The ABC of Writing

1
|
MTL: The Professional Development Programme
The ABC of Writing
THE ABC OF WRITING
Accuracy, Brevity, Clarity

2
|
The ABC of Writing
Attribution: All images are from sources where a Creative Commons license exists for commercial use. All icons are on subscription
from thenounproject. All clipart is from free sources. The MTL Professional Development Programme is copyright of Manage Train
Learn.
TheABC of
Writing
Introduction: If you want to leave people with a clear message that can’t be
misunderstood, or you want to leave them with a clear impression of you, then you
must first write your message and, before you send it, rigorously use the ABC checks.

3
|
The ABC of Writing
1. A FOR
ACCURACY
The A for Accuracy check is the check you run to
see that what you have written is factually true,
grammatically correct, well-spelt and has a
logical flow. One way to do this is to read your
piece from your reader’s point of view and to ask
yourself: could it be misinterpreted? If your
writing reads differently out of context or from a
different angle, then re-write it.
Use accuracy for good communications
Flickr attribution: /wwworks/6618577541/

4
|
The ABC of Writing
2. WRITE TO
BE
UNDERSTOOD
The simplest rule in writing is that you write, not
to be understood, but not to be mis-understood.
A professor wrote on a blackboard: "A woman
without her man is nothing" and asked the class
to punctuate it. All the males wrote: "A woman,
without her man, is nothing." All the females
wrote: "A woman, without her, man is nothing."
Eliminate the chance of misunderstandings
Flickr attribution: /photography-matthiasuhlig/16549774293/

5
|
The ABC of Writing
It’s NotAlways Easy
to Find the Write (or
Right) Word
"I used to think I was poor,
Then they told me I wasn't poor,
I was NEEDY.."
Then they told me it was
Self-defeating to think of myself as needy,
I was DEPRIVED.
Then they told me deprived
Was a bad image,
I was UNDERPRIVILEGED.
Then they told me underprivileged
Was overused. I was DISADVANTAGED.
I still don't have a penny,
I still need compensating;
But I have a GREAT vocabulary.”
(Found on a school notice-board)

6
|
The ABC of Writing
3. B FOR
BREVITY
Today most people don’t have time to read long
pieces of writing. So help them or you won't get
read. Always prune your writing. Aim for
sentences of between 12 and 15 words each
with 3 sentences in each paragraph. Try to keep
your writing to one page. If you have more
information, split it into a summary and an
appendix.
On the morning of August 9th 1974, US President
Richard Nixon, facing impeachment over the
Watergate affair, resigned from office. His letter
runs to just 11 words (see image).The letter became
effective at 11:35 a.m. when Secretary of State
Henry Kissinger initialled it.
Attribution: Wikipedia

7
|
The ABC of Writing
Pruning First drafts of all written communication are likely to contain more material than you need.
Lengthy writing indicates an over-eagerness to get your point across whereas the best written
reports, memos and letters are simple, assertive and to the point. You can prune all of the
following:
HowTo PruneYourWritten
Communications
1. Words
Anglo-Saxon words are better than Latinised words, eg
"help" is better than "assist".
2. Phrases
Avoid padding out phrases, eg instead of "along the lines
of", use "like"; and instead of "due to the fact that..." use
"because".
3. Sentences
Aim for sentences of between 12 and 15 words each.
4. Paragraphs
Stick to one idea in each paragraph and keep them to
under 15 lines of typing.
5. Pages
Aim to summarise what you are saying on just one page; if
your communication is longer, use an appendix.

8
|
The ABC of Writing
4. OFFICIAL
JARGON
Official jargon is often used as an excuse for
being high-handed and pompous. This is the
practise of exaggerating our descriptions of
simple items or experiences so that they sound
more important than they really are. The result is
that what should be clear is at first unclear until
we remove the grandiose cover hiding it.
For example, a Canadian Fire department used
the term, "in a non-viable condition” for people
who are dead.
Cutting through the thicket of gobbledeegook
Flickr attribution: /prayitnophotography/4180699022/

9
|
The ABC of Writing
Bureaucratese Bureaucratese is the language used by officials when referring to regulations. It
owes more to procedural correctness than to correct expression.
This is an extract from a circular to staff on travel claims...
"The actual return fare to the employee's permanent place of employment (or residence, if
less) at the class appropriate to his or her grade will be allowed plus day subsistence for the
period from the end of the 24-hour cycle for night subsistence to the time of arrival at his or
her permanent place of employment (or residence) within the limit of night subsistence for
the nights of absence over the weekend“.
The sentence has 72 words and no doubt read well to the person who wrote it!

