Beginner Overview: Writing, Plain and Clear
The Plain Language Process
Organization: Clarity without Clutter
Writing for Real People
Framing Your Message: Helping Your Reader Get the Picture
Layout and Design
Writing That Works: Tried and Tested
Recently, you could have seen these two bits of corporate miscommunication online:
1. Monetizing your business”Go Green”
2.
Corporate jibberish
We know corporate-speak as language that is bland, undifferentiated, and hard to read with its meaning obscured by jargon, waffle, hype, verbiage, legalese and conventionality. Other fields and professions use this same kind of language that at least hinders communication and at worst turns off readers. The infamous Seth Godin recently suggested: Don’t hide behind waffling terms that don’t mean anything.
I started collecting examples of words like monetize that are not standard English or have become trite or are overused or whose meanings are no longer so clear. I am calling for their retirement, Read why here.
This list of more than 500 words and phrases has now been posted to this website as the Bathetic Word List. Some of the words are linked to commentaries that favor the discontinuance of the use of the words.
I’d like to keep building up the list, so I am holding a contest to encourage your contributions. The contest details are here.
Please help me make people aware of the list and contest.
This is a question to be voted on in late 2011, subject to any big change in our provincial government.
Will you offer a rewite?
“Are you in favour of extinguishing the HST (Harmonized Sales Tax) and reinstating the PST (Provincial Sales Tax) in conjunction with the GST (Goods and Services Tax)?” Yes/No
http://www2.news.gov.bc.ca/news_releases_2009-2013/2010AG0027-001402.htm
