brought years of experience with her and was keen to start the job with a bang.

There’s nothing like a moment of flux for setting fresh expectations.

A confident, friendly plumber visited the other day. He helped me work out how to reconfigure my laundry so I could fit a pantry in there. He was great. I was about to email back a ‘yes’ to his quote when… I saw the terms and conditions he’d attached.

They weren’t fair.

They said that if either of us took the other to court, I would have to pay all the fees. His fees and mine. Even if he took me to court.

No thanks. I’ll find another plumber.

I oppose repealing the Plain Language Act.

The thinking behind the repeal is that the Act places an administrative burden on government agencies. That burden is small, but the benefit of plain language is huge, so I encourage you to keep the Act.

I think the Act is a wonderful statement to government workers of the value of accessible, clear communication.

Plain language – what is it really? It sounds so boring! ‘Kill the magic, the creativity, the poetry.’ Don’t shine. Don’t sparkle.  

If that was true, I wouldn’t work in plain language. It wouldn’t have captivated me for 15 years.  

Find out what it ACTUALLY is and why writing in plain language is the ultimate act of imagination! 

Are you in charge of others at work? Do you want them to be happier, more effective employees? Find out how plain language can help with that. 

This client has offices in 5 countries. They have 200 graduates a year to train – and those grads work in 75 different disciplines.

The Learning and Development team has a tiny window of time to train the grads, who are expected to spend 95% of their time on billable work.

Here’s how Colleen Trolove is helping the grads move from academic to professional writing in that tiny window.

The board chair needed things to change. They asked for techniques to help people realise that boards needed a different level of information from senior executives – ‘You can’t put a report to the senior leadership team into the board template and expect it to work’.

They asked for help getting people to take pride in their board reports. They asked me to show people what a modern, concise writing style looks like. The goals was to hit the right level of formality and not rack up the word count.

Moving from employee to self-employed – what’s it like? Here’s Colleen’s experience, along with 3 hard-earned lessons for anyone thinking of making the same transition. 

CrossFit is a hard habit, but an amazing community and great trainers have made it easier for me. Writing well is a hard habit too, but our amazing community and great training can make it way easier for you. 

Separating thinking from writing isn’t a nice-to-have. It’s a MUST have. It’s the biggest time saver there is. Period. 

Let’s get real, Disney: a streaming service isn’t a resort. Convoluted writing shouldn’t protect Goliath from David. 

People don’t want to read writing that’s long, intimidating, vague, hides main points, and isn’t relevant to them. They want short, approachable, clear writing with the bottom line up front and a clear explanation of why it’s relevant.

The Plain Language Act has been passed into law and plain language awards given to WorkSafe and Energy Collective!