10
|
The ABC of Writing
5. K.I.S.S.
KISS stands for "Keep It Short and Simple", or
"Keep It Short and Sweet", or "Keep It Simple,
Stupid!". Aim to be succinct, whether you're
writing something in a memo, a letter, or an
email. It's not easy but one technique is to
always revise your written communications
before sending them and eliminate everything
that doesn't help what you are trying to say.
Victor Hugo once wrote a letter to his publisher
containing the short and simple, "?". His
publisher replied, "!".
“Unconditional Surrender” statue: San Diego, CA
Flickr attribution: /garlandcannon/4891192623/

11
|
The ABC of Writing
6. C FOR
CLARITY
Writing is a form of 1-way communication, which
means you don’t get the chance to check how
your message has been received. That’s why you
have to be crystal clear when you write. Some of
the enemies to clarity are: using buzz-words,
clichés, jargon, bureaucratese, and
gobbledeegook.
Draft, and re-draft, till you are satisfied
Flickr attribution: /full-aperture/8306655374/

12
|
The ABC of Writing
Make Sure Your
Receivers Understand
Your Language
Each of us and each culture on earth uses its own
unique way of looking at, and describing, their
own experiences. The Hanuoo people of New
Guinea, for example, have 92 words for "rice"
where English has one; Eskimos have over 100
different words for "snow" where English has
one; Gaelic speakers have over 17 words for
"mist" where English has one.
The workplace often has its own form of English,
made up of jargon and technical phrases;
bureaucratese; gobbledeegook; buzz-words; in-
phrases; slang; abbreviations; and in-house jokes
or references.
Writer Phillip Duggan recorded this example of an
American government spokesman during the Gulf
War: "Well, if we wanted to tweak Saddam,
we've certainly rattled his cage. But if we want to
put him in a box, that's another ball game and
the jury's still out on that one."
Flickr attribution: /83633410@N07/7658298768/

13
|
The ABC of Writing
7. 7TH GRADE,
9TH MONTH
Your written communication should be so clear
that it is easy to read and understand by
someone in the "7th grade, 9th month" (ie
around 12 to 13 years old) or even younger
When you're tempted to complicate things,
remember that 80% of Lincoln’s Gettysburg
Address is composed of single-syllable words.
After all, would you say you had “the upper part
of a hog’s hind leg with oval bodies encased in a
shell” for breakfast. Or bacon and eggs?
Write to be understood by a 13-year-old
Flickr attribution: /26781577@N07/14933742427/

14
|
The ABC of Writing
Buzz-
Words
The Canadian government is credited with inventing the phrase "buzz-words". These are
impressive-sounding phrases which give the appearance of being meaningful but are in fact
quite meaningless. It is only our snobbery to appear knowledgeable and up-to-date with the
latest fashion that encourages us to use such phrases.
Buzz-words can usually be easily replaced by simpler words or phrases.
1. for "business process re-engineering" say "a review of the way we do business"
2. for "knowledge management strategies" say "ways to make the best use of what
we know"
3. for "innovative thinking initiatives" say "how to get good ideas".

15
|
The ABC of Writing
This has been a Slide Topic from Manage Train Learn
AFinal
Word
Despite the modern revolution in communications, the written word still remains the most
powerful tool for expressing the nuances of our views, ideas and feelings. We write to confirm
spoken agreements. We write to make ourselves clear. We write to clarify our thoughts. Effective
writing means writing that is accurate, brief and clear.

The ABC of Writing

Recommended

Recommended

More Related Content

What's hot

What's hot (10)

Similar to The ABC of Writing

Similar to The ABC of Writing (20)

More from Manage Train Learn

More from Manage Train Learn (20)

Recently uploaded

Recently uploaded (20)

The ABC of Writing